Colon Cancer Claims Life of “Black Panther” Star Chadwick Boseman

Both Evans and Ruffalo signed off their tweets: "Rest in power, King."

Leading US civil rights organization the NAACP praised Boseman for "showing us how to conquer adversity with grace" and "to walk as a King, without losing the common touch".

"#RestInPower #BlackPantherForever," its tweet concluded.

'Hearts are broken'

Boseman had recently appeared in Spike Lee's Vietnam War-set "Da 5 Bloods", and was set to appear in a sequel to "Black Panther" due in 2022.

"Our hearts are broken and our thoughts are with Chadwick Boseman's family. Your legacy will live on forever. Rest In Peace," wrote the official Marvel Twitter account.

His character T'Challa, king and protector of technologically advanced Wakanda, was the first black superhero in mainstream American comics, having been featured in "The Fantastic Four" in 1966.

The Marvel film was celebrated as an important cultural moment for its mainly black cast, and for subverting stereotypes by depicting a prosperous African country that takes in refugees and extends its culture and technology to poorer nations.

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Boseman shrugged off doubters who tried to convince him not to give the superhero an African accent.