Countless stars from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe have poured onto social media over the past couple of days to pay tribute to friend and colleague Chadwick Boseman, following the tragic news that the Black Panther actor has passed away from colon cancer at the age of just 43. These include Chris Evans, who worked with Boseman in three out of his four appearances in the franchise as Wakandan king T’Challa.
“I’m absolutely devastated. This is beyond heartbreaking,” Evans wrote in a tweet on Friday, going on to praise Boseman for his immense talent and reflecting on their friendship. “Chadwick was special. A true original. He was a deeply committed and constantly curious artist. He had so much amazing work still left to create. I’m endlessly grateful for our friendship. Rest in power, King.”
Along with his heartfelt words, Evans shared two photos of himself with Boseman: a black and white shot of them on set and another of the duo sharing a private joke on stage.
https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1299550103221555200
Of course, Boseman debuted in the MCU in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, in which he starred opposite Evans’ Steve Rogers as their two characters stood on different sides of the Sokovia Accords conflict. Evans did not appear in Black Panther, but the pair worked together again in both Infinity War and Endgame.
Evans joins many other Avengers who have paid their respects to Boseman. Robert Downey Jr., for one, shared a message remarking on his friend’s real-life “heroism,” commenting: “I’ll remember the good times, the laughter, and the way he changed the game…” Others include Hulk star Mark Ruffalo and Captain Marvel actress Brie Larson, while folks who didn’t work with Boseman on screen have also reacted to the news, like Deadpool‘s Ryan Reynolds.
TBS is airing Black Panther this Sunday night, for the second time this weekend, in honor of Chadwick Boseman, while ABC will be showing a special tribute to the actor tonight as well, the full details for which you can find here.