We have some sad news to share today as it's been confirmed that Marvel Studios' Ray Chan passed away earlier this week.
While his name may not be as instantly familiar as other creatives and executives at the studio, he's been a huge part of what we've seen on screen since way back in 2013.
He joined Marvel Studios as Thor: The Dark World's Supervising Art Director and later took on the same role for hit movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
As well as serving as an Art Director on Spider-Man: Far From Home, he was the Production Designer on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (for its reshoots), and the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.
In a tribute shared by Marvel, he's described as "an incredible production designer who helped imagine and design the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
"From Xandar to the Sanctum Sanctorum, Ray brought distinct, lived-in worlds to the screen, spanning the far reaches of space to a Louisiana fishing boat," it continues. "He was also a wonderful friend and colleague who will be dearly missed by everyone who had the privilege of working with him."
Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige and Louis D'Esposito also issued a joint statement shortly after the news was made public:
"Ray was first and foremost a good friend to everyone at Marvel Studios. He was a talented collaborator who brought creativity and attention to detail to every frame of every movie he worked on, and who was able to bring out the best in each department he worked with. He was the nicest human being and was such a pleasure to work with, hugely generous, and the kind of person who could take the seed of an idea and turn it into something beautiful. We are devastated by his passing. He will be missed by everyone at Marvel, and our sincerest condolences go out to his family and friends."
This is a big loss for Marvel Studios and we'd imagine Deadpool & Wolverine will be dedicated to Chan when it releases this summer. For those of you who might not know the importance of a Production Designer, they work closely with the director, producers, and other department heads to visually conceptualize the film's setting, environments, and overall aesthetic.
Our thoughts go out to Chan's friends and family at this difficult time. He's survived by his wife Lindsay and his children Caspar and Sebastian.