Fortnite's new 'Panther's Prowl' statue attracts tributes to Chadwick Boseman

Fortnite's current season is all about Marvel, with various sorts of superhero skins, cosmetics, and collectibles for players to pick up. It also sees the addition of some new Marvel-themed locations and landmarks to the map, most recently a massive statue called Panther's Prowl, a tribute to Black Panther.

The appearance of the statue, which can be found not too far west of Misty Meadows, comes just a few days after the death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer on August 28 at the age of 43. Despite the timing, Epic told Kotaku that the addition had been previously planned, and wasn't made in response to Boseman's passing.

"As with the rest of the world, we were greatly saddened to learn of the passing of actor Chadwick Boseman," a rep said. "The Black Panther monument arrived this morning as part of a previously-planned narrative for the new Chapter 2 Season 4 season."

Nonetheless, as spotted by Eurogamer, Fortnite players have been using the statue to pay tribute to Boseman, sharing images and clips of the location on Twitter and Reddit. Some are also calling for proceeds raised through the sale of an expected Black Panther skin for Fortnite, which dataminer HypeX predicted last week, to be donated to charity. (HypeX also anticipated the arrival of the Panther's Prowl statue.) I think that would be an excellent idea.

Always Our King. from r/FortNiteBR

Wakanda Forever. Chadwick Boseman: Gone But Not Forgotten. 1976-2020 from r/FortNiteBR