The late Chadwick Boseman was remembered as a ‘Hero For The Ages’ at the MTV 2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time on Sunday.
The Black Panther’s Avengers co-stars Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle appeared in a pre-taped segment to honor the actor who died August 28 at the age of 43.
MTV had previously announced that they had created the award for a star ‘whose heroism on-screen was only surpassed by the true hero they were off-screen.’
Tribute: Robert Downey Jr. and Don Cheadle honored the late Chadwick Boseman as a ‘Hero For The Ages’ at the MTV 2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time on Sunday
Gone too soon: The Black Panther star passed away on August 28 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He kept his diagnosis secret and continued to work while receiving treatment
Standing side by side against a black background, Cheadle and Downey Jr. gave a heartfelt joint speech in which they praised Boseman as both an actor and as a person.
‘The second you first saw him on screen or got to meet him in person, his energy and intensity was undeniable. There was something different and special about Chadwick Boseman,’ Downey began.
‘Each time he stepped on the set, he inspired and influenced everyone one there,’ Cheadle shared. ‘And with every role he created a new legion of fans.’
‘He had an incredible power to unify people in their love for his work and their respect for him as a person,’ the actor who plays War Machine in the MCU went on.
‘The way he lived his life united people behind a higher purpose and that will be his legacy.’
Heartfelt: ‘The second you first saw him on screen or got to meet him in person, his energy and intensity was undeniable. There was something different and special about Chadwick Boseman,’ Downey began
Testament: ‘He had an incredible power to unify people in their love for his work and their respect for him as a person,’ Cheadle shared. ‘The way he lived his life united people behind a higher purpose and that will be his legacy’
Iconic: Iron Man star Downey went on: ‘The Avengers have all been given an opportunity to portray characters that are meaningful and hopefully memorable. Mr. Boseman truly embodied what it meant to be a superhero’
Downey continued: ‘The Avengers have all been given an opportunity to portray characters that are meaningful and hopefully memorable. Mr. Boseman truly embodied what it meant to be a superhero.
‘His impact as a groundbreaking leading man, as an icon on screen, it won’t be quantified by the box office records he broke but by the legions of fans who will celebrate him for many years to come.’
Cheadle said: ‘Chadwick will be forever known as the Black Panther but he also painted incredibly powerful portrayals of iconic and influential real men who changed the world – Thurgood Marshall, James Brown, Jackie Robinson… he brought humanity and truth to the portrayal of people who felt larger than life and he did it in a way that honored their memories.’
Talent: ‘Chadwick will be forever known as the Black Panther,’ Cheadle said. ‘But he also painted incredibly powerful portrayals of iconic and influential real men who changed the world… and he did it in a way that honored their memories’
Kind: Downey concluded the tribute by saying Boseman ‘wasn’t just a hero on screen.’ He explained: ‘His list of selfless and inspirational acts and deeds is too long to recount here, consistently showing up during trial and triumph for family, friends and fans alike’
Downey concluded the tribute by saying Boseman ‘wasn’t just a hero on screen.’
‘His list of selfless and inspirational acts and deeds is too long to recount here, consistently showing up during trial and triumph for family, friends and fans alike, some of whom were battling the same invisible enemy,’ the Iron Man star said.
‘He was the most heroic when he was just being Chad. That’s when he was bigger than anyone he played on screen.’
Missed: ‘He was the most heroic when he was just being Chad. That’s when he was bigger than anyone he played on screen,’ Downey stated. Boseman, pictured in March 2018, was 43 when he died
Boseman passed away from colon cancer and had kept his illness a secret right up until his death.
He had battled cancer for four years and continued to pursue his acting career despite his diagnosis.
He underwent treatment while making Marvel’s Black Panther released in 2018 and also completed work on 21 Bridges, released in November 2019, and Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, released in June, before his death on August 28.
His final role was opposite Viola Davis in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom set in Chicago in 1927. It will be released on the streaming service on December 18.
Coming soon: Boseman’s final role was opposite Viola Davis in Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom set in Chicago in 1927, pictured. It will be released on the streaming service on December 18