Wakanda forever.
Disneyland unveiled a Chadwick Boseman mural in its Downtown Disney shopping district. The artwork from Nikkolas Smith shows the late Marvel star giving the Wakanda salute to a young fan wearing a “Black Panther” mask.
Smith shared photos of his work on Thursday via Instagram, in which he is giving the Wakanda salute in front of the mural.
“This one is special. My King Chad tribute is now on a wall on display at Downtown Disney,” he wrote. “It is a full circle moment for me: my final two projects as a Disney Imagineer last summer were working on the children’s hospital project and the Avengers Campus.”
The child in the mural is wearing a hospital gown, to honor the late “Black Panther” star who visited children with cancer at St. Jude campus, while waging a private battle with the disease. The installation is titled “King Chad.”
“To millions of kids, T’Challa was a legend larger than life, and there was no one more worthy to fill those shoes than Chadwick Boseman,” Smith continued. “I’m so thankful to be able to honor Chadwick’s life and purpose in this way. I am grateful to the Disney family for being so supportive of my journey as an artist.”
Boseman was diagnosed in 2016 with stage 3 colon cancer, and over four years, it progressed to stage 4, 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 remains closed amid the coronavirus pandemic, Downtown Disney in California is currently open for visitors. Additional images from Smith’s work are available on the artist’s website.
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