So this has been on my mind re: Black Panther. I know some people think the role should be retired in honor of Chadwick, but I firmly believe it must live on. Here’s why:

Black Panther isn’t just a character. It’s an ideal. This role needs to live on so that black people, children in particular, can see themselves as powerful. So many of our dreams die. We can’t let a black superhero be one of them.

Black Panther was too necessary to the culture. We knew it was important, which is why we celebrated it the way we did. That celebration shouldn’t stop. And I don’t think Chadwick would want it to. The best way to honor his legacy is for it to continue.

Batman is an ideal, which is why it lives. A black superhero needs to be eternal, too.