My Heart Is Broken

It's not a secret that of all the Marvel films that the Black Panther is my favorite.. I must have seen it twenty times since it first came out. Whenever I need something familiar to watch when I am multitasking, I always look to T'Challa and Wakanda. Since the first time I discovered the character in the pages of Marvel Comics I have been a fan. Even as great as the entire lot of Marvel movies are, I had no reason to expect that The Black Panther would be as good as it was. To me it was everything I believe about heroism wrapped in a package that celebrated a group of people who NEEDED a movie like this to represent their highest aspirations. Now in a world in desperate need of heroes, we are one short.

Chadwick was the embodiment of T'Challa. The way he moved and the way he talked and the character and courage he displayed while trying to be not just a KING but a good man. Winning that battle is what made him a KING and not just some other hero to me. His actions as King of Wakanda had global consequences and I felt the weight of that burden throughout the four Marvel films that he was a part of. All of that love goes to Boseman's performance which was both Oscar worthy and iconic. He was the focal point of an entire project that is steeped in black ideas of Afro Futurism. The entire movie is dripping with Black influences and I for one found it a glorious thing to see. Living in a world where Wakanda is real and dual citizenship with Canada is possible, is all I could wish for in my life. We have no idea how powerful the idea of Wakanda and the Black Panther is to millions of children of color. Representation is important and in that way, Chadwick succeeded in what was his life mission. Learn more about him and discover what a ground breaking actor and human being he was. Understand how great a loss this is to me as it is to so many across the planet today. This hurts to bad it aches.

Chadwick made me believe in the hero he was playing on screen. He made me wish there was a real nation of Wakanda because the world needs to believe that success, social awareness and heroism is not a white trait. It's a human trait. It`s a trait the very best of us fight to protect. I was so proud that Marvel was able to produce a film that not only brought representation to a race of people sorely lacking heroes that are not rappers or professional athletes.

I had no idea Chadwick was fighting colon cancer for the past four years. No one did and that is what makes his death so shocking, especially in a year when we have all been hit by some terrible news, seemingly everyday. Of all those days in the past four years, this has to be one of the worst for me.

Several on Twitter drew attention to the work that Mr Boseman produced while he was living with colon cancer after being diagnosed in 2016. "During that time, he gave us Civil War, Marshall, Black Panther, Infinity War, Endgame, 21 Bridges and Da 5 Bloods," wrote journalist Jemele Hill. 

 

 

Rest in Power, My King.

Given his stature today, it may be surprising to recall that Boseman didn’t land a significant movie role until he was in his mid-30s. A graduate of Howard University and the British American Drama Academy, he mostly appeared in one-off parts on television until he was cast as the baseball legend Jackie Robinson in the 2013 biopic 42. The only other person who had played Robinson in a movie before was Robinson himself, and yet here was a virtual unknown taking on the part with confidence and grace. So much of the film, directed by Brian Helgeland, deals with Robinson’s struggle to control his anger as he’s subjected to racist abuse by fans and players, and Boseman’s performance simmers with heroic restraint.

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Black Panther was a staggering cultural phenomenon when it arrived in 2018, the fourth-highest-grossing movie in domestic box-office history. And though Ryan Coogler’s film is filled with visual invention, dense world-building, and memorable supporting turns, it’s rooted in Boseman’s gravitas, in his ability to project authority and power. T’Challa is a purposefully idealized figure, a sensitive and just warrior who struggles courageously with the burden of leading an entire nation. The movie wouldn’t work without the innate humanity he gives T’Challa, even as he bounds into battle in a high-tech suit.

The pain is real.

"Chadwick came to the White House to work with kids when he was playing Jackie Robinson. You could tell right away that he was blessed. To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years." - President Obama.

“Press on with pride. Press on with purpose” - Chadwick Boseman  

"This was hard to hear about. Hard to imagine the quiet pain and struggle you went thru all these years, yet still shined your powerful light and talents to inspire the world. Especially, our kids who finally saw themselves as a superhero — because of you. Rest in power, brother. My love and strength to your family. You will always press on with pride and purpose. - Dwayne Johnson

"Chadwick was an incredibly elegant and thoughtful individual who conveyed dignity and integrity in a way that very few could. A tremendous talent who inspired a generation to stand up and be king." - The Russo Brothers.