Before he elevated Black Panther into an inspirational and internationally beloved big screen superstar, Chadwick Boseman had long been delivering roles defined by passion and intensity, including starring turns as James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and Jackie Robinson in 42, which thrust him into leading-man status in 2013. Then, in 2016 when he took on the role of T’Challa/The Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in 2018 when he headlined the blockbuster film Black Panther his popularity exploded. Black Panther would go on to become one of the highest-grossing films of all time and the only comic-book movie nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. It inspired and excited children around the world, shattering stereotypes who a superhero could be. This commemorative edition from Entertainment Weekly celebrates the life and career of Boseman, looking back at his major roles through photos and essays, with remembrances from co-stars and colleagues, the legacy of Black Panther, and much more, this is a tribute to an enormous talent gone too soon.
Chadwick Boseman • THE BEAUTIFUL HEART OF BLACK PANTHER
A True Superhero • IN AN ASTONISHING SEVEN-YEAR RUN, CHADWICK BOSEMAN WENT FROM UNKNOWN ACTOR TO TOP BOX OFFICE STAR IN BLACK PANTHER. THROUGH MUCH OF THAT TOO-BRIEF JOURNEY HE WAS QUIETLY FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE, LETTING FANS SEE ONLY HIS INSPIRING PORTRAYALS OF ICONS REAL AND IMAGINED.
Part One Opener: The Lives He Illuminated • BY HONORING THREE REAL-LIFE LEGENDS IN A TRIO OF WELL-RECEIVED BIOPICS, CHADWICK BOSEMAN BEGAN MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
Out of the Park • TO PORTRAY JACKIE ROBINSON, MODERN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL’S FIRST BLACK PLAYER, BOSEMAN TRAINED HARD AND WON PRAISE IN HIS FIRST BIG ROLE.
The Godfather of Soul • EMBODYING JAMES BROWN, ‘THE HARDEST-WORKING MAN IN SHOW BUSINESS,’ WAS A PERFORMING CHALLENGE TOO GOOD TO PASS UP
Legal Lion • DELVING AGAIN INTO AMERICAN HISTORY, BOSEMAN WAS THURGOOD MARSHALL IN AN EARLY CHAPTER OF THE JUSTICE’S LIFE
From Actor to Star • BOSEMAN SAT DOWN TO TALK JUST AFTER BECOMING ONE OF THE AVENGERS. ‘WHAT I’M DOING, THERE’S NO WAY IN THE WORLD I COULD’VE CONCEIVED OF IT’
Part Two Opener: T’Challa: Enter the King • FIRST STANDING TALL AMONG THE A-LIST AVENGERS, THEN AS THE MAIN EVENT IN BLACK PANTHER, BOSEMAN’S CHARACTER WAS SMART, PROUD, POWERFUL—AND GAVE BLACK COMIC-BOOK FILM FANS A SUPERHERO WHO LOOKED LIKE THEM
Who Is That Cat? • AMID AN AVENGER-VS-AVENGER BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF HUMANKIND, FANS FIRST MEET BLACK PANTHER. ON THE SET WITH BOSEMAN AND THE CAST
A Milestone Moment • WITH BOSEMAN’S T’CHALLA AT ITS COOL CENTER, THE TOP-EARNING, BEST-REVIEWED SOLO SUPERHERO FILM ALSO BECAME THE FIRST WITH A BEST PICTURE NOD.
Wakanda Forever • Embraced around the globe as the undisputed new king of the superheroes, T’Challa leapt off the screen to become a real-world icon of Black excellence
‘It Leaves Me Broken’ • To Black Panther’s RYAN COOGLER, Chadwick Boseman was a calm, studious collaborator and a friend with ‘the warmest laugh in the world’
Part Three Opener: Remembering Chadwick • HEARTBROKEN FRIENDS AND FANS SHARE TRIBUTES AND MEMORIES OF A HERO, AN ACTOR AND A MAN TOO YOUNG TO BE GONE THIS SOON
So Much More to Do • Long a fan of August Wilson, Boseman left a final gift in a film of the playwright’s MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM, as well as the awful question of what might have been.
Tributes • FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND LOVED ONES EXPRESSED GRIEF AND SHARED STORIES OF BETTER DAYS