The late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman carefully protected the integrity of the Marvel character, refusing branding opportunities that would undermine the film's positive message.
Boseman's agent Michael Greene told THR, "There was a strong interest after Black Panther to do a branding opportunity. Somebody came to us and said, 'Do you want to have equity in a liquor company like George Clooney and a lot of the others have done?' He said, 'I can’t, because how can I show young Black kids and kids of color that they can be superheroes, [then do this]?'"
Boseman died Aug. 28 to the shock and surprise of colleagues and fans around the world, as he kept private his 2016 diagnosis of stage III colon cancer.
Greene, who represented Boseman since 2008, said, "Chad always made sure of the integrity, the ethics, the morals" in his work.
"The amount of time that we strategized over whether he should do a role for the better of humanity — it was always about utilizing his platform. 'How can I give back? How will this be valuable to the Black community, and the community at large?' He was always, 'What will I be able to tell through this role?" Greene said.