It is awards season, and Sinners has gone from surprise hit to full-on juggernaut. The R-rated, original horror film fought its way through a crowded 2025, pulled a huge theatrical run, kept people talking for months, and now it has made Oscar history: 16 nominations in 2026, the most ever for a single movie. And if you watched it at home on Max more than once (same), there is a quiet detail you might have missed that lands like a gut punch: a tribute to Chadwick Boseman hiding in plain sight.
The church set is doing more than setting the mood
Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler jumped on X to break down the layers built into the film’s opening church. She posted a screenshot and, in her caption, laid out the architecture and the meaning tucked inside it:
Threee crosses, Sammy & his Father are The Father, The Son&The Holy Spirit. The rough sawn beams the crosses hold are exactly 33 inches apart, the age Jesus died, & the number that represents the end[.] The crossed beams above are for Chadwick, making the Wakanda Forever gesture.
Once you know to look, it is not exactly subtle.
The three crosses map onto the story’s central pair, Sammy and his father, with the third presence evoking the Holy Spirit. The rough-sawn beams set exactly 33 inches apart are a direct nod to the age of Jesus and to the idea of an ending. And up above, the intersecting timbers form an unmistakable X — a visual echo of the Wakanda Forever salute, pointed squarely at Boseman.
Why that tribute fits this team
Sinners was written and directed by Ryan Coogler. His career bent in a new direction with Black Panther, and while Michael B. Jordan has been in every Coogler feature, it was Boseman who carried that MCU debut into the culture and shifted what a superhero film could be. So yes, the homage tracks.
Viewers have started spotting extra layers too. One fan, @honna_, flagged that the church’s gold-toned cross imagery seems to mirror Boseman’s 2018 Met Gala look — the white suit and sweeping cape marked with ornate gold crosses, a blend of Catholic iconography and Afrofuturist flair that felt both intentional and personal. Beachler’s reply? A string of heart emojis. Not exactly a denial, and hard to chalk up as random coincidence.
Boseman’s voice in the performances
The tribute is not limited to wood and nails. According to Michael B. Jordan, Coogler used Boseman as a creative north star while directing actors. Instead of technical notes, he would ask, 'What would Chadwick bring to this moment?' That is a heavy prompt, and Jordan has said those conversations were tough — sometimes unexpectedly — but clarifying. You can feel the effect across the movie: even when the church is nowhere on screen, there is a steadiness and gravity that feels guided by Boseman’s example.
Where this lands on Oscar night (and where to watch)
With a record-breaking 16 nominations, it is hard to see Sinners walking out empty-handed. If it does take the stage, do not be surprised if more than a few speeches tip their hat to Boseman, whose presence lingers well past the film’s final frame.
If you want to comb through the details yourself, Sinners is streaming on Max, with plans starting at $10.99 a month (Basic With Ads). The symbolism is there. The emotion is there. And now that you know what to look for, good luck unseeing it.