Last night, the truly shocking and heartbreaking news broke that Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman had passed away at the age of 43, after privately suffering from colon cancer for the past four years. Since then, social media has been awash with outpourings of grief from fans and many tributes to the beloved actor from his fellow Marvel colleagues, including Hulk star Mark Ruffalo and Captain Marvel‘s Brie Larson.
Robert Downey Jr., often viewed as the father of the MCU thanks to starring in the franchise’s inaugural movie Iron Man, has now paid his respects to his late co-star with a touching message shared to Twitter. Downey Jr. remarked on Boseman’s immense talent as a performer and strength as a person, as well as saying that he would remember the laughs the two shared.
“Mr. Boseman leveled the playing field while fighting for his life… That’s heroism. I’ll remember the good times, the laughter, and the way he changed the game…” Downey Jr. wrote, along with a GIF that can’t fail to bring tears to your eyes. See for yourself below:
Mr. Boseman leveled the playing field while fighting for his life… That’s heroism. I’ll remember the good times, the laughter, and the way he changed the game… #chadwickforever @chadwickboseman pic.twitter.com/IFfCSmLrhR
— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) August 29, 2020
Boseman starred with Downey Jr. in his first ever Marvel outing, Captain America: Civil War, which involved Prince – later King – T’Challa of Wakanda siding with Tony Stark in the Sokovia Accords debate. Downey Jr. didn’t appear in Black Panther, but the duo got to work together again in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In the latter, T’Challa was one of the heroes who paid his respects to Tony Stark at his funeral.
You can remember Chadwick Boseman‘s terrific performance as Black Panther, which made him an icon and a hero around the world, by streaming any or all of his MCU films on Disney Plus right now. Meanwhile, TBS is also airing Black Panther twice this weekend.