Disneyland has unveiled a touching mural honoring Chadwick Boseman and his meaningful role as King T’Challa in Black Panther.
The colorful artwork, named “King Chad” and created by artist and children’s book author Nikkolas Smith, shows Boseman, dressed as the Marvel hero Black Panther, sharing a “Wakanda Forever” moment with a child cancer patient.
The mural is dedicated to the time Boseman visited children with cancer at the St. Jude campus in Tennessee two years ago, even as he was privately dealing with colon cancer.
The simple, yet powerful, image shows just how important the character of T’Challa was for racial diversity and inclusion on the big screen.
“This one is special. My King Chad tribute is now on a wall on display at Downtown Disney. It is a full circle moment for me: my final two projects as a Disney Imagineer last summer were working on the Children’s Hospital project and the Avengers Campus,” Nikkolas Smith wrote on Instagram.
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“To millions of kids, T’Challa was a legend larger than life, and there was no one more worthy to fill those shoes than Chadwick Boseman. I’m so thankful to be able to honor Chadwick’s life and purpose in this way. I am grateful to the Disney family for being so supportive of my journey as an artist.”
Chadwick Boseman passed away in August at the age of 43 after a 4-year battle with colon cancer. He was remembered far and wide by fans, directors, producers, actors, influencers, and even former President Barack Obama.