Chadwick Boseman was honored with a posthumous Emmy win during Saturday’s Creative Arts ceremony for his role in Marvel’s What If…? series, according to a report by The Hollywood Reporter.
The late star won the outstanding character voice-over performance category for his role as Star-Lord T’Challa in the “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” episode. He was nominated in the category alongside F. Murray Abraham (Moon Knight), Julie Andrews (Bridgerton), Maya Rudolph (Big Mouth), Stanley Tucci (Central Park), Jessica Walter (Archer) and Jeffrey Wright (What If…?). The award marked both Boseman’s first win and first Emmy nomination.
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Boseman’s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, was on hand to accept the award, taking the stage at downtown Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater and telling the crowd, “When I learned that Chad was nominated for this award, I started thinking about everything that was going on when he was recording — everything that was going on in the world and in our world and just being in such awe of his commitment and his dedication.”
“And what a beautifully aligned moment it really is that one of the last things he would work on would not only be revisting a character that was so important to him and his career and to the world, but also that it be an exploration of something new, diving into a new potential future — particularly with everything he spoke about purpose and finding the reason that you are here on the planet on this very time,” she continued. “You can’t understand your purpose unless you’re willing to ask, ‘What if,’ unless you’re willing to say, ‘What if the universe is conspiring in my favor, what if it’s me?'”
“Thank you so much for the honor — Chad would be so honored, and I’m honored on his behalf,” Ledward finished.
Boseman passed away in 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer, and was previously nominated for a posthumous Oscar for lead actor for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Boseman’s legacy remains inseparable from mainstream culture — his breakout work in Black Panther helped propel that film to become the first superhero movie ever nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. The film’s sequel, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, is scheduled for release later this year, with Ryan Coogler returning to direct.
