Michael B. Jordan Opens Up About Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman’s Passing

The unexpected loss of Chadwick Boseman broke the hearts of millions around the world in 2020 as the 43-year-old actor became a household name following his breakout role as Marvel’s Black Panther. Boseman’s career made a tremendous impact on the world both on screen through roles like the Marvel hero, Jackie Robinson in 42, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall (among other amazing works), and off-screen in his inspiration interactions with people around the world. Among those fortunate enough to have gotten to know Boseman is Michael B. Jordan, Boseman’s co-star in Black Panther, and the Killmonger actor has now opened up about the loss in a recent interview.

In an interview looking back at the difficult year which was 2020, Jordan was asked by VanityFair what, in particular, made him cry the hardest during the trying era. “Losing Chadwick,” Jordan said. “Our relationship was a very personal one and had a lot of great moments—some that I couldn’t fully appreciate and fully understand until now. I wish I had more time to have our relationship evolve, and grow, and become closer and stronger. We got a concentrated dose of Chadwick.”

Jordan, a young actor himself currently age 34, is quick to praise Boseman’s work and legacy. “He did more in his 43 years of life than most people have done in a lifetime,” he says. “And he was here for the time he was supposed to be here, and he had his impact, and his legacy. That was clear with the abundance of love that he has gotten from people all over the world. There are generations of kids coming up that look to him. It’s incredible. And losing him was…Yeah, man, it hurt. It hurt a lot. That’s probably what made me cry the most this year.”

Jordan has expressed a willingness to return to the Black Panther franchise, though there are a lot of unknowns surrounding the franchise as it gears up to move forward in the wake of losing its centerpiece and true heart. “He’s an incredible person,” Jordan said. “His family and his wife are so strong. The people that he had around him are truly special people. To keep something like this quiet for so long—our town is nearly impossible to do something like that in. It speaks to the type of person he was, to work as hard as he did into his last moments. It’s truly incredible.”

Marvel Studios has elected not to recast Boseman’s T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a means to honor Boseman’s legacy with the character.