Following the death of Chadwick Boseman, actor Simu Liu expressed on Twitter that his film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, would not exist without the work that Boseman did first as the star of Black Panther.Liu, set to play the titular role of Shang-Chi in the upcoming addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, remarked on Boseman’s legacy as an actor and an artist.
"Without Chadwick, and without what he gave to his character, there would be no Shang-Chi," Liu wrote. "My career rides on the coattails of a great man. I wish I would have had the opportunity to tell him in person -- but I’ll fight for him always, my Eternal King."
Black Panther was not only the first black superhero to appear in Marvel comics in 1966, but Black Panther was the first superhero action movie to feature an almost entirely black cast. Boseman first appeared as T’Challa/Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War and reprised this role in Avengers: Infinity Wars and Avengers: End Game. Following the success of Black Panther, this opened other doors for films like Shang-Chi, which is the MCU’s first superhero film to feature an Asian protagonist.
Boseman intended to reprise his role as King T’Challa in future Black Panther sequels and was planning to join other projects as well, including Yasuke, a film about a lone African samurai that is currently in pre-production. Boseman also assumed the role of various historical figures such as Jackie Robinson in 42, Thurgood Marshall in Marshall and James Brown in Get On Up.
It was announced Friday via Boseman’s official Twitter that the actor had died following a long battle with colon cancer. He was 43.
Shang-Chi recently restarted production after COVID-19 related delays. The film, slated for release on May 7, 2021, is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Daniel Callaham and stars Simu Liu, Tony Leung and Awkwafina.