TRAGEDY STRUCK THE SET of Wonder Man this week on the set of Wonder Man last Tuesday, February 6, with the death of J.C. “Spike” Osorio, who worked as a rigger on the show.
The family shared a statement Friday via his union, IATSE: “He would talk your ear off given the chance and the opportunity, but he would always take the time to listen and care about what others needed to say. He 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.”
“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. The deceased was a rigger who fell from the rafters. OSHA (the Occupational Safety & Health Association) is investigating the accident, as is the IATSE.
The IATSE is the union that represents behind the scenes workers, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the accident.
He is survived by his wife, Joanne Osorio-Wu, his mother, Zoila Osorio, and his two schnauzers, Murphy Pastrami and Sirius Pickle. 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.” Friends and coworkers will be notified when funeral and memorial arrangements are made.” A GoFundMe has topped $160,000 so far with show creators Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Guest among the donors.
Most of the Wonder Man show was already filmed before the SAG-AFTRA strike last summer. The studio was just putting some final touches on it. Marvel has not yet announced when Wonder Man will begin airing. It will stream on Disney + at some unspecified future date. After Simon Williams became invulnerable and gained super strength, he became a stuntman as a logical way to make a living from his powers. (Not eeryone who gains super-powers dons a cape and goes out looking for bank robbers.) He has been both a good guy and a bad guy in the comics, but eventually joined the Avengers, and later the Defenders. His background in the MCU may be slightly different from the comic books.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played the revenge-seeking Black Manta in Aquaman (2018) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2024), will be playing Wonder Man. He played Cal Abar on the mini-series Watchmen. Ben Kingsley will be reprising his role as Trevor Slattery from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and Iron Man 3 (2013) in the new Wonder Man show.
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Susan Macdonald is the author of the children’s book “R is for Renaissance Faire”, as well as 26 short stories, mostly fantasy in “Alternative Truths”, “Swords and Sorceress #30”, Swords &Sorceries Vols. 1, 2, & 5, “Cat Tails” “Under Western Stars”, and “Knee-High Drummond and the Durango Kid”. Her articles have appeared on SCIFI.radio’s web site, in The Inquisitr, and in The Millington Star. She enjoys Renaissance Faires (see book above), science fiction conventions, Highland Games, and Native American pow-wows.
