I think Stalin's pretty important as far as anti-revisionist Marxism-Leninism goes. All revisionists from Trotsky to Tito, Khrushchov, Gorbachov, Tsedenbal, Gomulka, Avakian, Kasama etc. has upheld the Marx-Engels-Lenin line. It's easy to "uphold" Marx and Lenin, it takes commitment to uphold Stalin as well however