Anthony Mackie speaks on carrying Chadwick Boseman's legacy, 'Irreplaceable' Black Panther

Chadwick Boseman passed away on August 28, 2020, at the age of 43 due to colon cancer which he battled for around four years. He was well-known for his portrayal of T’Challa / Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The actor was to reprise the role in Black Panther II but following his demise, Marvel Studios decided to retire the character from the MCU and not recast Boseman. Now, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star Anthony Mackie said that nobody could have replaced him.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Antony Mackie says Marvel can never recast Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther

In a recent conversation on Jemele Hill is Unbothered, Anthony Mackie shares his thoughts about recasting Chadwick Boseman in the next chapter of Black Panther. He said that no one can recast it. The actor explained that Boseman did that role in a way it will never be done again. Mackie stated that he would hate for an actor to have to pick up the baton that Boseman left behind because there is no question that the late actor was a dynamic figure and an amazing actor. He mentioned that just looking at the reaction to Black Panther, there is nobody that could bring the grace to that role like he did. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier star admitted that he would not want to see himself as Black Panther as it would be awful.

Anthony Mackie talked about the extra sense of representation responsibility he now has in the MCU after Chadwick Boseman’s death. Admitting to the extra responsibility, he recalled that he met Boseman in 1998-99 when he was at Howard University and he knew him for a long time. The actor said that in his legacy Chadwick Boseman left a generation with tons of acceptance and understanding. He mentioned that the responsibility for him is to keep Boseman’s legacy and traditions going and keeping it alive.

Antony Mackie added that Chadwick Boseman was a phenomenal human being and he was a beautiful brother, and he did everything the right way. He stated that nobody knew he was sick as he kept his private life private. The actor asserted that people will never know the amount of philanthropic work, charity, and support Boseman gave people because he didn’t do it for the press, or to be acknowledged. He did it because he was a good human being, and it is something that Mackie definitely tries to lean towards and carry on that part of his legacy with his portrayal of Falcon.

Promo Image Source: Stills from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Panther