Last year, Marvel’s unquestionable king, Black Panther, broke the superhero film glass ceiling and was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. Ultimately, it took home three awards. It deserved those nominations, and Disney and Marvel gave the film a well-deserved Oscar push. This year, they’ll likely try to do the same for Avengers: Endgame, after conquering the world’s box office.
There was a big screening of #AvengersEndgame for Academy members this week. Early sign of a major Oscars push? Is Endgame Best Picture material?
I think it is. pic.twitter.com/HqZtOj8is7— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) May 2, 2019
With the critical praise and box office results, it makes sense that Disney’s first response would be to start gearing up for an Oscar push. While Black Panther was the first superhero film to make it into the Best Picture race, other colossal genre films have been nominated for Academy Awards, such as Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Avatar, and Star Wars: A New Hope. If Endgame becomes even more of a pop culture moment, it could see forward momentum towards a nomination.
But can it ride this wave to victory?
The Russo brothers sure hope that the weight of eleven years and over 20 films can carry one actor to Oscar glory. Robert Downey Jr., who gets a lot of the emotional heavy lifting in this film, will probably be the the target of its major push for an acting nomination. “His cumulative body of work from these movies is staggering,” said Joe Russo, as reported by the Washington Post. “If you look at the work over just even the last four [Marvel] films he’s done, it’s phenomenal … He deserves an Oscar perhaps more than anyone in the last 40 years because of the way that he has motivated popular culture.”
They’ve got a point. Downey is one of the founders of the Marvel universe, and his Tony Stark has been a pop culture icon ever since the first time he said, “I am Iron Man.” However, if Black Panther’s stellar cast couldn’t crack the Oscar race, can Downey?
It’s very likely that Marvel and Disney will throw their weight behind Downey, and possibly Chris Evans, for possible Supporting Actor nominations (though Downey could feasibly be pushed for Lead Actor). It’s also very likely that Marvel will push their record-breaking film for Best Picture. After all, what better way to draw in viewers (if any are left outstanding) than tease the nomination of one of the biggest box office hits in history (currently number 6 of all time, worldwide, before it’s even in its second weekend)?
Still, the problem is is that, while the film is well-received, it’s not necessarily Oscar quality. This is not to say that it’s not an incredible ode to the franchise and the fans, but that doesn’t mean it can stand next to whatever other best films come out this year. Oscar voters are also just notoriously not fond of genre films and might not be receptive to it in the first place.
Endgame will probably not win any Oscars. That’s okay, because it also made more money than most of us will ever see in the first four days of being released domestically, and is widely beloved. If anything, Kevin Feige might receive some sort of recognition from the Producer’s Guild for his contribution to cinema history after shepherding the MCU to such success. Marvel has already won in every way it needed to. An Oscar might be the cherry on top of the sundae, but even if the campaign they’re likely to make goes south, they don’t need an award to prove anything to anyone.
(image: Marvel)
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