While attending the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Kevin Feige reflects on his time with the late Chadwick Boseman.
Kevin Feige looks back on his time working late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. Boseman passed away in August 2020 after a silent battle with cancer at the age of 43. During his career, he has left an indelible mark on the entertainment world. He portrayed several real-life figures, such as Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Come on. Boseman was even posthumously nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for Ma Rainey’s black buttocks and an Emmy for Marvel’s What If…?which he won.
Boseman is best known for playing T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The character first appeared in 2016 Captain America: Civil Warwhere he sought revenge for the death of his father. T’Challa then directed his own film in the years 2018 Black Pantherwhere he fought to defend his country of Wakanda against Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. Black Panther was a huge success, grossing $1.3 billion worldwide and becoming the first superhero film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
While attending the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverMarvel Studios president Kevin Feige spoke with Variety about his time with Boseman. Feige said he felt “good luck and gratitude” to have had the opportunity to work with the celebrated actor. He also believes Boseman’s oeuvre will live on for generations to come. Check out Feige’s comments on Boseman below:
“It’s an honor. You know, there was an event called D23 a month or so ago, and Chad was revered as a Disney legend, and I met his whole family there for the first time. I feel very lucky and grateful to have him in my life for the short amount of time I did And more importantly he did such a body of work at such a young age that it will last forever, and will be his presence generation after generation after generation. “
Chadwick Boseman’s Impact in the MCU Explained
What Boseman and Black Panther brought to the MCU cannot be underestimated. Not only laundry Black Panther a financial success, but it helped legitimize superhero movies in terms of awards. Movies based on comic books had won Oscars before, mainly in categories such as makeup or visual effects. However, with Black Panther earning a Best Picture nomination from the Academy Awards, it spoke volumes about what high-impact, big-budget superhero movies could achieve.
Further, Black Panther was a huge step in the representation of black characters. The film has an almost all-black cast, which includes Forest Whitaker, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya and Letitia Wright, in addition to Boseman and Jordan. While movies like Sheet saw Wesley Snipes star in a comic book-based movie, Black Panther set a new benchmark, allowing representation to take center stage alongside a story set in Africa that also embraced African traditions and culture. Now with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the MCU wants to join a legion of fans to mourn the passing of Boseman while continuing to embrace the culture and characters that made the original special. So while Boseman is gone, his memory and impact on the MCU will live on Black Panther.
Source: Variety
