Players Are Leaving Tributes At Fortnite's Black Panther Monument
As the world mourns the loss of Chadwick Boseman, Fortnite's massive fanbase is doing the same and flocking to the new Black Panther monument in the map. There was plenty of hype ahead of Chapter 2 Season 4's release, which confirmed rumours that Epic Games would be delivering its own Avengers: Endgame-sized crossover. Now, the battle royale favourite has introduced a timely tribute to the fallen hero with the new "Panther's Prowl" statue.
New locations always see an influx flock to them, but with Boseman's tragic passing at the age of 43, Panther's Prowl has become a sombre tribute to his legacy as an actor. With roles in the likes of 42, Get on Up, and Marshall, he popped on a pair of claws to play T'Challa, aka Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Boseman went on to be the lead of Black Panther, a major part of Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame, and was tipped to have a bright future as a figurehead of Phase 4 and beyond.
If you're looking for Panther's Prowl, head just to the west of Misty Meadows and look for an orange circle on the map. The giant panther statue sits proud on an outcrop of rock as a fitting nod to Boseman's iconic performance. After just a matter of hours, Panther's Prowl was flooded with players who wanted to pay their respects to Boseman.
Some players have accused Fortnite of cashing in on Boseman's death, however, Epic told Kotaku that Panther's Prowl was always destined to be part of Season 4. A spokesperson confirmed, "As with the rest of the world, we were greatly saddened to learn of the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther monument arrived this morning as part of a previously-planned narrative for the new Chapter 2 Season 4 season". It's also important to remember Fortnite's Season 4 ties into its own comic book storyline, rather than Boseman's role in the MCU.
While Black Panther wasn't one of the original skins on offer, recent leaks claim Black Panther, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Captain Marvel will all be available by the time the season comes to an end. After Fortnite dataminer HYPEX predicted the Black Panther skin, there have been growing calls for Epic to donate all proceeds of its sale to a cancer charity - in honour of Boseman.
Elsewhere, the world at large has been rocked by Boseman's death. Square Enix delayed its latest War Table ahead of Black Panther's rumoured reveal in Marvel's Avengers. The great and the good of the MCU have also said, "Rest in Power", to Boseman, with co-stars ranging from Angela Bassett to Chris Pratt, Don Cheadle to Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana to Chris Evans sharing their memories. Black Panther's Letitia Wright delivered a heartbreaking six-minute spoken-word piece where she described Boseman as her "brother".
You only have to look at the outpouring of emotion for Boseman (both in and out of Fortnite) to see what the actor meant to everyone. Just like Team Fortress 2 decided to make its salute to Soldier statues a permanent feature of the game, here's hoping Epic does something similar with Black Panther. It's a case of gone but not forgotten when it comes to the power of Chadwick Boseman and Black Panther.
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