Black Lives Matter protesters continued to march in Detroit and other cities across the country this month, as they also paid tribute to Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman, only 43 when he died of last week of complications of colon cancer.  I had seen Boseman’s performance of Jackie Robinson, but not his other portrayals, which included James Brown and Thurgood Marshall – and decided to watch lack Panther to understand further his legacy as an actor and film producer.

The film is a long one and complex, but it celebrates a King respectful of his people whose reign is usurped by an evil rival and he is thrown off a cliff to drown in the water below.   Miraculously he is revived again by dedicated followers and eventually recaptures his throne.

Black Panther earned three Academy awards and a nomination for best picture, while the actors from the film took home the Screen Actors Guild Award for ensemble cast.  It remains the fifth top-grossing movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the highest grossing solo superhero film ever. An amazing legacy for a courageous actor off the screen in his stoic battle against cancer, as well as in his heroic roles.