It is hard to think about the passing of Chadwick Boseman and not think about all that he never had time to do. At Howard University he earned a BFA in directing, and as a young playwright he received a Jeff Award nomination for New Work in 2006 for his play, Deep Azure (which debuted in Chicago at the Congo Square Theater Company). Yet writing and directing is not what he is known for today, he never got to bring that element of his talent to the screen, making only a couple short films before his acting career exploded. As an actor, it felt like he was just getting started, that Black Panther was a starting point, not a culmination. We never really got to see what Boseman would do with the power and access afforded to him by reaching the A-list. There is so much undone, so much not seen.
Boseman’s screen career spans 17 years and 33 acting credits, 15 of which are for films. Fifteen films is more than James Dean had, but it’s still not a very big number. Yet what he did in those fifteen films is nothing short of extraordinary. Boseman portrayed three icons: Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Thurgood Marshall. He created a screen icon with his portrayal of King T’Challa in Black Panther. It was actually a running joke among film fans, which Black icon Boseman would play next, because he defined himself as an actor by playing iconic historical figures and superheroes. Yet Boseman was uniquely suited to those roles because of the natural stateliness of his screen presence and the deep, tangible dignity he embodied in his characters. He could capture both the larger-than-life presence of an icon, and the feet-of-clay of a living, breathing person. Spike Lee spoke to this when discussing casting Boseman as Stormin’ Norman in Da 5 Bloods: “Here’s the thing for me. This character is heroic; he’s a superhero. Who do we cast? We cast Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and we cast T’Challa. Chad is a superhero!”
Looking over Boseman’s filmography, especially since his diagnosis of colon cancer in 2016, there’s a secret in his performances that we’re only just now learning. Suddenly, the perseverance of T’Challa, refusing to be beaten and rising again and again to claim his legacy, takes on new meaning. There is now a terrible irony in Stormin’ Norman, as Boseman embodied all those qualities of an inspiring, heroic leader, but also now echoes Norman’s death as a Black man of untapped potential cut down in his prime. Boseman excelled at playing men of great purpose and great service, but he also infused in his characters a thread of defiance that weaves throughout his work, from Jackie Robinson taking the plate amidst racist abuse to T’Challa fighting for the future of Wakanda. These performances take on an extra dimension, and whether that is our projection or his intention is unknowable. What we do know is that even as he fought cancer in his private life, Chadwick Boseman gave us a run of brilliant, moving, defiant performances in a set of characters who never accept circumstances as they are.
For all the iconic figures Boseman played, T’Challa stands out as the one now synonymous with his name. Black Panther resonated around the world, breaking down doors in the film industry—Shang Chi’s Simu Liu credits Boseman and Black Panther with clearing a path for his character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—and we all remember the worldwide celebration of Black Panther as that film smashed records and delighted audiences around the globe. Only Boseman, with his combination of stately charisma, understated humor—played to perfection in his memorable appearance on SNL’s “Black Jeopardy”—and dignified, graceful performance could give us such an instantly iconic character. Some actors take a few tries to make a superhero stick in the public consciousness, but Boseman had T’Challa right from the beginning, and indeed, Captain America: Civil War relies on his believability as a moral figurehead to make the climactic revelation of the film’s themes work. A character based on dignity, pride, and duty could easily be boring, but Boseman made T’Challa electric, his duty brushing up against his thirst for vengeance, his sense of justice overwhelming his anger in the end, and audiences around the world embraced T’Challa and Boseman.
Cancer is a thief. It steals life, love, and joy, and it has stolen the unrealized promise of Chadwick Boseman. What remains, though, is a legacy of great performances of larger-than-life heroes and icons, united in their dignity and defiance of the status quo. Boseman touched so many lives through his art, and in his wake will follow a generation of artists inspired by his legacy. We will always be haunted by the specter of what could have been, but what we have is an unassailable body of work from a performer who gave his utmost every time he stepped onto screen. Boseman did not waste a second of the time afforded to him. His passion, his talent, his consideration, his determination—it’s all on the screen. Rest in peace and power, Chadwick Boseman. Wakanda forever.
