Crewmember Dies on Set of Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’
J.C. “Spike” Osorio, a member of the crew of the Marvel Studios series Wonder Man, has died in an accident on set. The accident occurred Tuesday at Radford Studios, where Osorio, a rigger on the production, fell from the rafters.
In a remembrance shared on Friday, Osorio’s family called him “the best person who cared for all living things, a person that we all should strive to be.” He was a “the most wonderful, thoughtful, and loving husband, a caring son, a wise brother, a strong friend, a brave veteran, a euphorbia enthusiast, a meticulous lighting technician, and a stickler for safety at work.”
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A veteran member of the electrical department, Osorio, 41, worked on a vast array of productions, from 2017’s The Dark Tower to 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and Mayans M.C. and The Conners and American Born Chinese as recently as last year. His latest project, Wonder Man, focused on Simon Williams, a stuntman-turned superhero (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). The show was not filming Tuesday, but the crew was working.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” Marvel Studios said in a statement.
An investigation is under way from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health. IATSE, the union representing behind the scenes workers, shared its own statement after the death.
“Everyone in the IA family is shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. We are working to support our member’s family, and his fellow members and colleagues,” said President Matthew D. Loeb. “Safety on set is our highest priority and we will assist Cal/OSHA in their investigation in any way that we can. If you feel unsafe on set for any reason, members can call the IATSE Safety Hotline at 844-422-9273 or use our safety info app.”
Osorio “would want everyone he knows to carry on the torch of maintaining safety and protections for the working people not only of IATSE but beyond as well,” his family said in in its statement. The family added, “To paraphrase a line from one of his favorite podcasts, ‘He was Spike, he lives forever in every moment he existed, and swore to every star in the cosmos, that he never forgot it was a gift, not for one second.'”
After news of his death spread, a GoFundMe in Osorio’s name raised almost $163,000 as of Friday. Industry members took to social media remembering Osorio as well, with writer Andra Whipple (Adam Ruins Everything) recalling meeting Osorio on the picket lines during the 2023 writers’ strike: “He refused to cross and brought us waters. He was a kind and principled man who cared deeply about his crew. A heartbreaking loss.” Kaitlyn Yang, the visual effects supervisor on American Born Chinese, remembered, “I worked with Spike on my last series. He made sure I had all the lights to make our blue screens work. As many crew have echoed before me, I felt seen and heard in his presence. May he rest in peace.”
Wonder Man completed some filming before the SAG-AFTRA strike shut things down in July. It is unclear how much more work is due on the series, although one source said most of the shooting had been completed and only some pick-ups were planned in the coming days or weeks.
The show counts Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings‘ Destin Daniel Creton and Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Andrew Guest as among the behind-the-scenes talents. Ben Kingsley is among the Marvel actors returning, to reprise the role of thespian Trevor Slattery.
Osorio is survived by his wife, industry boom operator Joanne Osorio-Wu, his mother Zoila Osorio and his two schnauzers, Murphy Pastrami and Sirius Pickle. Funeral and memorial arrangements have not yet been made, but will be shared with Osorio’s friends in time.
Feb. 9, 12:04 p.m. Added statement from Osorio’s family.
Katie Kilkenny contributed to this report.
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