The Bravest Avenger of Them All

A few weeks ago, Chadwick Boseman died. And apart from seeing the news and reactions all over my social media timeline, I didn’t stop to think about how it affected me. I was numb. This year has been marked by a lot of tragic losses, Kobe Bryant, Naya Rivera and now Chadwick Boseman all on the back of a global pandemic and the flare-up of an ongoing racial crisis. So, I didn’t want to think about it. We’ve all adapted different ways of dealing with these trying times. Admittedly, most of my approaches include not absorbing much of the news I receive and moving on quickly when I learn unpleasant information. Now, this isn’t the best approach, but it works best for me.

However, one thing I couldn’t ignore was the tremendous talent that was Chadwick and the indelible mark that he left before leaving us. Throughout his career, he acquired much acclaim for playing historical roles like singer James Brown in Get On Up, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in Marshall and baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42. However, it was his role as King T’Challa in the 2018 Marvel Universe film, Black Panther that grabbed the world’s attention. Black Panther represented the first superhero film to have a black lead character. It went on to win several awards including two Grammy Awards, three Academy Awards and ten NCAAP Awards. It also became the ninth highest-grossing film of all time.

Chadwick has been dead for a few weeks now, as per my approach to the initial news I should have moved on by now and I thought I did. But a random channel surf landed in the middle of a scene from Black Panther. Immediately, I was reminded of why Chadwick’s death should’ve been more significant and was forced to process what had happened. I love Black Panther. It is easily one of my favourite movies. Not because it has the best plot ever or the most ground-breaking character development, it’s because it has heart and cultural significance. I had watched it so many times; I guess I forgot.

When Black Panther was released, with it, I caught a glimpse of a slightly better future for the generations of black boys and girls to come. While growing up, I didn’t know that superheroes could be black and even African, because they were almost always Caucasian and American, and I accepted that as normal. But I’m grateful that before I grew too old, I got to experience that bit of history. I’m even more thankful that my children and their children will have a gift that I didn’t have and hopefully, that will mean something. Because there was a time when black writers were told that their stories were worthless. A time when black actors and actresses were told that their image couldn’t transcend the black community. They were told that they wouldn’t appeal to mainstream audiences. They were told that they wouldn’t sell. But in 2018 a film with a black director and a predominantly black cast became one of the top ten best-selling movies in history and Chadwick was at the centre of that.

It wasn’t until his death that the public learnt that he had been battling colon cancer for four years. That was the thing that struck me the most. We all remember that final scene in Avengers: Endgame when Iron Man said, “And I am Iron Man,” snapped his fingers and saved the world. He did this fully aware of the sacrifice and knowing he would have to die in the process. That was heroic; that was noble; that was brave, but that was also fiction. I’d prefer to remember a man who while navigating his struggle with cancer, delivered exceptional and relevant performances to the world. A man who never hesitated to use his talent in what must have been the most challenging period of his life. A man who sought to help paediatric cancer patients through their battles while he was fighting his own battle silently. A man who gave everything he was up to the last moment of his forty-three years on this planet. Now that’s real-life heroism. So, it doesn’t matter who your favourite superhero is. It could be Iron Man, Thor, Captain America or even Black Panther. One thing is for sure, Chadwick Boseman was the bravest Avenger of them all.