The Unique Way Chadwick Boseman Recorded What If...?

Ever since August 2020, the entertainment world has mourned the loss of Chadwick Boseman, when the "Black Panther" actor passed away following a long battle with colon cancer at the far too young age of 43. Losing the talented icon at the height of his career was devastating in many ways, but it especially hurt Marvel fans, both young and old, who looked forward to seeing him reprise his role as T'Challa in more "Black Panther" movies. While Disney and Marvel will continue the "Black Panther" franchise without Boseman — and without using a digitally resurrected likeness of him, either — fans will be pleased to learn that Boseman is set to return as T'Challa in Marvel's "What If...?" on Disney+, and the series will be available to stream later this month.

"What If...?" will mark the final performance that this legendary actor recorded before his death, and his character — an alternate reality version of T'Challa, who is picked up by Yondu and his crew in place of a young Peter Quill — is set to appear in the first season's second episode. 

Of course, the big question is this — how did the creators go about recording his part in the hotly-anticipated series?

During a recent press event for the upcoming Disney+ series, at which Looper was present, "What If...?" director Brian Andrews was full of praise for Chadwick Boseman and his performance in the show. While he noted that their collaboration was brief compared to his other work in the MCU, Andrews revealed that he fell in love with the actor very quickly.

According to Andrews, many voice actors simply read their lines and move on. However, Boseman tackled his scenes "like a play," which only enhanced his performance. Andrews went on to say that they didn't know what he was going through at the time regarding his health condition, nor could they tell because Boseman "brought it" and seemed excited to play the "What If...?" version of T'Challa.

For Boseman, one of the major draws of the role was getting to play the "king without the mantel" as it allowed him to showcase his humorous chops. The director concluded by saying that they're "blessed" to have him in the show and he thinks he did an "amazing job."

"What If...?" will debut on Disney+ on August 11.