One year on from his tragic passing, Lupita Nyong'o has paid tribute to her Black Panther co-star by remembering their time together. Boseman tragically passed away last year after battling colon cancer for four years, which he had kept silent about during his entire tenure as King T'Challa / Black Panther in the MCU. Boseman's final film role came in Ma Rainey's Black Bottomin which he played Levee Green and was consequently awarded Best Actor at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards. The actor was also able to complete work on Marvel's animated What If...? series, for which Boseman posthumously received great praise.

Nyong'o starred alongside Boseman in 2018's Black Panther in which she played Nakia, an undercover spy for Wakanda and T'Challa's former lover. Boseman and Nyong'o worked closely together in the film as Nakia aided T'Challa in retaking the throne of Wakanda from Michael B. Jordan's N'jadaka aka Killmonger. This version of Nakia was a significant departure from her role in the comics, in which she was a former member of the Dora Milaje who became the villain Malice. Instead, she was greatly supportive of her former lover, with the actors successfully conveying the pair's friendship and respect for one another.

Related: Is Storm In Black Panther 2? Who Michaela Coel Could Be Playing

Taking to Twitter, Nyong'o expressed the sadness she still felt over Boseman's passing a year on. She shared a picture of the two of them laughing and wrote: "I did not know that I could miss both his laughter and his silence in equal measure. I do." She also added that Boseman's memory "remains this alive in me." You can check out Nyong'o's tweet below:

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In a similar vein, Marvel Studios have also paid tribute to Boseman on the anniversary of his death, writing on their social media: "Honoring our friend, our inspiration and our King, Chadwick Boseman." Shortly after Boseman's passing, Marvel announced that they would not be recasting the role of T'Challa, instead opting to honor the actor's legacy and focus on the wider world of Wakanda and Black Panther's allies like Nakia. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is currently filming and will see many cast members return from the original, including Nyong'o, Letitia Wright's Shuri, Winston Duke's M'Baku, and Danai Gurira's Okoye.

Director Ryan Coogler drastically reworked the script for the sequel, with Wright expected to have a much larger role than initially planned. This has led many to theorize that Shuri will take up the mantle of Black Panther at some point in the film, similar to the comics in which the character filled in for T'Challa after he was seriously wounded. Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen however, but from the sounds of things the creatives behind the Black Panther sequel are working hard to honor Boseman's legacy and it's good to hear that his memory lives on in those closest to him.

More: How Black Panther 2 Can Introduce Ironheart To The MCU

Source: Lupita Nyong'o, Marvel Studios

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