Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther wasn’t just the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe when it first hit theaters in early 2018; it was a full-blown cultural event, something that’s backed up by cold, hard facts.
Not only is it the top-grossing non-Avengers movie in franchise history, but it’s also the highest-rated film or television installment in the entire MCU on Rotten Tomatoes, and it went on to become the first superhero blockbuster to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa became an icon to millions of fans around the world, and speaking to the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, recent MCU recruit Mahershala Ali praised the late actor for the impact that his performance as T’Challa, and Black Panther as a whole, had on the superhero genre.
“And you see the impact that Black Panther has had on the culture. Which goes beyond either of those projects. It’s a story that’s more suited and set up better for an audience to get behind. And then you have what Chadwick did with the role, and everybody else [in the film] that just kind of took it to a whole other level.”
Ali made his MCU debut via an offscreen cameo in Eternals, but he’s currently gearing up to make his live-action bow in the Blade reboot, which is penciled in to start shooting next summer. It’s a daunting task stepping in for Wesley Snipes as the Daywalker, but one of the best actors in the business with two Academy Award wins under his belt is about as suitable a replacement as you’d hope to find.