How Did T'Challa Die?

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

While the whole cast and crew of 2018’s Black Panther are responsible for the movie’s explosive success, star Chadwick Boseman helped to turn King T’Challa into one of the most beloved characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, after Boseman died after a battle with cancer, we were all left wondering if Wakanda could survive without its king. Instead of recasting the part or removing King T’Challa from the picture, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever deals with Boseman’s death in-universe. That’s because King T’Challa also dies in the MCU, and in a similar fashion to the star that helped build the iconic character.

How Does King T’Challa Die in ‘Wakanda Forever’?

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa Black Panther

The opening scene of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever follows Shuri (Letitia Wright) as she races against the clock to develop a synthetic substitute for the Heart-Shaped Herb — the whole crop of the plant was burned down by Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in the first film. Shuri believes the miraculous plant that gives the Black Panther their powers might be the key to saving her brother, who’s suffering from a mysterious disease. Unfortunately, Shuri doesn’t come up with a solution fast enough, and T’Challa ends up going to the Ancestral Plane.

Wakanda Forever never reveals which disease took King T’Challa’s life, but we learn in the movie that the hero hid his illness from family and friends until the last minute. T’Challa didn’t want to worry anyone before his time came, which meant bearing the pain alone while something ate him from the inside out. That noble gesture mimics Boseman’s real-life struggle against colon cancer. The actor’s death was shocking because we didn’t know he had been suffering for so long. Most of us only learned about his colon cancer once his family announced his tragic passing.

That Mid-Credits Scene Reveal

Lupita Nyong'o as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Image via Marvel Studios

Boseman hid his health condition from the world while pouring his heart and soul into movie projects such as Black Panther and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. And while life imitates art, Wakanda Forever actually uses Boseman’s qualities as a real person to turn T’Challa into a pillar for his community. For instance, Boseman only told about his cancer to those people he felt he needed to prepare for his departure. T’Challa does the same, letting Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) and their infant son, Toussaint, get ready to say goodbye long before his sister is even aware of his disease.

T’Challa’s surprise son is also a great representation of how we never disappear from the world, but keep living on through the ones we love and the excellent work we leave behind. T’Challa’s honorable life ultimately leads Shuri to become a worthy protector of Wakanda, letting go of her rage for the sake of Wakanda. It also inspires M’Baku (Winston Duke) to remain loyal to Wakanda and maybe take the nation’s throne. And through his son, also named T’Challa in Wakandan, the King will spread goodness in a chaotic and hostile world.

Wakanda has many enemies in the MCU, but the memory of King T’Challa helps its people to endure and build a better world. And outside theaters, we also remember Boseman as a rare person that made the world a better place. So, for all Marvel fans, Boseman will be remembered as the true ruler of Wakanda, a kind soul that taught us all how to dream about an international community where we build more bridges instead of burning them.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is available right now in theaters.