Last Friday, the entertainment world was hit hard by the unexpected death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who passed away at age 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Naturally, many public figures have honored the late actor in the days since, including many of his co-stars from the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Now Michael B. Jordan, who appeared alongside Boseman in Black Panther, had added his comments to the mix.
Acknowledging in his Instagram post that he’d been having trouble finding the words to honor Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan’s tribute to the actor boiled down to one statement: “I wish we had more time.” Jordan noted how “since nearly the beginning” of Jordan’s career (specifically the soap opera All My Children), Boseman “paved the way” for him and showed him how to “be better, honor purpose, and create legacy.” Jordan continued:
Everything you’ve given the world … the legends and heroes that you’ve shown us we are … will live on forever. But the thing that hurts the most is that I now understand how much of a legend and hero YOU are. Through it all, you never lost sight of what you loved most. You cared about your family , your friends, your craft, your spirit. You cared about the kids, the community, our culture and humanity. You cared about me. You are my big brother, but I never fully got a chance to tell you, or to truly give you your flowers while you were here.
Michael B. Jordan, who played lead villain Erik “Killmonger” Stevens in Black Panther, went on to say that he now understands how much of a “legend and hero” Chadwick Boseman was, and that in addition to his work, Boseman cared deeply about his family, the community, his culture and humanity, among other things. Jordan concluded his touching message with the following:
I'm more aware now than ever that time is short with people we love and admire. I’m gonna miss your honesty, your generosity, your sense of humor, and incredible gifts. I’ll miss the gift of sharing space with you in scenes. I’m dedicating the rest of my days to live the way you did. With grace, courage, and no regrets. ‘Is this your king!?’ Yes . he . is! Rest In Power Brother.
Michael B. Jordan’s statement on Chadwick Boseman’s death follows a day after Black Panther director Ryan Coogler shared his own emotional message on the matter, during which he recalled his first time seeing Boseman play T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War and his experience working with him on the character’s solo movie. Danai Gurira, who debuted as Okoye in Black Panther, also posted her own statement about the Boseman today, where she called him a “true class act.”
Following his MCU debut in the third Captain America movie and going on to star in Black Panther, Chadwick Boseman reprised King T’Challa in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. His other notable credits included 42, Get on Up, Gods of Egypt, Marshall, 21 Bridges and Da 5 Bloods, the latter of which was directed by Spike Lee, who reflected on his experience working with Boseman during his annual Brooklyn MJ Block Party.
Chadwick Boseman’s final movie, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, doesn’t have a release date yet, but Netflix has delayed the virtual event centered on the feature. We here at CinemaBlend continue to offer our condolences to Boseman’s family and friends during this difficult time.
