Amongst the celebration and jubilation surrounding the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is also the sadness that comes from the acknowledgment that Chadwick Boseman, the original on-screen Black Panther, is no longer with us. In order to pay his respects to the actor, director Ryan Coogler chose a thoughtful way to honor his former leading actor on the red carpet.
Boseman brought to life a superhero that would resonate with many, especially the African American community and Black people across the world who felt uplifted by the representation on the big screen.
Unfortunately, the actor, unbeknownst to many, had been diagnosed with and had been battling colon cancer in secret for four years. He tragically lost his battle in August 2020, shocking the world. This then brought up the question of what would happen to his most iconic and cherished role. Marvel stated that they would not recast Boseman and decided instead to pay their respects for him on-screen by having his character pass away and have another character take over the helm.
Coogler continues to pay his respects tonight by wearing a small picture of the actor on a pendant necklace at the global premiere.
The director and his wife, Zizi Evan’s choice of outfit may also be another nod towards the actor as they both don all white, the color we saw worn by everyone in Wakanda as they celebrate life and mourn the death of their King and protector. This choice to favor white in these scenes was discussed by Ruth E. Carter, the costume designer in both films.
Talking to Variety she said that the color was “very specific and meaningful,” and not only connecting them “to tradition in Africa” but also one of Boseman’s scenes from the first film.
“In the Ancestral Plane, when T’Challa wakes up and sees his father, he’s wearing white. White is a color that’s worn in a lot of funerals in Africa — it’s either bright red or it’s white — and we chose white because it connects us to Chadwick, to T’Challa.”
The film is sure to make even the most stiff-lipped of us shed a tear as it pays tribute to the former actor, whom many around the world looked up to. The Black Panther sequel won’t feel the same without him but we can only hope it does him justice.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will be available to watch in theatres from Nov. 11.