Remembering Ray Stevenson

The incredibly talented actor, and longtime Marvel friend, Ray Stevenson has sadly passed away at the age of 58.

Ray Stevenson has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011, when he first played the role of Volstagg in Thor. A member of the Warriors Three who supported Thor through his adventures in Asgard and beyond, Stevenson’s Volstagg brought both humor and action to the Thor films. Stevenson reprised his role in Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, with Volstagg stopping to eat all the delicacies in the realm along the way. After being cast in 2009, Stevenson told Empire, “He's got every bit of that Falstaffian verve and vigor, and a bit of a gut to suggest that enormous appetite, but he's not the sort of Weeble-shaped figure he is in the comics. He's Falstaff with muscles. I can't wait!"

Volstagg wasn’t Stevenson’s only brush with Marvel, though. He played Frank Castle / The Punisher in 2008’s Punisher: War Zone which saw him take on the character. Prior to filming, Stevenson told Collider that he read the whole run of PunisherMAX, explaining, “I think he found his own skin, as it were, and it did incredible things for the character and a mine of back stories and information and character work and issues that weren’t being shied away from and it was tremendous a tremendous process.” Stevenson later returned to voice the character in the animated series The Super Hero Squad Show in 2009.

Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland on May 25, 1964, and began his early career with appearances on European TV before transitioning to films in the 2000s, with roles in such films as The Divergent series, King Arthur, The Other Guys, and most recently the Oscar-winning RRR. His television credits include Rome, Dexter, and Black Sails.

Marvel extends our condolences to Stevenson’s family, friends, and fans all over the world.