Christopher Reeve appeared on the big screen as Clark Kent/Superman from 1978 to 1987.  His iconic role is now in the hands of British actor Henry Cavill. 

Chadwick Boseman only appeared on the big screen in a solo film as T’Challa/Black Panther in 2018.  But when he died of cancer in August 2020, Marvel Studios announced that his role would not be recast. 

WHY NOT?

Many of us loved Boseman’s portrayal of T’Challa/Black Panther, but because the Black Diaspora has long awaited the arrivals of strong Black male and female leads in big budget, superhero films, I think it is a mistake to not cast the role to another young, dark-skinned, Black male actor. 

We can’t bring back the deceased, but we can keep their memories alive by continuing to responsibly tell the stories of the characters they portrayed.

Remember, Reeve and Boseman died. The characters they portrayed did not.