The legacy Chadwick Boseman leaves behind has many dubbing him ‘real-life’ superhero

Millions continue to mourn the loss of actor, SC native Chadwick Boseman

(ABC News) —The world is collectively mourning the loss of Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 after a private years-long battle with colon cancer.

Stars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, friends and former colleagues of the actor and more spoke about his inimitable personality as well as his incredible contributions to cinema and culture during the ABC News special “Chadwick Boseman – A Tribute for a King” on Sunday night.

Few knew that the actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016, which eventually progressed to stage 4. Many expressed amazement at Boseman’s strength in filming several movies, including “Marshall,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and more, while undergoing surgeries and chemotherapy.

Boseman continued sharing his acting talents with the world through his health battle.

“At this moment in our country’s history as thousands from all backgrounds protest and demand for social justice, Chadwick Boseman played an instrumental role in defining the current culture,” “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts shared.

“He’s already played some of the greats in Black history — Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall — and then made history as the first Black superhero in his own movie,” Roberts added.

Read on to see how stars and friends of Boseman reflected on his life and legacy during the TV special.

“I think that he not only played a superhero, but the way he handled his life and managing cancer with such humility and grace and dignity lets all know that he truly was a superhero,” she shared.

“He will be remembered, cherished and loved in our hearts, not just for what he was able to offer on film, but what he was able to give as a human being,” she said. “And it’s not just a loss that we’re feeling. We’re going to feel his absence.”

“I say that he was a star. But also a shooting star, because he lived his life in such a way that, you know, forever kids who see him in that ‘Black Panther’ role and see a reflection of themselves embodied in everything that he intended — they get to dream about and wish about and make wishes on that shooting star that was Chadwick Boseman.”

Actor Robert Downey Junior says,

“Toward the end of the third ‘Avengers’ — ‘Infinity War’ — we all kind of lose together. And I remember it was one of those few days that all of the Avengers were together and it was just the way that he walked on set and the immense success that had occurred, and rightfully so, with ‘Black Panther’ … he was just kind of in this stratus of his own, but always, always humble, always hardworking and always a smile on his face. Now looking back, all the more I’ve realized just what an great incredibly graceful human being he was.”