Mark Ruffalo Pays Tribute to Black Panther Star Chadwick Boseman on His Birthday

Marvel stars and fans are mourning the loss of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman extra hard on what would have been his 44th birthday. Boseman passed away on August 28th following a four-year battle with colon cancer, a fact that shocked both fans and colleagues of the actor. There have been many tributes today in honor of Boseman, including a special memorial on Disney+. The streaming service altered the Marvel Studios logo on Black Panther, which was redesigned to feature footage of Boseman from Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Many fans have taken to social media to honor Boseman on his birthday, and they are not the only ones. Mark Ruffalo, who plays Hulk in the MCU, took to Instagram today to post a video of the late actor.

“Thinking of your passion, love, and your light today, @ChadwickBoseman. Happy Birthday. Wishing we could time travel back to this moment,” Ruffalo wrote. You can view the video below:

While Boseman may be gone, fans of the actor will get the opportunity to see him perform again. In fact, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is expected to drop on Netflix next month. Early reviews for the film are in and Boseman is already receiving Oscar buzz for his performance.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, tells the story of “Mother of Blues” Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (played by Viola Davis in the film) and centers on a fateful recording session for her album Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. In the film, Boseman plays the ambitious trumpeter Levee. The film presently sits at a 98% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 60 reviews and nearly every single one of said reviews gives praise to Boseman’s performance.

As for Black Panther 2, there’s been no word on who will be taking up the hero’s mantle in the film. However, the movie is expected to begin filming in July. Marvel Studios’ Victoria Alonso previously confirmed that they wouldn’t use CGI to recreate Boseman’s likeness.

“No. There’s only one Chadwick, and he’s not with us,” Alonso shared of Marvel’s future Black Panther plans. “Our king, unfortunately, has died in real life, not just in fiction, and we are taking a little time to see how we return to history and what we do to honor this chapter of what has happened to us that was so unexpected, so painful, so terrible, really.”

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is set to be released on December 18th, only on Netflix.