The new Netflix movie Harder They Fall is already a somewhat unique movie in that it’s a western with a predominantly black cast. And that cast is incredible. Everybody from Idris Elba to Regina King to Jonathan Majors to Zazie Beetz appears and that’s just the beginning. The cast is so top notch that it’s easy to assume that, if he were still with us, Chadwick Boseman would have found a place among them all. He would have been conspicuous by his absence otherwise. And he still is. And while he may not be on screen, Boseman was not forgotten, as an easter egg in the movie is dedicated to him.
Netflix’s Strong Black Lead Twitter account dropped a screenshot of the movie that hits the streaming service today, which reveals that the train which is being assaulted in Harder They Fall is actually named the C.A. Boseman, a dedication by the filmmakers to Chadwick Aaron Boseman.
Our favorite trivia from #TheHarderTheyFall might be the fact that the train is named after our forever king, Chadwick Aaron Boseman. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/wahEALnftRNovember 3, 2021
It feels like Chadwick Boseman was barely with us, but in the time he had he certainly made his mark. Perhaps because his death was so surprising, it’s still difficult for fans to reconcile. Everybody was looking forward to Boseman making a sequel to Black Panther, and probably becoming an even bigger part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in addition to an infinite list of possibilities, and then those plans were cut short.
Chadwick Boseman played Jackie Robinson and Thurgood Marshall in his career, both men who quite literally changed the world in their respective spheres, and Boseman himself did that as well in his own way. One could easily see Chadwick Boseman starring in a movie like Harder They Fall, or at the very least making a cameo appearance. It feels like he should be there, and it seems the filmmakers felt largely the same way, so they found a place for him.
We only recently actually heard the final performances of Chadwick Boseman. He lent his voice to T’Challa for Marvel’s animated What If…? series on Disney+. It was, to be sure, a somewhat bittersweet experience. It was wonderful to hear him again. He was an absolute high point in a series that was very hit or miss. But it was still a reminder of what was lost. He was just so good at...everything.
This certainly won’t be the final tribute to Chadwick Boseman. When Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrives next year, you can be sure that the entire story will be, in its own way, a tribute to the man who is no longer there. While we have no real idea what the movie itself will actually be about the title alone speaks to the idea of legacy, something both the character and the man have clearly left behind.
