Joshua Cassara

Joshua Cassara was an American comic book artist <cite index="0-1">best known for his work on the Krakoa era X-Force and X-Men series</cite>, along with Deadpool/Wolverine, Venom and Daredevil. He died on September 22, 2026, at the age of 46.

<cite index="0-4">Cassara attended La Mirada High School in California, where he played football and volleyball, and worked on the newspaper staff, before graduating in 1998</cite>, and was largely self-taught as an artist. <cite index="0-5">Some of his early work included Titan's The Troop (2015), and Mycroft Holmes and the Apocalypse Handbook, co-written by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in 2016.</cite> He later moved to Marvel, where <cite index="5-3">he contributed to series such as Falcon, Sentry, Secret Empire, and Venom</cite>.

<cite index="4-3">Cassara's breakthrough came with X-Force in 2019, when he teamed with writer Benjamin Percy for the relaunch of the series as part of Jonathan Hickman's new X-Men line.</cite> The book gave him a showcase for his detailed, high-impact art, and he went on to draw the flagship X-Men series as well as Deadpool/Wolverine and Venom: Black, White & Blood. <cite index="0-3">He was named a Stormbreaker by the company, as part of the program recognizing their best new artists, in 2020.</cite>

Colleagues remembered Cassara as much for his warmth as for his craft. Writer Benjamin Percy recalled that <cite index="4-1">Cassara was a bartender for many years, and when they were working on X-Force, he wanted to create a watering hole for the mutants</cite>, an idea that grew into the Green Lagoon, a set piece Cassara spent two weeks illustrating in painstaking detail. Marvel said in a statement that it was <cite index="0-6">"saddened by the passing of Joshua Cassara. A gifted artist, he brought energy, detail and emotion to his work on X-Force, X-Men, and many more. Beyond the page, Joshua was a wonderful friend and collaborator with a kind heart."</cite>

Cassara died of heart complications. <cite index="0-2">On Instagram, his wife, Martha Cassara, announced the death on Tuesday, September 22.</cite> In a fuller statement carried by other outlets, <cite index="1-2">she wrote that she was saddened to share the impossible news that Josh had died on September 22nd of heart complications, and described him as a good man, a wonderful father and husband, her best friend and the love of her life.</cite> Tributes followed from Marvel, fellow creators and readers across the comics industry. No funeral or memorial service has yet been made public.