Ryan Reynolds grief-stricken after death of ‘peerless’ Deadpool production designer

‘There’s an incomparable reservoir of skill, tender grit and talent no longer with us,’ said the ‘Deadpool’ star

Ryan Reynolds has paid tribute to longtime Marvel production designer Ray Chan, who has died at 56.

Chan was known for his work as an art director in the production department for Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and the forthcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.

He was born in Manchester in 1967, and died near on Tuesday (23 April) near his home in Wales.

On X/Twitter, Deadpool star Reynolds wrote: “RIP Ray Chan. Words are pretty inadequate in comparison to this loss.

“There’s an incomparable reservoir of skill, tender grit and talent no longer with us. As Production Designer, he was as important a creative force on Deadpool & Wolverine as the writers, director and stars.

“I don’t pretend to know every chapter of Ray’s heart, but I know it’s unusual to encounter someone with that level of artistry, who simultaneously moved through the world with such an indelible humanity.

The titular characters in the upcoming ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (© 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL.)

“He built entire worlds from scratch - and did so in the most collaborative and inclusive ways. Ray was peerless. And just awesome to be around. He’ll be missed by everyone — but especially, by the people inhabiting his most important world: his family.

“The last time I saw Ray was exactly two weeks ago. One of last things I said to him was that he makes magic and there’s nobody on earth like him. Generally, he and I gave each other a lot of good natured shit. So... of all the final things you could say to someone you adore, that’s a little scrap of consolation I’ll hang onto forever.”

Chan was also remembered by Marvel, which said in a statement: “The entire Marvel Studios team is incredibly saddened by the loss of Ray Chan, longtime Marvel filmmaker and friend, who passed away this week.

“Ray was 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. He was also a wonderful friend and colleague who will be dearly missed by everyone who had the privilege of working with him.”

Chan first joined Marvel Studios to work on Thor: The Dark World as Supervising Art Director and went on to be Supervising Art Director on many more Marvel films, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.

He was also an Art Director on Spider-Man: Far From Home, as well as Production Designer on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Chan is survived by his wife Lindsay and his children Caspar and Sebastian.