Black Panther Forever: Remembering Chadwick Boseman, the Real-Life Warrior
The King is no more! The blow has struck Wakanda and the world hard, outspreading absolute grief and shock! Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, 43, passed away on Friday, 28th August, at his home, surrounded by his beloved family. After fighting with colon cancer for 4 years, the warrior is finally at peace.
Born in 1977, in South Carolina, Boseman always wanted to write and direct. A Christian by faith, the aspiring actor used to sing at the church choirs and always prayed to the Lord of becoming an actor. They say, God puts hurdles in your path to test your dedication towards that pretty thing you wish to achieve in life. For Boseman too, life was not a bed of roses. His first break on television happened in 2003, a small role in an episode of ‘Third Watch’. Next, he bagged the character of Reggie Montgomery in ‘All My Children’ in the same year, unfortunately, he lost the opportunity due to the racist stereotypes in the character. However, this one incident couldn’t put off Chadwick’s spirit. He carried on working in other telly series and writing plays and scripts simultaneously.
It was in 2013, after about 10 years that the passionate actor first came to fame for depicting Jackie Robinson, the star baseball pioneer in the biopic ‘42’.
Picture Courtesy: Twitter
But our King of Wakanda became an international figure only after donning the character of T'Challa a.k.a. Black Panther in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016). It was Boseman’s dream role, and he firmly believed, God has fulfilled his wish for playing this Marvel superhero on screen. And in 2018, when the ‘Black Panther’ solo movie was launched, Chadwick Boseman became a sensation overnight. Every viewer, every fan showered love on this Prince turned King of the Marvel Universe!
Picture Courtesy: Twitter/Disney/marvel
“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." - Job 1:21
Truly, God’s play is beyond human understanding. The year 2016 when Chadwick had just achieved his dream Marvel superhero role, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. It also appears, Boseman possessed a different personality and was a rather private person. He never brought forward this upsetting news to the public domain. While the world kept waiting for the ‘Black Panther’ sequel to watch him kill more rogues out there, the Panther himself was at war with death.
Followed by his Marvel films, the actors also starred in action dramas like ‘21 Bridges’ and ‘Da 5 Bloods’ recently. His blockbusters ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018) and ‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019) went on to become the highest-grossing films in the respective years.
Marvel president Kevin Feige mourned this untimely demise by stating, “Chadwick’s passing is absolutely devastating. He was our T’Challa, our Black Panther, and our dear friend. Each time he stepped on set, he radiated charisma and joy, and each time he appeared on screen, he created something truly indelible. He embodied a lot of amazing people in his work, and nobody was better at bringing great men to life. He was as smart and kind and powerful and strong as any person he portrayed. Now he takes his place alongside them as an icon for the ages. The Marvel Studios family deeply mourns his loss, and we are grieving tonight with his family.”
Veteran actor Denzel Washington praised the late actor saying, “He was a gentle soul and a brilliant artist, who will stay with us for eternity through his iconic performances over his short yet illustrious career. God bless Chadwick Boseman."
Co-star Mark Ruffalo who has been playing ‘Hulk’ for quite some time wrote, "It was the highest honor getting to work with you and getting to know you. What a generous and sincere human being. You believed in the sacred nature of the work and gave your all. Much love to your family. And much love from all of us left here."
But it simply doesn’t end here. Chadwick Boseman will be back on screen soon with ‘Ma Rainey's Black Bottom’ based on the drama of the same name. The world awaits Chadwick’s posthumous performance on the big screen.
Captain America Chis Evans wrote these heartfelt lines remembering this “special” co-actor, “I’m absolutely devastated. This is beyond heartbreaking. Chadwick was special. A true original. He was a deeply committed and constantly curious artist. He had so much amazing work still left to create. I’m endlessly grateful for our friendship. Rest in power, King.”
Having said that the earth and the industry will forever remember and cherish the indomitable spirit and strength of this young actor, gone too soon. Long Live the King!
