On the heels of his breakthrough performance as James Brown in Get on Up, Chadwick Boseman has been cast as Marvel Studios’ first solo lead of color (not to be confused with Blade, which was co-produced with New Line Cinema). He will take on the role of T’Challa, the head of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, in Black Panther.

Many fanboys of Marvel Comics thought this day would never come. Some wondered if Black Panther, which was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, would ever get the big-screen attention it deserved.