Black Panther writer Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote a tribute to his friend and actor Chadwick Boseman, featured in a double-page spread of Marvel Comics released this week.
Accompanied by a portrait of Boseman by Brian Stelfreeze, Coates' tribute recalls meeting the actor at Howard University, a place he refers to as their "City of the Dead," where all previous kings and queens of Wakanda lie buried. He wrote, "There, T'Challa finds wisdom and counsel from his ancestors who have gone before. It was such a city, almost 25 years ago, that I met Chadwick 'Chad' Boseman."
Coates mentioned the shared responsibility they felt in upholding the legacy of the alumni that came before them. Although he didn't know it then, Boseman's art would advance their ancestors' war for justice. "Not that Chad needed much urging," added Coates. "I met him leading a protest with my friend Kamilah Forbes to preserve the dignity of Howard's fine arts college. What I am saying is that before I knew Chad, the artist, I knew Chad, the warrior. And he was regal even then."
Coates watched Boseman over the years ascend through the arts, from TV to film. Boseman played notable figures, like singing legend James Brown in the film Get On Up and baseball icon Jackie Robinson in 42. Coates thought that his casting as T'Challa was perfect. "He had T'Challa's royal spirit, the sense that he did not represent merely himself, but a nation. And this is how I am understanding his death."
In the end, Coates felt that his parting words were inadequate, but he found solace in the idea of ancestry, just like Boseman. "It is the thought that just as Chad once walked into the City of the Dead and harnessed the energy of those who'd gone before him, so he too may be harnessed, by all those warriors to come."