Chadwick Boseman may have played a superhero Black Panther on the big screen, but that did not stop him from acknowledging James Shaw Jr. as a real-life hero. And it was a true feel-good moment.
At the annual MTV Movie and Television Awards ceremony, Chadwick Boseman told everyone who he felt was his hero. When the Black Panther star was awarded the honors for best hero, Boseman called James Shaw Jr. to the stage. What took place next was awe-inspiring.
Chadwick Boseman ceded his honors as best hero to James Shaw Jr. for his brave act of heroism, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .
James Shaw Jr. became known to everybody for his heroic actions in disarming an active shooter during a horrific incident at a Tennessee Waffle House. After witnessing several Waffle House patrons get shot, Shaw Jr. acted quickly in taking away an AR-15 from the shooter. Life has become a blur since Shaw Jr.’s heroics.
Acknowledgements have come frequently for James Shaw Jr. The endorsements have come from several political leaders, including President Donald Trump and Tennessee lawmakers, according to ABC News .
James Shaw Jr. was invited to the White House, according to the New York Daily News . He spurned President Trump’s offer, however.
Chadwick Boseman Gave His Best Hero Award To Real-Life Hero James Shaw Jr. https://t.co/lcL0qJuXN2 pic.twitter.com/T8LQ2U5u4s
— MTV NEWS (@MTVNEWS) June 19, 2018
Even after he confronted the shooter, Shaw Jr., according to NPR , told reporters that he did not view himself as a hero.
“I did that completely out of a selfish act. I was completely doing it just to save myself. Now, me doing that, I did save other people. But I don’t want people to think that I was the Terminator, or Superman or anybody like that. It was just, I figured if I was going to die, he was going to have to work for it.”
At the time, James Shaw Jr. downplayed his heroics, but others have viewed him in the opposite light. The latest person to show admiration for Shaw Jr. is none other than Chadwick Boseman, who is known by many as Black Panther.
Before announcing Chadwick Boseman as the winner of the best hero award, Olivia Munn and Zazie Beetz took a moment to recognize who they consider real heroes: teachers, activists, service men and women as well as first responders. Olivia Munn and Zazie Beetz generated a heartfelt moment by doing so.
Neither Beetz nor Munn knew what Chadwick Boseman set out to do, as they, much like the audience, was pleasantly surprised to see him give his award to James Shaw Jr.
The moment Chadwick Boseman created for James Shaw Jr. at the annual MTV Movie and Television Awards is sure to go down as a memorable one for Shaw Jr. In the eyes of many, James Shaw Jr.’s courage was a sheer act of heroism.