The Academy Awards has had a history of eschewing big-budget genre movies in favor of bestowing the treasured Oscar to smaller, lesser-known films for their major awards. While those movies deserve to be recognized for their storytelling and plotlines, that doesn’t mean that high-budget films, such as the movies that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe, deserve to get the cold shoulder.
Once a frequently overlooked genre, superhero movies didn’t hold the highest regard among the Academy’s voting bloc. However, over the past 15 years, films from theMCUhave managed to buck the trend. So far, over 14 films, the MCU has garnered 27 Oscar nominations. While the vast majority of these have been in “smaller” categories such as Visual Effects and Costume Design, in recent years the MCU has broken through with Best Supporting Actress and Best Film nominees, firsts for any superhero film in Oscar history.
15Iron Man (2009)
Oscar Nominations: 2
Robert Downey, Jr.gives a bravura performance as billionaire engineer Tony Stark, creator of a weaponized suit of armor that turns him into Iron Man. The movie that started it all also brought Marvel its first Oscar nominations, one for Best Visual Effects and one for Best Sound Editing. DirectorJon Favreauused a combination of rubber and metal versions of the Iron Man armor (created by effects masterStan Winston)with CGI to create the dazzling visuals.
Although it lost toThe Dark Knightfor Sound Editing andThe Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonfor Best Visuals,Iron Manput the MCU on the map both with Marvel fans and film critics and was selected by theAmerican Film Instituteas one of the ten best films of 2008. In 2022, it was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.
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14Iron Man 2 (2011)
Oscar Nominations: 1
Now that the world knows Tony Stark’s identity as Iron Man, the United States government is demanding he turn over the Iron Man technology just as Tony discovers the suit is killing him. Meanwhile, a vengeful Russian scientist played byMickey Rourkehas developed his own version of the technology in order to go after Tony.
The sequel brought the MCU another Oscar nod, once again for Best Visual Effects. Unlike the mix of practical and digital effects of the original, this one relied chiefly on computer-generated imagery to create the Iron Man suits. Although critics were less enthusiastic than they had been about the original, it still ranked as the 7th highest-grossing film of 2010. Going up againstChristopher Nolan’s stunningInceptionthat year, it didn’t stand much of a chance of winning. But, as they say, it’s an honor just to be nominated.
Iron Man 2
13The Avengers (2013)
Oscar Nomination: 1
When the Asgardian Loki uses a wormhole to travel to Earth, he steals the powerful Tesseract and threatens to subjugate the entire planet. Nick Fury, director of the secret spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. activates the “Avengers Initiative,” recruiting Earth’s mightiest superheroes to combat this threat. Bringing together Tony Stark’s Iron Man, Bruce Banner’s Hulk, and Steve Roger’s Captain America from previous films with Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow and Clint Barton’s Hawkeye,The Avengersembarks on a journey to save the world that culminates in an epic New York City battle
Marking the completion of MCU’s Phase One, this firstAvengersassembly was once noticed by Oscar for visual effects. With more than 2,200 visual effects shots, it set a new standard for the genre. Up against CGI wonders likeThe HobbitandPrometheus,andultimately losing toLife of Pi,The Avengerswere the highest-grossing film of 2012, cementing the MCU as a force to be reckoned with.
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12Iron Man 3 (2014)
The events ofThe AvengersNew York battle have left Tony Stark with post-traumatic stress, panic attacks, and insomnia. to cope, he threw himself into work, creating an army of Iron Man suits. When a string of bombings caused by a terrorist calling himself the Mandarin critically injures best friend Happy Hogan and nearly destroys his home, he embarks on a journey to find the Mandarin and ends up knee-deep in a revenge plot.
This final entry in theIron Mantrilogy (the only one not directed by Happy Hogan actor Jon Favreau) ushered in the MCU’s Phase 2 and used seventeen companies to create its effects. It was one of the first films to have an extended version made specifically for the Chinese market. Although fans had some issues (especially with The Mandarin character), it was still the second-highest-grossing movie of 2013 and only the sixteenth film ever to gross over $1 billion.
Iron Man 3
11Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2015)
Working for S.H.I.E.L.D. in Washington, D.C., Steve Roger’s Captain America unites with Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow and new friend Sam Wilson’s Falcon to uncover a conspiracy inside that spy agency and to go up against the mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier. The film introduced directors Anthony and Joe Russo (AKA the Russo brothers) into the MCU and further explored and expanded upon the S.H.I.E.L.D. mythology.
The Russo brothers used a combination of practical effects and 2500 visual effects shots created by 6 companies, earning the MCU another Best Visual Effects nomination alongsideGuardians of the Galaxyin 2015, and marking the first time the MCU would compete against itself for the award. The seventh highest-grossing film of 2014, it was well-received by critics and fans alike and movedThe Avengerssaga forward deftly. Still, it could not pull out an Oscar win for the MCU.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
10Guardians of the Galaxy (2015)
Space pirate Peter Quinn leads a band of misfit alien criminals on the run after stealing a powerful, mysterious Orb and discovers his destiny as Star-Lord. More anti-hero than superhero movie,Guardians of the Galaxywas a different kind of experience from the MCU’s usual brand. Its mix of irreverent humor, action, and music hits from the 1970s proved popular with fans. It became the third highest-grossing film of 2014, outpacing rivalCaptain America: The Winter Soldierby over $50 million.
Nominated for both Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling,Guardians of the Galaxyfeatured a whopping 2,750 visual effects (500 more than Winter Soldier) created by 13 companies, which made up about 90% of the film. Across two films that year, the MCU had 3 nominations and 8 in total since 2009, but still no wins. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
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9Doctor Strange (2017)
After a car crash upends his career as a neurosurgeon, Dr. Stephen Strange’s search for healing leads him to Kamar-Taj, where the sorcerer Mordo and the Ancient One train him to be a Master of the Mystical Arts. Featuring great performances byBenedict CumberbatchandTilda Swintonas the Ancient One,Doctor Strangewas the 14th film in the MCU’s pantheon and was well-received by both fans and critics. Director Scott Derrickson, known for his horror films likeThe Black PhoneandDeliver Us from Evil, gave the film a darker edge than most MCU fare and provided some truly spooky moments.
Strangebrought the MCU back to the Oscars again in 2017 (after having been passed over the previous year forCaptain America: Civil War) was well received by both fans and critics and did well at the box office. Up against the likes ofRogue One: A Star Wars Storyand losing out toThe Jungle Book(directed by MCU staple Jon Favreau), it still went home empty-handed after eight years.
Doctor Strange
8Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2018)
Peter Quill and his band of space pirates have made a name for themselves as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Fleeing from the consequences of Rocket Raccoon’s greed, the Guardians crash-land on the planet Berhert where Peter meets a god-like celestial named Ego who claims to be his father. As more is revealed about his mysterious parentage and his destiny, Peter must square-off against daddy dearest to save the universe. Legendary iconsKurt Russell(as Ego) andSylvester Stallonejoined the cast, further cementing the MCU’s ability to draw big names to its films.
The MCU continued its streak of nominations and no wins in the Best Visual Effects category withGuardians of the Galaxy 2.Although some found it to be less than the original, it was largely well-received andactually outgrossed the originalwith $863 million worldwide.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
7Black Panther (2019)
Oscar Nominations: 7
Black Pantherwas a breakthrough film for the MCU. Featuring their first Black director (Ryan Coogler) and a largely Black cast which included powerful performances fromChadwick BosemanandMichael B. Jordan,it gave the MCU its best year at the Oscars to date. The compelling story of T’Challa (Boseman), heir to the throne of Wakanda who must fight off a challenger from his cousin Killmonger (Jordan) who is determined to use the throne to spark a global revolution, proved that Black-driven stories could do well with all kinds of audiences by breaking box-office records.
It was honored at the Oscars with a Best Picture nod (the first and so far only for a superhero film) and 3 first-time wins. Other nominations were Costume Design, Original Score, Original Song, Production Design, Sound Mixing, and Sound Editing.Ruth Carterwon for her amazing costumes, along with wins for production design and the score. Truly a triumph for all involved.
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6Avengers: Infinity War (2019)
The MCU garnered one more nomination that year, this time in the more traditional category of Best Visual Effects withAvengers: Infinity WarA whopping $400 million budget made it one of the most expensive films ever made in the MCU or anywhere else. Coming off their success withCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,directors the Russo brothers took on the monumental task of balancing intertwining storylines and managing a huge cast and crew to pull off one of the biggest blockbusters ever made.
Josh Brolin’s performance as Thanos, the unstoppable alien warlord bent on possessing the 6 infinity stones that will enable him to destroy half of all life in the universe, got praise from critics, as did the Russo brothers' direction. It became the highest-grossing film of 2018 and the first superhero film to gross over $2 billion worldwide. Still, it did not take home the Oscar for visual effects.
