As the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman became an icon. He first starred in Captain America: Civil War, and later appeared in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
Tragically, the actor, who was also known for his work in movies like Da 5 Bloods, 21 Bridges, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, died in 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer. His illness was kept private until his death in August of that year, and the news of his passing sent shockwaves not only through Hollywood but across the globe.
We've since learned that the Black Panther star never stopped fighting, and his final MCU performance was as Star-Lord in Disney+'s What If...? Boseman received a well-deserved posthumous Emmy for "Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance" for his work in that series.
Yesterday marked the fourth anniversary of Boseman's death and Guardians of the Galaxy director and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn paid tribute to the actor on Instagram.
As you can see below, he shared a photo of the T'Challa alongside Rocket's stand-in and a photo of himself, Boseman, and Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt. The late actor's Black Panther co-star, Lupita Nyong'o, also remembered Boseman with a quote reading, "Grief never ends. But it changes. It is a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It’s the price of love."
Before Boseman passed away in 2020, the plan had been for him to take centre stage in a Black Panther sequel as T'Challa.
Few details have been revealed, though we know the idea was for him to clash with Namor the Submariner while getting to know the son he'd only just discovered existed after vanishing during the Blip. Marvel Studios decided against recasting the role and instead had T'Challa die off-screen, with a reluctant Shuri inheriting the "Black Panther" mantle.
Black Panther 3 is believed to be in the works, though it's been rumoured that the idea now is for Shuri to eventually pass the mantle to the one true successor of the throne of Wakanda, the young Prince T'Challa, son of King T'Challa.
Our thoughts go out to Boseman's family at what is sure to be a difficult time for them. Rest in Power, King.