Disneyland unveiled a Chadwick Boseman mural in its Downtown Disney shopping district. The artwork by Nikkolas Smith shows the late Marvel star presenting the Wakanda greeting to a young fan wearing a “Black Panther” mask.
Smith shared photos of his work on Instagram on Thursday, holding the Wakanda greeting in front of the mural. “This one is special. My tribute to King Chad is now on a wall in Downtown Disney,” he wrote. “For me it comes full circle: My last two projects as Disney Imagineer last summer were on the Children’s Hospital Project and on the Avengers Campus.”
The child in the mural wears a hospital gown to honor the late Black Panther star who visited children with cancer on the St. Jude campus while waging a private battle against the disease.
“To millions of children, T’Challa was a legend bigger than life, and there was no one worthy to fill those shoes but Chadwick Boseman,” continued Smith. “I am so grateful to be able to honor Chadwick’s life and purpose in this way. I am grateful to the Disney family for supporting my journey as an artist.”
Boseman was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2016 and progressed to stage 4 over four years, his family later revealed. Although he never spoke publicly about his diagnosis, he worked through his treatment for much of his film career. While Disneyland’s Main Park will remain closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, Downtown Disney in California is currently open to visitors.
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