Marvel Studios and ABC Airing a Tribute to Chadwick Boseman Tonight After ‘Black Panther’ Plays Commercial-Free

Black Panther - Chadwick Boseman TV Special Tribute

Fans around the world are still reeling from the shocking, tragic death of actor Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther actor passed away at the young age of 43 after a four-year-battle with colon cancer that was kept hidden from the public. But he never let it stop him from working, even on the major, physically demanding blockbusters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now Marvel Studios will be paying tribute to the actor’s tragically short-lived but influential and remarkable career.

Marvel Studios, ABC Entertainment and ABC News are teaming up to present a special Sunday night tribute to Chadwick Boseman that will air after the commercial-free debut of Black Panther on ABC tonight, August 30.

Marvel and ABC sent out a press releasing announcing the Chadwick Boseman TV special tribute and network TV debut of Black Panther. The Marvel Studios movie will begin on ABC at 8:00 P.M. EST and will play without commercials until 10:20 P.M. EST. Immediately after, the ABC News special “Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King” will play from 10:20 P.M. until 11:00 P.M. EST.

The ABC News special is described as celebration of “Boseman’s storied life, legacy and career, and the cultural imprint he made on- and off-screen.” It will highlight the various tributes that have been made from celebrities, political figures, and fans from all over the world this weekedn, and it will also feature “special words from those who starred alongside him and knew Boseman best.” Finally, it will help shine a light on the medical condition he fought with during the last four years of his life, so people can see the warning signs and take the proper steps to catch it early.

Tributes have been pouring out online from all corners of the globe since Chadwick Boseman’s death was announced on Friday night. In fact, the Twitter post announcing the actor’s passing from his own account has now become the most liked tweet in the history of the social media site.

Black Panther turned Chadwick Boseman into household name, and it became the first superhero movie to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Through the film, Boseman inspired a new generation of young people, especially Black boys and girls, to aspire to their wildest dreams. Black Panther is fictional, but that doesn’t it make the character any less inspirational than the real-life heroes that Boseman has played such as Jackie Robinson in 42, James Brown in Get On Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. If anything, Black Panther might turn the young generation on to these dramatic roles from Chadwick Boseman’s career.

We’ll leave you with this commencement speech Chadwick Boseman gave at Howard University back in 2018: