The many faces of Chadwick Boseman

Actor Chadwick Boseman will tackle another trailblazing role when he plays Black Panther, the first black mainstream comic book hero, in Marvel Studios' upcoming film "Black Panther."

Earlier this year, CNET News Editor-in-Chief Connie Guglielmo sat down with the versatile actor to talk superheroes, comic books, technology, race and a lot more for CNET Magazine. Scroll through our gallery for sights and snippets from the interview. 

Boseman on power: "It's complicated to do what's right. It's complicated to follow the traditions. It's complicated to do something new. It's complicated when you have to deal with who should live and who should die."

"The only difference between a hero and the villain is that the villain chooses to use that power in a way that is selfish and hurts other people," Boseman says.

Boseman doesn't have a smart home. "My house is very dumb," he says. "I do use my phone often -- I have no choice. I'm not one of those guys who walks around with a flip phone who doesn't want to be connected."

A close-up look at Boseman during the photo shoot for CNET Magazine.

"It's just this tremendous opportunity, not just for me but for all of us really to get out of our boxes," Boseman says of working on "Black Panther."

"He's not afraid to hear wise counsel," Boseman says of the character he plays in the film. "I think there is some fear of being wrong. I identify with that, with his plight, his personality."

"What do you do when you get power? In this case, you're talking about someone taking the throne. But all superhero movies are about a person who has extreme power."

Marvel Studios' "Black Panther" hits theaters in February. Read CNET's full interview with Chad Boseman here.