Wakanda Loses King T’Challa: Odia Fans Mourn Chadwick Boseman

Wakanda Loses King T’Challa: Odia Fans Mourn Chadwick Boseman

T’Challa, The King of Wakanda, who was portrayed by the electric young actor Chadwick Boseman, passed away on Friday at his home in Los Angeles. 

A pall of doom was cast as the Sun rose on Saturday to the news of Boseman’s death. Millions of comic book and movie fans were left heartbroken and devastated as more and more details poured in about his death.  

The star of the young actor was rising in Hollywood with films like 42, Get On Up and the multi-million dollar behemoth Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther. He died of colon cancer after fighting the disease for four years. 

Boseman died with his wife Taylor Simone Ledward and family by his side. This news came as a shock to millions of his fans around the world as they were not aware of his cancer.

“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in a statement. “From Marshall to Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and several more — all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in Black Panther.”

Diehard fans of Black Panther and MCU across Odisha were unable to fathom that King T’Challa has passed away. The greeting ‘Wakanda Forever’ won’t be the same again. My City Links caught up with some fans to know what this means to them.

Rajiv, Alliance Manager at Spring ML and a diehard MCU fan, said, “Chadwick Boseman was an unconventional actor. It’s very rare to establish a character in one movie. RDJ took three movies to be considered as the Ironman, but Boseman did it with only one movie. I came to know of him from the movie Marshall.

“Boseman’s movies are about legacy and he has left behind a legacy that will be hard to replicate. Right now the only thing that comes to my mind is that until we complete our duty, we never find peace on the other side and it sums up the current mood for me. He is at peace on the other side,” he added.

Vishal, Operations Manager at ABFR Ltd and a comic nerd, was still trying to take in the news and said, “I got the news this morning and it is shocking. Black Panther was one of the major characters from the Phase I of MCU and would have carried on to Phase II. According to fan theories, the science and tech part that Ironman left off in Phase I would probably have been taken up by Black Panther in Phase II. It will be difficult to accept a new actor as Black Panther.”

Vishal has been into comics for over two decades. He explained the phenomenon of Black Panther and said, “Nobody ever thought that there would be a solo black superhero movie. This movie broke that long standing status quo. It was a cultural shift. This movie and the character will be a part of our culture for a long time, just like Harry Potter and LOTR.”

Biswajit, Business Analyst at TCS and a comic book fan, said, “This news is completely out of the blue. I don’t know what to say. I have followed Boseman and the MCU for so long but didn’t know about his diagnosis. He never spoke about it in publicly. I still can’t believe that he shot all his movies and went on press tours with all this pain. Although I am more of a DC fan than Marvel, I followed Black Panther closely. It will be difficult to accept someone new in the Phase II of MCU.”

“Right now I am absolutely gutted. I got the news early in the morning and I am still trying to absorb it. I had a bad Friday with all the COVID situations and I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend with some good movies. But then this news just broke my heart. I have always felt a connection towards African-American actors and Chadwick really brought King T’Challa to life. I saw him for the first time in 42 in which he absolutely stood out. I am a big Marvel fan and watch all the MCU movies multiple times in the theatre. Black Panther will not be the same with another actor,” said a heartbroken Ishika, a diehard Marvel fan and content writer.