There has been a massive outpouring of loving tributes for Chadwick Boseman, who passed away on Friday at age 43 from a four-year battle with colon cancer. Among those tributes to Boseman are the heartfelt ones from his Marvel Cinematic Universe family. Boseman's role in the MCU as T'Challa, a.k.a. Black Panther, had a profound impact on the culture while his work ethic behind the scenes had an impact on his co-stars.

Tributes for Boseman poured in within hours of the news about his passing breaking wide. Among the numerous Hollywood stars who shared their messages of love for Boseman and his legacy were beautiful messages from directors Joe and Anthony Russo, Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Mark Ruffalo, Brie Larson, Tom Holland, as well as his Black Panther co-stars Angela Bassett, Sterling K. Brown, and Andy Serkis. And while it's certainly not a competition between these MCU stars (or any other actor, for that matter) to see who can share the most affecting tribute, the one that stands out to me is Bassett's. The actor, who plays T'Challa's mother Ramonda in Black Panther, shared a lengthy statement on her Instagram about Boseman. She wrote, in part,

"It was meant to be for Chadwick and me to be connected, for us to be family. But what many don’t know is our story began long before his historic turn as Black Panther. During the premiere party for Black Panther, Chadwick reminded me of something. He whispered that when I received my honorary degree from Howard University, his alma mater, he was the student assigned to escort me that day. And here we were, years later as friends and colleagues, enjoying the most glorious night ever!"

You can read more about Boseman from the lips of a handful of his MCU peers below. Keep a tissue handy because it might be a tough read. For more, read Kevin Feige's statement on Boseman's passing here.

Allie Gemmill is the Weekend Contributing Editor for Collider. You can follow them on Twitter @_matineeidle.