Rest in power, Chadwick Boseman. The actor tragically died in August 2020 at the age of 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Boseman left us far too soon, but in his short time as a Hollywood star, he amassed an incredible resume of movies.
For his final performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Boseman earned many accolades, including Golden Globe and SAG awards. He also received a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor; however, the trophy went to Anthony Hopkins for The Father in a surprise upset.
Still, Boseman left behind a legacy of portraying indelible characters from T’Challa in Black Panther to baseball legend Jackie Robinson in 42 to music icon James Brown in Get on Up.
- The best Black movies to watch now
- How to watch the Marvel movies in order
Boseman started out as most young actors do, working his way up from small roles in soaps and TV procedurals. He finally broke out as a rising star in 2013 playing Robinson, but truly became a global household name in 2018 as Marvel’s first African superhero lead. He first played T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War, then later reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
After his death, tributes and memorials of Boseman poured in from colleagues and friends, but fans can also remember him by watching his most memorable movies.
Here’s a guide on how to stream Chadwick Boseman movies online.
Black Panther
Stream it on Disney Plus
Black Panther broke ground as Marvel’s first movie with a Black director and a mostly Black cast, led by Boseman and featuring Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke. The film celebrated African culture and the possibilities of its future in the depiction of the technologically advanced Wakanda. Boseman himself earned rave reviews for the regal gravitas and humanity he projected as T’Challa. It’s no wonder that Black Panther became the first Marvel movie to break into the Oscars, including a nomination for Best Picture.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Stream it on Netflix
Boseman's magnetic, crackling presence anchors Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and earned him numerous awards and an Oscar nomination. He portrayed ambitious, confident trumpeter Levee Green in a band backing the titular singer (Viola Davis). But Levee has dreams of making it in the music biz on his own, which threaten to disrupt the band's harmony — and put him in Ma's verbal line of fire.
Da 5 Bloods
Stream it on Netflix
Boseman’s other 2020 film appearance is a brief, but memorable cameo in Spike Lee’s latest joint. In flashbacks, he plays “Stormin” Norman Earl Holloway, the leader of a Black squad in the Vietnam War. He is killed in combat, and years later, his fellow soldiers return to Vietnam to find his remains (and a buried treasure trove of gold). Even in his brief time on screen, Boseman conveys Stormin Norman’s heroism and decency, which carries into the present-day timeline over his former squadmates.
42
Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple, Google Play and YouTube
The biopic that launched Boseman to stardom chronicles the early years of Jackie Robinson’s groundbreaking career as the first Black baseball player in the Major Leagues. Robinson’s widow, Rachel, has said watching Boseman was like seeing her husband again. It almost didn’t happen, though; when Boseman auditioned, he was directing an off-Broadway play and considering giving up acting. But he landed the role and it propelled him into the big leagues of Hollywood.
Get on Up
Stream it on HBO Max
The year after he starred in 42, Boseman took on another iconic real-life role, that of singer James Brown. While the non-linear, stream-of-consciousness storytelling may not be for everyone, Boseman is as electric, magnetic and kinetic as the real Brown himself. Time’s Richard Corliess raved, “In 2007, Jamie Foxx won Best Actor for his subtle performance as Ray Charles. Boseman exceeds that solid standard... Incarnating James Brown in all his ornery uniqueness, he deserves a Pulitzer, a Nobel and instant election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Marshall
Rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple, Google Play or YouTube
Boseman’s third installment in the Biopics About Important Black Men Universe is 2017’s Marshall, in which he embodies the first Black Supreme Court Justice in his younger days as a crusading civil rights lawyer taking on a case of racial injustice. The movie itself received mixed reviews, with most calling it a well-done courtroom drama. The true highlight was the chemistry between Boseman and co-star Josh Gad, which is also evident in this outtake posted by Gad in tribute. It features Boseman, Gad and fellow cast member Sterling K. Brown singing Boyz II Men:
A blessed memory pic.twitter.com/99lwZOshiSAugust 30, 2020
Captain America: Civil War
Stream it on Disney Plus
Marvel fans first met Boseman as an antagonist to Steve Rogers in Captain America: Civil War. When his king father is killed in a bombing presumably set by Bucky Barnes, T’Challa is bent on vengeance. Steve is trying to protect his old friend and recruits Wanda, Hawkeye and Ant-Man to his side. Iron Man leads another group, including T’Challa, to oppose them. It all culminates in an epic showdown of Avengers vs. Avengers.
Avengers: Infinity War
Stream it on Disney Plus
On the heels of headlining his standalone movie, Boseman reprised his role as Black Panther in the superhero team-up. King T’Challa commands Wakanda’s considerable forces to stand with the Avengers, who are aiming to prevent Thanos from completing the Gauntlet. The use of Wakanda as the main battleground and the key participation of T’Challa, Shuri and others indicated that Black Panther would be a key part of the Marvel Universe’s future.
Avengers: Endgame
Stream it on Disney Plus
At the end of Infinity War, when T’Challa was snapped out of existence, it was a sign that the Endgame would somehow reverse the deed, since Black Panther 2 was a done deal. Still, how epic and inspiring was the moment that T’Challa and his Wakanda army reappeared in the final battle against Thanos? Now, with Boseman’s death, the sequel’s future is in doubt. Fans are already clamoring against recasting the role.
21 Bridges
Buy it on Amazon, Apple or Google Play
Boseman takes a bit of a left turn from his usual biopic and superhero fare in this action thriller about an NYPD detective tasked with finding two suspected cop killers. To do so, he makes the unprecedented move of shutting down the 21 bridges of Manhattan to lock down the island. 21 Bridges may not be Oscar fare but it does give Boseman something different to do. As the AP said, “Boseman smoothly presides over the movie with poise and command, a fine movie star finally unencumbered by both the dictates of Marvel and the pressures of the biopic.”
Message From the King
Stream it on Netflix
Boseman made this revenge thriller on the cusp of his Marvel supernova. He plays a Cape Town man who travels to L.A. to help his sister after receiving a message that she was in trouble. When he arrives, he finds her dead, leading him on a journey of vengeance against the responsible parties. Boseman’s forceful presence enlivens a fairly rote story, a clear sign of his impending stardom.
Draft Day
Stream it on Sling, Fubo TV, Tubi and The Roku Channel
Catch one of Boseman’s earliest roles in this sports drama starring Kevin Costner as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. When the Browns manage to get the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, Costner’s GM wants to go against the team’s owner and select linebacker Vontae Mack (Boseman). It’s a small role, but one that provides a glimpse of what’s to come for Boseman.
