Chadwick Boseman gave any person of color who loves comic-book culture the gift of seeing themselves in the context of a superhero in his portrayal of T’Challa, king of Wakanda, in “Black Panther.” It means even more to us now that we know about the great suffering he was going through privately while giving us that epic performance.
Boseman was always more than just the Black Panther. He handled the task of taking on Black icons so well — from James Brown to Thurgood Marshall — that his casting as the Black superhero was no surprise when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced he landed the role in 2014. And even then, Boseman made demands to keep it all authentic and meaningful.
Here is the trailer for his 2013 film “42,” in which he brilliantly brought to the screen the real-life, gargantuan, soul-searching and taxing moments that followed Brooklyn Dodger Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson as he integrated Major League Baseball in 1940s America. The Carver community loves the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Aug. 28 was also Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball this year — another role fate seemed to have specifically set aside for Boseman.
Watching Boseman as Robinson, taking pitches to the head, stealing bases and hitting home runs, was the equivalent of the Black Panther’s “first appearance” in Fantastic Four No. 52 back in 1966: you knew you were seeing something special. As Boseman’s Robinson walks the dark tunnel toward his dugout with only the scantest of light illuminating the number 42 beneath his broad shoulders, well, his jersey may as well be a cape flapping in the wind.