but his career reached new heights when he was cast as kachalla, black panther in marvel's "captain americalater, 2018, the movie "black panther" shattered box office records, grossing over, and i'm going to say it really clearly, a billion dollars. it also broke boundaries, showing a black king leading a nation of color. >> wakanda forever! >> what does it mean to you when you hear people say wakanda forever? >> wakanda is like paradise, the thing that is so powerful. yes, the representation, but really, it's the humanity. it's the complexity. it's the richness that has become this -- just this catalyst for community, for uniting the global diaspora. >> reporter: behind the scenes, he was battling stage 3 colon cancer. it later progressed to stage 4. what do you think were his toughest challenges? >> i think, you know -- i know that even in moments where, you know, there's hope, there's always just that little -- in the back. i think that the hardest thing was wondering if he was going to have enough time to do all the work that he wanted to do. because he was very clear on what he needed