The episode concluded with a tribute to the late actor.

Actor Chadwick Boseman made an unforgettable mark on the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his appearances as T’Challa, king of Wakanda, also known as Black Panther. Sadly, since his passing last year, it has been assumed that we would never be able to see Boseman in T’Challa’s royal shoes again. However, thanks to Marvel’s new animated series on Disney+, What If…?, we got one more glimpse of T’Challa in his element, albeit in the role of Star Lord of the Guardians of the Galaxy, rather than Black Panther.

Boseman recorded his lines for T’Challa prior to his passing in August 2020, which makes this appearance his final appearance as the character, occurring posthumously. The episode ends with a brief tribute in Boseman’s honor, reading “dedicated to our friend, our inspiration, and our hero, Chadwick Boseman.”

The cast and crew of the show were excited to share this final performance with the fans, as they too were overjoyed to appear with Boseman one last time. “Oh my goodness, their relationship is beautiful,” Michael Rooker, who played Yondu in Guardians of the Galaxy and reprised his role in the episode, told Entertainment Weekly. “This is an absolutely wonderful piece. This one, in particular, is beautiful. I think people are going to not just enjoy it, but also it’s going to be meaningful in a lot of different levels.”

“He really approached the material as seriously and as soulfully as I imagine he approached any of his work,” executive producer Brad Winderbaum said of Boseman to USA Today, adding that Boseman recorded multiple iterations of T’Challa for the show. “Each one was just a nuanced performance based on a lot of deep thought you could tell from his part and how we wanted to portray the character.”