Military pilot Maj. Stephen Del Bagno, who helped train Brie Larson for her upcoming film “Captain Marvel,” died on Wednesday in an F-16 crash, the Air Force Thunderbirds squadron announced Thursday.
Larson and Marvel Studios took to Twitter to mourn the loss of Del Bagno, who served as a consultant on the superhero film, which follows Larson’s character, Carol Danvers, as she makes the transition from Air Force officer to superhero. The pilot was killed when his plane went down over the Nevada Test and Training Range during a routine aerial demonstration training flight, according to the Thunderbirds website.
“We lost a friend yesterday,” Marvel Studios tweeted on Thursday. “Marvel Studios is saddened to hear of the loss of Air Force Maj. Stephen Del Bagno, who we were lucky to get to know during his time as a consultant on Captain Marvel. We will miss him greatly; he’ll always be a part of the team.”
We lost a friend yesterday. Marvel Studios is saddened to hear of the loss of Air Force Maj. Stephen Del Bagno, who we were lucky to get to know during his time as a consultant on Captain Marvel. We will miss him greatly; he’ll always be part of the team.
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) April 6, 2018
Larson acknowledged the news from her personal account, tweeting, “I’m so sad. Will have more to say tomorrow. We miss you Cajun.”
I’m so sad. Will have more to say tomorrow. We miss you Cajun. 💔
— Brie Larson (@brielarson) April 6, 2018
Brigadier Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the 57th Wing Commander in Nevada who Larson shadowed while preparing for the role, released a statement honoring Del Bagno as well, which said, “He was an integral part of our team and our hearts are heavy with his loss.”
Del Bagno was also an F-35A evaluator pilot and chief of standardization and evaluation, 58th Fighter Squadron, Eglin AFB, according to the Aviationist website. “Captain Marvel,” directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, is currently in production and set to release on March 8, 2019.
