Chadwick Boseman, a household name and an inspirational superhero takes one his final bow with What If…?
He became the first leading black superhero and broke stereotypes with his path-breaking performance. The Oscar-nominated actor battled not only on-screen but also off-screen. Even during his fight with colon cancer, he managed to leave a legacy that has become a stimulus for many.
Now Marvel is back with Black Panther, played and voiced by Chadwick Boseman, one last time, in What If…? which will premiere in Disney+ on Wednesday.
The new series What If…? that follows the multiverse theme after the Loki finale will see some surprising plotlines and some of them would include the late actor Chadwick Boseman.
The second episode of What If…?, would reprise the role of Chadwick Boseman where he will once again play T’Challa but in a whole new Galaxy. He will become the new Star-Lord. It would be interesting to see him portray this character away from the influence of his rightful kingdom.
The episode has been written by A.C Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews. On a press tour for the series this week, they recounted the episode and how it was working with Boseman. They mention how impressed they were with his dedication to the character, take a look at their dialogue with THR.
“What impressed me most about Chadwick Boseman is that all the Marvel actors care about their characters,”
“They’ve been playing these roles for a long time in multiple movies and now TV shows. So they know who these characters are and why they tick. Chadwick Boseman understood the importance of Black Panther. He understood how important it is that young people see a Black man standing shoulder to shoulder with Captain America and Thor Odinson so that they know a Black man saves the world just the same as anyone else.”
Bradley also mentions Chadwick’s excitement in playing the role, while many of the Marvel actors were not able to make it to the voicing schedule of What If…?, Boseman not only showed up but also gave his best.
“[Chadwick] really enjoyed the idea of being able to play this slightly different version of T’Challa,” Andrews tells The Hollywood Reporter. “The events are so extremely different, but the galaxy doesn’t change T’Challa; T’Challa changes the galaxy. There are a few more times where he pops up briefly in a couple of other episodes, so we were able to record with him a little bit during the pandemic. Those records were over Zoom calls”
Bradley also added,
“He came in to record, and I joked that he didn’t bring his A-game; he brought every damn sport there is. He made sure that this was going to be the episode that shined, but we did not realize why. And the world is a little sadder for it. “
One of the heartfelt moments in the interview is when they mention giving thanks to him for bringing his best to the project. Boseman’s Black Panther brought changes in the mainstream media, his dedication to role changed many lives and he will be forever remembered for that.
“I, selfishly, was able to tell him how much I personally thought of him…He touched his heart and he was very thankful, but we had no idea he was going through what he was going through. So it was nice to be able to express our gratitude, and he at least knew that we were insanely thankful for what he was bringing to the project and how important we thought it was. And I think he felt that, too.”
Bradley also reminisces writing his last lines for Black Panther. He adds:
“I have the sad honor of writing some of his last lines in the MCU. I obviously did not know that when I was writing them,”
Andrew also told Screen Rant how amazing it was working with him. Even though he got to know him for a short period of time, he enjoyed seeing him bring the character to life.
“We only got [Boseman] for such a small moment, compared to the experience of everyone who worked with him on Black Panther, or Ma Rainey, or any of the other things that he’s done. He was amazing,”
“He was really excited about this version of T’Challa because he got to be a little bit goofy and got to be a little bit funny. He didn’t have the mantle of the king, so it was a different way for him to put his stamp on T’Challa … It was just so amazing, just seeing him work, having a front-row seat to that, and helping him bring this to life.”
What If…? is now streaming on Disney+, every Wednesday. Make sure you catch it and don’t forget to watch the second episode starring Chadwick Boseman.
