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Credit: DisneyDisney has been fined $36,000 over the death of J.C. “Spike” Osorio.
Earlier this year, a tragedy was reported on the set of the upcoming Wonder Man series for Disney+. Lighting technician J.C. “Spike” Osorio suffered a fatal fall on Stage 3 at the Radford Studio Center in Studio City.
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An investigation was swiftly opened as Marvel confirmed the incident, issuing its own statement on the matter. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident,” it said.
Now, the investigation has concluded that Osorio had stepped onto a piece of the catwalk where the wood – which was improperly nailed to a roof support – had rotted, causing it to structurally deteriorate.
“The deteriorated ledger was weakened likely due to age, environmental conditions and repeated stress loads over many decades,” the investigation summary states.
“As the crew walked along the catwalks, the employee stood on the weakened section of catwalk. Suddenly, and without warning, the ledger supporting the floorboard broke apart and collapsed as the employee was standing on this section of catwalk. The employee fell 41 feet and forcefully impacted the ground below.”
Witnesses told paramedics at the time of the incident that Osorio had fallen about 50 feet. After paramedics unsuccessfully attempted CPR, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Disney has also been issued with two “serious” citations through its production entity, Ionic Productions. Each citation comes with a penalty of $18,000, with a total of $36,000. Radford Studio Center also received two penalties at $22,500 apiece. Both Disney and Radford Studio Center were given 15 business days from August 6 to appeal to the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board.
Earlier this year, Osorio’s widow, Joanne Osorio-Wu, and his mother, Zoila Osorio, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Radford Studio Center.
They claim that Osorio’s death was preventable and that the center – which was purchased by Hackman Capital Partners from ViacomCBS in 2021 for $1.85 billion after “decades of under-investment” – must have known that the facilities “were in a dilapidated condition and in desperate need of repair.”
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Wonder Man has had a deeply troubled production process. The series initially started filming in April 2023 but faced delays due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, with the former picketing the show when it attempted to continue filming through the strike.
Later that year, Joanna Robinson, co-author of the book “MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios,” claimed that Marvel Studios had considered dropping the series, despite having already started filming.
After the SAG-AFTRA ended in November – and creator Destin Daniel Cretton exited Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which has since been replaced with Avengers: Doomsday (2026) – filming was slated to restart after Thanksgiving. It ultimately began by early 2024, wrapping up by April.
For now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe show has no premiere date. However, like the comic book series of the same name, it’s said to focus on Simon Williams – an actor who finds himself “thrust into the world of superheroes” when he suddenly receives his own powers. Williams will be portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who previously portrayed Black Manta alongside Jason Momoa in Aquaman (2018).
Ben Kingsley will also reprise the role of Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 (2013) and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), while Demetrius Grosse will portray Simon Williams’ brother, Eric Williams/Grim Reaper, and Ed Harris has been cast as Neal Saroyan. The show also features Lauren Glazier and Frozen (2013) legend Josh Gad in undisclosed roles.
Inside the Magic sends our condolences to Osorio’s friends and family during this time.