RDJ & Don Cheadle Honor Chadwick Boseman at the MTV Awards

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RDJ & Don Cheadle Honor Chadwick Boseman at the MTV Awards

Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle appear at this year's MTV Awards to pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman as he receives the Hero for the Ages accolade.

Chadwick Boseman is awarded the Hero for the Ages accolade at MTV Awards with his MCU co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle presenting the achievement. In late August 2020, Boseman died of colon cancer after a four-year private battle with the disease; he was only 43 years old.

Officially announced to play T'Challa in Marvel Studios' Black Panther, Boseman debuted the role in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. He reprised the role several more times in 2018's Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as, 2019's Avengers: Endgame. He was tipped to return as the King of Wakanda in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther 2 slated to hit theaters in 2022, and with no indication that he was secretly fighting cancer, everyone was assuming that he would be ready to get back on set. As it turns out, even his Marvel co-workers didn't know what he was going through as he fully believed he was going to get better.

In celebration of Boseman's indelible legacy not only as Black Panther but as an overall actor and activist, MTV Awards honored him with the Hero for the Ages accolade and they tapped his fellow MCU actor Downey and Cheadle to pay tribute to him. Watch the segment below:

Both Downey and Cheadle individually paid Boseman a tribute on the heels of his death. While they talked about him mostly separately, they essentially had the same thing to say: the actor's legacy is far bigger than just playing Black Panther on the screen which he is best known for. He's also every bit of a hero outside of the MCU and Hollywood thanks to his activism and genuine intention to inspire, especially kids. It's the same thing said by other people who had the privilege to encounter Boseman whether that'd be in the industry or outside of it, further highlighting just how much he's done for his community and beyond through his various works.

At this point, Black Panther 2 is still slated to move forward with its 2022 release date, with the rest of the supporting cast set to return for the sequel. Marvel Studios has already ruled out rumors that they're using CGI to recreate Boseman in the film so they can properly send him off, but they remain mum on how they're going to tackle the upcoming narrative. Outside of his own sub-franchise, Boseman was also being poised to be one of the next poster actors of the MCU. That unfortunately can no longer happen, but it's safe to say that Marvel Studios will continue to find ways to honor his legacy in their future endeavors.