Rest in Peace, Chadwick Boseman

[Channelknight Fadran]

In case you guys haven't heard, Chadwick Boseman has recently died of cancer. He never told anybody about this; even acting in several movies after being diagnosed.

I made this to honor him.

[Use the Falchion]

He inspired - and will continue inspire - a generation. Rest In Peace, Bondsmith. Rest In Power, King. 

[Wyndlerunner he/him]

This is truly saddening news. He died so young, and is survived by a parent, and to quote King Theoden "No parent should have to bury their child."

[I Am A Fish he/him]

*Sad fillet noises*

 

[Spren of Kindness she/her]

Cancer's an awful thing.  It takes the best far too early. 

[Bearer of all agonies he/him]

It is so sad. I loved him in the movies and I heard he was an amazing guy. It’s such a terrible thing that happened to him. 

[I Am A Fish he/him]

On 8/29/2020 at 3:38 PM, Spren of Kindness said:

Cancer's an awful thing.  It takes the best far too early. 

, I wish I had a sadder emoji.

[Draginon he/him]

Let’s all take a moment of silence for the king of Wakanda...

 

I’ve only seen him in Captain America Civil War and the two Avengers films he was in but I liked him as T’Challa.

Now Marvel will have to rewrite the script for the sequel, either give the mantle to one of the ladies or have a new character step into the role but when I mentioned this to my mother she didn’t seem to understand why they would have to ‘retire’ the character and that they could “just cast another black man”. Not only is that rude and disrespectful to Chadwick it’s also racist the way she said it. She compared it to recasting Batman and recasting the Joker after Heath Ledger died not understanding they didn’t recast the Joker because that version only appeared in that one film and the Jared Leto version is a different Joker.

Edited August 31, 2020 by Draginon
Accidentally spelled king as kin

[Use the Falchion]

1 hour ago, Draginon said:

Let’s all take a moment of silence for the king of Wakanda...

 

I’ve only seen him in Captain America Civil War and the two Avengers films he was in but I liked him as T’Challa.

Now Marvel will have to rewrite the script for the sequel, either give the mantle to one of the ladies or have a new character step into the role but when I mentioned this to my mother she didn’t seem to understand why they would have to ‘retire’ the character and that they could “just cast another black man”. Not only is that rude and disrespectful to Chadwick it’s also racist the way she said it. She compared it to recasting Batman and recasting the Joker after Heath Ledger died not understanding they didn’t recast the Joker because that version only appeared in that one film and the Jared Leto version is a different Joker.

I'm of a couple minds on this. After a couple days, and finishing Black Panther last night, here are my thoughts: 

I agree that this situation is a little different than Heath Ledger's, but to be fair that is most people's frame of reference for this situation. Carrie Fisher's passing is also very similar, but Lucasfilm was able to take a third path that the MCU can't.

On the other hand, as a black man who grew up without a black superhero on the big screen (I had Static Shock* and John Stewart's Green Lantern from the DCAU), I'd most certainly rather see the role of T'Challa recast than anything else. Yes, Chadwick was brilliant in - dare I say born for - the role. But the role also transcended him. T'Challa means too much to our culture, or legacy, or future to simply leave behind. Could they find another character to step into the role of Black Panther? Absolutely. Heck, Shuri's been the Black Panther multiple times in the comics, and I'd totally be down for her taking the mantle here.

But T'Challa is more than the costume. A new character in the role will bring a new energy and potentially a new philosophy as well. Dick Grayson as Batman doesn't have the same atmosphere as Bruce Wayne's Batman - heck, look at how different each of the Robins are/were, and how different they've turned out. Miles Morales' take on Spider-Man is VERY different from Peter Parker's (in any universe, but the most notable example is Into The Spider-Verse); and MCU Peter Parker ultimately has to learn to carve his own path, despite being Tony's superhero successor. This is rarely, if ever, a bad thing. But I don't think it's the thing we need right now. We need a Black Panther who can stand with the titans of his world and speak to the titans in ours. We don't need a legacy character, we need a king. 

On a storytelling level, the first Black Panther movie was about legacy and wasn't a Superhero Origin Story. Replacing the role would not only repeat the themes of legacy - something the latest Spider-Man trilogy is already covering as well as something Falcon and the Winter Soldier will clearly have to address - but it also by its nature makes the sequel an origin story. Novel in concept, but repetitive in realization.  

Heck, going off of that, replacing T'Challa may end up with something along the lines of the "Newt Effect," from Brandon's latest Q&A. Basically it's when a sequel undoes all the work and/or emotional weight of the movies before it. (Think the Sequel Trilogy of Star Wars to the Original Trilogy.) Endgame ended on a high note for the Wakandan King. To announce that he died off-screen or is "too busy ruling Wakanda" to deal with whatever threat is happening/help out the new top warrior of the country is something that would clearly be out of place, especially in a sequel. 

 

Also, go watch Black Panther ASAP. It's one of the best superhero films of all time, despite the shoddy CGI. 

 

(Although I do find it a little racist how your mother demeaned it down to "just cast another black man." There's more to this than just "any black person will do.")

 

 

 

*I still believe that Static Shock should've had his own movie over ten years ago. And while he DEFINITELY deserved a tv show before Black Lightning (which YMMV on, since Black Lightning is the originator of the "Black Guy Electric Powers" trope and who Static was ultimately based off of), I'm happy CW didn't screw up Static...which is also weird to say, considering Arrow is my favorite superhero show, and the first two seasons of Black Lightning were phenomenal. 

[Iarwainiel I she/her]

On 8/29/2020 at 1:04 PM, Use the Falchion said:

He inspired - and will continue inspire - a generation. Rest In Peace, Bondsmith. Rest In Power, King. 

"Bondsmith" is perfect - thank you for thinking of this!

Chadwick Boseman's death is a shattering loss. Speaking only for myself, "Black Panther" was the one MCU storyline that I was excited to keep with going forward; for the rest, I felt such deep closure after "Endgame" that more movies seem anticlimactic, at least to me. So now I think I really am done with the current MCU, and I'm fine with that - I'm also happy that others will enjoy future movies ... actually, it will be kind of a relief, not having to radically avoid spoilers, LOL!

One thing that amazes me & I have a lot of respect for, is that someone HAD to know what was going on with Boseman's health, and NOone leaked it to the press: not the healthcare workers (we can say "of course," but it would have been tempting), not the cast or crew (wardrobe, limo drivers, assistants, even food service - they must have noticed things), no one. They all respected his privacy, and in this day & age, that's a remarkable testimony to what they thought of him.

"Black Panther" was more than a movie - it was a phenomenon, and it makes me proud that it was the sci-fi/fantasy genre & community that gave this phenomenon to the world. We are the idealists who can imagine a better world and work to bring it into being.

Wakanda forever!

Edited August 31, 2020 by Iarwainiel

[Bearer of all agonies he/him]

Wakanda Forever.  

[Draginon he/him]

@Use the Falchion

It’s always a touchy subject where recasting is concerned but I am of the mind that if a person is practically linked to the character it’s harder to think about recasting them at all. Heck because they’re getting into multiverse stuff with Loki, Wandavision and Doctor Strange we might be getting a Flashpoint consequence where some things are different and they could hand wave T’Challa looking different because of that? If they don’t go that route I’m not sure what route they could go without stuffing him in the closet (think the situation for Batwoman) or having it look like “no one can tell the difference”.

Black Panther was actually one of the reasons I even wanted to start watching the MCU because I had gotten burned out by the superhero films before the MCU started and I was excited to see that there was going to be a hero who wasn’t a white man.

I grew up with Static Shock and Jon Stewart, he’s my Green Lantern so I’m hesitant to accept the others, and they were awesome to see.

My mother’s way of thinking can be downright old fashioned and dangerous. I would accept a replacement if he managed to give off the same energy and spirit of T’Challa that Boseman gave since this isn’t a case of Dark Knight Batman Vs DCEU Batman Vs 60’s Batman.

[Use the Falchion]

31 minutes ago, Draginon said:

I would accept a replacement if he managed to give off the same energy and spirit of T’Challa that Boseman gave since this isn’t a case of Dark Knight Batman Vs DCEU Batman Vs 60’s Batman.

That's what I'm afraid a new character wouldn't give. I don't want someone who thinks differently than T'Challa being the Black Panther, because that's the role we ned right now. 

Maybe we've been using the wrong comparison here. Instead of comparing it to superheroes, why don't we compare it to Broadway instead? The original cast of Hamilton no longer performs that musical, but the musical still goes on. The people playing Alexander, Aaron Burr (sir), and Angelica are different, and the energy they bring is different than Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and Renee Elise Goldsberry. But the roles are the same, the lines are the same, and the songs are the same. It's a different experience but the same story. Maybe that's how we should view it. 

In the end, no one could have done it better than Chadwick, but it behooves us to not see what we can do. (And speaking of legacy, I think Okieriete Onaodowan - Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in the original Hamilton run - may be a solid contender. But the casting at MCU is nothing short of genius, so I'll let them decide.)

 

32 minutes ago, Draginon said:

Heck because they’re getting into multiverse stuff with Loki, Wandavision and Doctor Strange we might be getting a Flashpoint consequence where some things are different and they could hand wave T’Challa looking different because of that?

Marvel pulling a DC...heh, that's an amusing thought. It could work. 

 

32 minutes ago, Draginon said:

If they don’t go that route I’m not sure what route they could go without stuffing him in the closet (think the situation for Batwoman)

I confess I'm far less familiar with this analogy, since I haven't actually watched Batwoman. All I know is that Ruby Rose left the show and they're replacing her entire character. 

 

34 minutes ago, Draginon said:

I grew up with Static Shock and Jon Stewart, he’s my Green Lantern so I’m hesitant to accept the others, and they were awesome to see.

I was so upset when the Ryan Reynolds movie was about Hal Jordan than John Stewart. It made no sense to me back then! But looking back, I'm really happy John Stewart wasn't involved in that mess. 

Bro, Static Shock still rocks my world sometimes. 

 

48 minutes ago, Draginon said:

having it look like “no one can tell the difference”.

The problem is that the MCU did that already, and while it wasn't AS jarring as it would be now (although it was certainly more offensive than doing so now would be), replacing Chadwick now isn't a matter of "any black person will do" or "we didn't want to pay XYZ." It's a matter of "we need to honor this person's legacy by continuing their work and the character they worked so hard to bring to life." The context is different, and regardless of the action, that will make an enormous difference in the outcome. 

 

1 hour ago, Draginon said:

My mother’s way of thinking can be downright old fashioned and dangerous.

 I'm not disagreeing with this either. I'm just trying to state that she may have been using a faulty-yet-common reference. You know her better than I do.