Actors From The Marvel Cinematic Universe Paid Tribute To The Late Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman only broke through in 2014, after playing Jackie Robinson in the biopic 42. In the short period that he was a major star, he racked up a peerless résumé, playing other great African-American historical figures, like James Brown in Get On Up and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. He also played a key role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as T’Challa, aka Black Panther — the franchise’s first black superhero to get a solo movie.

The MCU employs a ton of great actors, so it was inevitable that when news broke Friday night of Boseman’s death to colon cancer — a struggle he kept quiet, telling only close family and friends — many of his colleagues would sound off on social media, paying tribute to an actor who everyone assumed had decades’ more great work in him.

There was Nick Fury himself, Samuel L. Jackson.

And the one who started it all, Robert Downey Jr.

There was Chris Evans.

https://twitter.com/ChrisEvans/status/1299550103221555200

And Mark Ruffalo.

And Chris Hemsworth

Don Cheadle, the MCU’s first black superhero, whose “Rhodey” Rhodes suited up as War Machine back in 2010’s Iron Man 2, was there to honor him.

https://twitter.com/DonCheadle/status/1299538219449552896

So was Brie Larson.

And Chris Pratt.

And Zoe Saldana.

Tom Holland, the youngest MCU superhero, was there to honor him.

Ditto Clark Gregg, who’s played S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson since the start.

Taika Waititi, who now directs the Thor pictures and voices Korg, weighed in.

As did Marvel Studios itself.

One of the most moving tributes came from Angela Bassett, who played T’Challa’s mom in Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame, and who shared the story of how they first met, long before they played mother and son.