RIP: Chadwick Boseman : the Black Panther actor, 43

Chadwick Boseman, 43

It has in the meantime been a few weeks since this tragedy struck us but the impact leaves us just as dumbfounded as it did before. When I read, a few weeks ago, that Chadwick Boseman, the actor who so effectively played the Black Panther in the Marvel Movies ( Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame ) had succumbed to colon cancer, I did not know what hit me. Chadwick Boseman was after all only 43 years old. He left a wife and two young children behind. 

Boseman was a complete unknown for me when I heard he was to play the Black Panther for Marvel. I had read he also played in a few other films but the name did not ring a bell. I had not seen any of these other films. But, having seen him only in the role of T'Challa, the Black Panther, I could tell this was not just anybody. Here was a man of some serious acting talent, a man of dignity, humility and caring attention. It was a complete surprise to me that Black Panther was such a big hit. I was at first wondering if people had forgotten about Blade, also an African American Superhero, battling vampires and very nicely played by Wesley Snipes at the time. (I did not care for parts 1 and 3 but part 2 was excellent.) But Black Panther was different. Blade also did not have the prominence as a character in the comics as he had started as a secondary character in Marvel's TOMB OF DRACULA. Black Panther, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR, was indeed the first Black Superhero in the pages of Marvel Comics.

Stan Lee congratulating Boseman at the premiere of Black Panther

Black Panther has had a very good history in the pages of Marvel Comics since his beginning in the pages of FANTASTIC FOUR. He has appeared in many series before he got his own comic book series but he has also been drawn by many different artists, from Jack Kirby, to John Buscema, Gene Colan and John Romita Jr.

Marvel Comics, all rights reserved

Chadwick Boseman was most certainly the right actor to play the part. Boseman had played James Brown, (Get On Up), baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42 and Thurgood Marshall in the film Marshall and would have certainly brought us many more good roles in case he had been granted more time.  Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016 and yet, he told no one but his own direct family and direct friends. He went from one film to the next while at the same time going from chemotherapy to operation and beyond, struggling thru all of this with the dignity of the Black Panther character and even made time to visit sick children in hospital last year, to give them some cheer. Although his last film we have seen so far is Da 5 Bloods by Spike Lee, we still have one film in post production and several TV items that we will be able to hear his voice in. It is a voice that was stilled too soon.  I wish his family and friends all the best in overcoming this great loss.