Chadwick Boseman: Long Live the King
The following month after one of the most influential civil-rights demonstrations–The March Against Fear–a new superhero was brought to the Marvel Universe. Marvel comic writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby created the fictional character T’challa, who made his debut in 1966. As king of the fictional nation, Wakanda, T’challa fights the forces of evil as his alter-ego, the Black Panther.
In 2008, Marvel Studios created the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Iron Man, which kick started phase one of the studio’s plan to create a universe focused on superheroes. The studio produced 12 movies spanning two phases before their most influential black superhero made his big-screen debut. In Captain America: Civil War, T’challa, played by the late Chadwick Boseman, loses his father, King T’chaka: rising to the king of his nation.
After Chadwick’s debut, Marvel announced the creation of their first film in the franchise featuring a black superhero as the main protagonist: Black Panther. The solo movie follows T’challa’s personal struggle in becoming the new Wakandan king.
“Black Panther is a beautiful movie. I love how it shows the life of King T’challa and the struggle he went through to truly become a symbol for Wakanda,” Jordan Bell, 12, said.
The movie grossed 1.3 billion dollars worldwide at the box office, according to thenumbers.com, setting a record for the highest grossing solo movie in Marvel history.
After his solo movie, Marvel fans knew T’Challa’s story; the story of Chadwick Boseman, on the other hand, was less ubiquitous. In 2016, Chadwick was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. A cancer that “typically affects older adults,” according to the Los Angeles Colon & Rectum Institution, infected him at the young age of 39. During Chadwick’s four-year battle with cancer, he suited up as the Black Panther twice: in Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame.
Chadwick passed away on August 28, 2020, in Los Angeles.
“He imprinted society in such a way, impacted especially the black community and gave kids a hero they could inspire to be. To lose him, I don’t know if I can even tell my kid that. It’s devastating,” Samuel L. Jackson told Imagine Games Network (IGN) reporters after finding out about his death.
Despite Boseman’s passing, Marvel studios decided to create a sequel to Black Panther. Information about the plot of this movie was kept under the rug until San Diego Comic-Con 2022; Marvel studios president Kevin Feige went on stage and announced the title of the film: Black Panther Wakanda Forever. Along with the title, the studio dropped a teaser trailer, and the release date: November 11th. At the end of the trailer, there is a brief moment where you see a Black Panther suit extend its claws– nonfirming that there will be a new Black Panther in the film.
“I remember watching the teaser trailer for the first time, and when I saw the Black Panther suit at the end; I lost it,” Jordan said. “I’m not sure who is going to be behind the mask. I hope it’s either Shuri [King T’challa’s younger sister] or Erick Killmonger [King T’challa’s cousin and the main antagonist of the first film].”
Lupita Nyong’o, who plays Nakia--King T’challa’s girlfriend--shared with reporters her experience reading the script for the first time. “What Ryan ended up sharing with me was just so utterly truthful and beautiful. By the end, I was in tears,” Lupita said.
Chadwick Boseman broke the stereotype that required superheroes to be white in order to become a symbol of hope. He took a character who had never been adapted outside of comic books to the big screen, and became one of the most influential fictional characters not only to the Marvel Universe, but to the world as a whole. “Chadwick Boseman gave people hope. Hope that one day the world will be united. Just how King T’challa’s father would have wanted,” Jordan Bell said.