The Wakandan icon Chadwick Boseman shared his “Best Hero” award with a real life hero on Monday.
At the MTV Movie & TV Awards, Black Panther film star Chadwick Boseman gave his award to a real-life hero in the crowd—James Shaw Jr, the 29-year-old man who tackled and disarmed the Tennessee Waffle House shooter in April.
In Boseman’s acceptance speech for his work in the hit Marvel movie, which grossed over $1 billion worldwide, the actor took to the stage to thank Shaw Jr. For his bravery and selflessness.
🍿🍿🍿 and more 🍿… THANK YOU #MTVAwards! #BlackPanther fans, you’re incredible. During the show, I was honored to meet @JamesShawJr9. He saved countless lives by tackling a gunman who opened fire on people in Antioch, Tennessee in April. He’s a true hero that walks among us. Pic.twitter.com/bIF8vOk3v3
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) June 19, 2018
“Receiving an award for playing a superhero is amazing, but it’s even greater to acknowledge the heroes that we have in real life,” Boseman said on stage. The camera then panned to Shaw in the audience, who was visibly shocked by the unplanned shout-out.
“You didn’t even know we were about to do this, did you?” Boseman exclaimed. Shaw Jr. Met Boseman up on the stage, while the crowd gave the young hero a standing ovation.
In April, Shaw Jr. Became a household name after wrestling an assault-style rifle away from the gunman that terrorized the Tennessee Waffle House in Antioch. But Shaw Jr.’s heroism didn’t stop there: He immediately started a GoFundMe page for the families of the four victims, ultimately raising nearly a quarter of a million dollars.
Handing the popcorn-shaped trophy over to Shaw Jr., Boseman re-homed the award to the Tennessee hero, telling him “this is gonna live at your house.”