Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has opened up about the emotional final conversation he shared with late actor Chadwick Boseman, revealing the last words the Black Panther star told him before his death in 2020.

Boseman, who portrayed King T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, died on Aug. 28, 2020, at age 43 after privately battling colon cancer. His passing shocked fans and colleagues across the film industry, many of whom were unaware of the severity of his illness.

According to a report by CinemaBlend, Feige recently reflected on his final meeting with Boseman during a public conversation with director Ryan Coogler and filmmaker Shawn Levy at the dedication celebration for the University of Southern California's Kevin Feige Division of Film & Television Production.

During the discussion, Feige recalled how Boseman had been enthusiastic about one of his final Marvel projects.

Feige explained that Boseman spoke about his experience voicing an alternate version of T'Challa in the animated Disney+ series "What If...?" and how much he enjoyed the creative opportunity.

The Marvel executive reflected on the conversation while discussing the shock of losing a colleague he believed he would continue working with for years.

Feige said, "We will be back in there, that was always my expectation." He continued describing how he assumed there would be more opportunities to reconnect with the actor as the Marvel franchise expanded, per the Hollywood Reporter.

Feige added, "So the need to set a dinner or a lunch to say hi, I just never do." He explained that their demanding schedules often made it difficult to coordinate personal meetings, but he believed another chance would always come.

Feige continued his reflection by describing the realization that followed Boseman's death. He said, "Because we're busy and because we're going to have a next time."

He concluded by sharing the emotional impact of learning that there would not be another meeting with the actor. Feige added, "And that hit me like a ton of bricks when I realized that there wasn't going to be a next time."

Boseman first appeared as "T'Challa" in the 2016 Marvel film Captain America: Civil War before starring in the groundbreaking 2018 blockbuster Black Panther. He later reprised the role in "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame."

The actor had been expected to return for a sequel centered on his character. However, after his death, Marvel chose not to recast T'Challa, and the story continued with Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, taking on a larger role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

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Chadwick Boseman, Kevin feige