The end credits scenes in Black Panther were nothing out of the ordinary for the Marvel series at the time the blockbuster was released in 2018, but the final scene has taken on a tragic new significance with the death of actor Chadwick Boseman.
The 43-year-old actor died on Friday following a long and largely secret battle with cancer. As The Inquisitr reported, he continued to work while undergoing treatment for cancer, including his work on the Black Panther movie.
Like nearly all installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film had extra bits inserted into both the middle and end of the credits that gave a hint of movies to come, including a potential future storyline for the Black Panther series itself.
As Vox noted at the time, the first served as something of a lead-in to Avengers: Infinity War, showing Boseman’s character, T’Challa, speaking before the U.N. and saying he wanted to share the advanced technologies of his native Wakanda with the world.
The ending scene, shown after the credits were done rolling, showed the character Bucky Barnes — known as the Winter Soldier — introducing himself to T’Challa’s sister, Shuri. The report noted that it built some additional mystery about Wakanda, one that fans may now never get to see, at least, not with Boseman in the titular role.
The scenes may now be some of the last that Marvel fans get to see of Black Panther’s Wakanda in a world where Boseman plays the superhero. While Boseman himself appeared in both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame after the release of Black Panther, he was not able to return for the second planned installment of the Black Panther series.
As The Inquisitr reported, plans for a sequel to the comic book blockbuster were up in the air due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic that ground the movie industry to a halt. Filming was reportedly set to start early next year, and there was no indication that Boseman had been able to put in any work in bringing T’Challa back to the big screen.
The means those watching the end credits scene in Black Panther are seeing one of the last glimpses of his character, and the final scenes themselves are getting a big boost. After the actor’s passing, ABC announced that it would be airing the movie in full on Sunday night, followed by a special tribute to Boseman. So those watching at home may want to stay in their seats when the credits start to roll.