For many people, Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer in August, was a hero on-screen and off. So, it's only fitting that he be honored with an award that speaks to just that. At the MTV Movie & TV Awards, which aired Sunday night, Boseman posthumously received the Hero for the Ages award, which was presented by two of his Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars, Don Cheadle and Robert Downey Jr.
This year's MTV Movie & TV Awards were different due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the usual award show, which takes place in the spring, the network held the Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time special. Hosted by Vanessa Hudgens, the ceremony was a tribute to moments in movies and TV from the 1980s to today. Jamie Lee Curtis received the Scream Queen award for Halloween, Kevin Bacon got the Dance Your A** Off award for Footloose, and Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar won for Legendary Lip Lock for Cruel Intentions.
But Hero for the Ages was certainly the most emotional award of the night as Cheadle and Downey were honoring their co-star who died only four months ago at the age of 43.
Read on to find out what the actors said about Boseman and his lasting legacy, and if you're a Marvel fan, check out our Ranking Every Marvel Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
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Downey said "his energy and intensity was undeniable."
MTVDowney, who played Iron Man in the Marvel movies, started by saying of Boseman, "The second you first saw him on screen or had the opportunity to meet him in person, his energy and intensity was undeniable. There was something different and special about Chadwick Boseman."
Cheadle, who played War Machine, added, "Each time he stepped on the set, he inspired and influenced everyone there. 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 way he lived his life united people behind a higher purpose, and that will be his legacy."
And noted that he "truly embodied what it meant to be a superhero."
Cubankite / Shutterstock.comWhile Boseman played a superhero on screen—in Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, and two Avengers movies—he was also a hero in real life through his charity work and his relationships with his friends and family.
"Mr. Boseman truly embodied what it meant to be a superhero," Downey said. "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."
Of his real world actions, Downey noted that there are too many good deeds to list, but said, "He was the most heroic when just being Chad. That's when he was bigger than anyone he played on screen."
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Cheadle pointed out his other roles were impactful, too.
Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.comBoseman will always be known as Black Panther, but his filmography is lengthy and includes a number of biopics that showed the actor portraying Thurgood Marshall (Marshall), James Brown (Get on Up), and Jackie Robinson (42). Cheadle gave a shoutout to these roles, as well, saying, "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.”
But this wasn't Boseman's first MTV Movie award.
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.comThis isn't the first time Boseman has been honored at the MTV Movie & TV Awards. In 2018, Boseman won for Best Performance in a Movie and for Best Hero, while Black Panther also won for Movie of the Year.
Of course, these are just a few of the honors Boseman received in his lifetime. And now, he has Oscar buzz for his upcoming movie Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. And for more on that, check out The Trailer for Chadwick Boseman's Last Movie Is Here.
