The Marvel Cinematic Universe is less than one week away from its long-awaited return as Marvel Studios ramps up the promotional tour for WandaVision on Disney+. This series will be the first of ten new entries to the MCU story in 2021, as well as the franchise's very first property to premiere exclusively on Disney's streaming service.
While the MCU looks to its expansive future, the entire family is still deeply mourning the loss of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman , who lost his battle with colon cancer in August 2020. Only 43 years old at the time of his passing, his time in the MCU made a profound impact on all of his co-stars , as they reflect back on his life and the legacy he built as the first African American leading man in Marvel Studios.
During the lead-up to WandaVision's debut, one of the show's leading actors shared his own experience with the man behind T'Challa as well.
NEWS
In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, WandaVision star Paul Bettany took a moment to reminisce on the loss of Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, who died at age 43 in August 2020. Bettany revealed a moment where he "made (Boseman) laugh so hard that he broke character," and he couldn't help but laugh himself upon remembering this moment with his fallen co-star:
“He never broke character, he always was keeping the accent up the whole time. And this is…he was a prince, right? He was a prince, and he was so committed and worked so hard. But I once made him laugh so hard that he broke character, and I heard Chadwick speak. And I was like ‘Yes! I did it!’ And I’ll remember him with love. It’s a loss.”
Bettany's full interview can be seen below, with his comments on Boseman coming at the 5:29 mark:
WHAT THIS MEANS
Paul Bettany appeared in the MCU twice with Chadwick Boseman, as they played the Vision and Black Panther respectively in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War . The two heroes both were on Team Iron Man in Civil War sharing a couple memorable action moments together, a notable example being when Vision broke a bus in half to save the Panther from being pummeled.
Bettany's specific comments on Boseman never breaking character offer confirmation to how the late actor gave it his all for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Method acting was one of the defining traits through Boseman's storied career, as it's widely known that Boseman stayed in character at every possible moment on movies like Get On Up and 42. So, it seems only right that it would be the same case for his time with the MCU. He embodied King T'Challa in every imaginable way, and it clearly took some hard work to get him to break character even for a second due to Bettany's antics.
The two stars had become close in their time portraying MCU superheroes, and (just as Boseman did with his other colleagues) he made a profound impact on Bettany's experience with Marvel. It's heartwarming to see the joy and laughter these memories still bring to the Vision actor, and it is clear that Chadwick will live on in MCU lore for years to come.
Bettany is currently on the promotional tour for WandaVision , which will premiere its first two episodes on Friday, January 15. Boseman's legacy will live on directly in next year's Black Panther II , which will begin filming in July 2021, and his voice will be heard in Disney+'s What If...? this summer.
