The actor who played the biggest protagonist of 2018 decided it was time to pay homage to a real-life hero in front of millions of fans.
Black Panther, the ninth-highest-grossing movie of all time, took home four MTV Movie Awards, including "Best Movie," on Saturday evening (the award show didn't air until Monday night). But the highlight of the evening came from Chadwick Boseman, the movie's leading man. After winning the "Best Hero" award, Boseman presented the honor to James Shaw Jr., the 29-year-old who ambushed a shooter who opened fire at a Waffle House near Nashville, Tennessee, in April.
After leaving a fraternity party on April 22, Shaw and his friends decided to go to a nearby Waffle House. There, the alleged gunman—29-year-old Travis Reinking—opened fire, and Shaw tackled him to the ground. Shaw disarmed Reinking, throwing the weapon onto the Waffle House counter. Shaw was grazed by a bullet and treated for a minor gunshot wound. After the shooting, Shaw started a GoFundMe for the victims.
Boseman, who became the first black lead of a Marvel comic flick, invited Shaw to the award show, where, during The Black Panther star's speech, he highlighted the brave act. "Receiving an award for playing a superhero is amazing, but it's even greater to acknowledge the heroes we have in real life," Boseman said, signaling Shaw onto the stage.
Boseman handed Shaw the trophy, adding that "this is gonna live at your house." Audience members gave both men a standing ovation.
This isn't the first time actors such as Boseman chose to hand over a trophy to someone who they felt deserved the accolade. Actor Ving Rhames had a classic Golden Globe moment when he won the prestigious trophy in 1998 for "Best Actor in a TV Miniseries" for his performance in the HBO project titled Don King: Only in America.
Rhames celebrated his win onstage by calling up fellow nominee Jack Lemmon. Lemmon joined Rhames and said, "I feel that being an artist is about giving, and I'd like to give this to you." He gave Lemmon his Golden Globe trophy. The audience gave the two actors a standing ovation.
