Comic book legend and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has paid tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. The Black Panther star passed away at the age of 43 very unexpectedly in August following a battler with cancer. Now, McFarlane has included a tribute to Boseman on the cover of an upcoming issue of Spawn.

Todd McFarlane revealed the cover recently on his Facebook page. It features Al Simmons, the man behind Spawn, doing the famous Wakandan salute from Black Panther. McFarlane also included a statement along with the image, explaining why he felt the need to pay his respects with the cover for Spawn #311. Here's what McFarlane had to say about it.

"Given the limited amount of minority characters in the comic industry today that are considered major Superheroes, I thought it appropriate for one of those well-known heroes (Spawn) to pay tribute to a man who made a lasting impact on helping shape such a strong superhero of color."

"Chadwick Boseman is a person who honed his skills and then made a career using them. Then he fought a fight against his own body that showed the true spirit of this man. We should all admire the traits Chadwick shared with us. And the inspiration he gave to millions of children around the globe who got to see a strong, meaningful and proud hero that looked like themselves."

Aside from helping to create Image Comics, Todd McFarlane is known for his work with Marvel Comics in the 90s. Though Todd McFarlane never worked on Black Panther, his work in Spider-Man is truly legendary and he has a deep connection to that universe. What's more, McFarlane has not done any work with Marvel since launching Image in the 90s. So having him pay tribute to the actor who brought T'Challa to life in the pages of Spawn carries a lot of significance.

Todd McFarlane, meanwhile, is working on getting his R-rated Spawn movie off the ground. The project, which McFarlane intends to direct, has been in development for years. McFarlane has promised big updates soon but there is still no word on when filming will begin. Jamie Foxx is attached to play the role of Al Simmons.

Chadwick Boseman is best known for his role as T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor first played the character in Captian America: Civil War before starring in Black Panther, which went on to become a record-breaking success. It also made history as the first superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Some of Boseman's other credits include the James Brown biopic Get On Up and director Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods.

A mural honoring Chadwick Boseman's memory was recently unveiled at Downtown Disney as well. Tributes have poured in ever since Boseman's passing, which hit particularly hard given that he kept his illness a secret. Be sure to check out the Spawn #311 cover from Todd McFarlane's Facebook page.