It's that time of year again. Awards season is upon us, and if you're a longtime fan of superhero movies, then you'll be all too aware that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rarely sees fit to recognise this genre. Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to why that is, but 2022 has proven to be another controversial year.
Spider-Man: No Way Home has been snubbed, and the backlash online has been loud. However, while many deserving titles have been overlooked since the inception of the Oscars, Marvel movies (and many DC ones!) have managed to break through...and even win now and again!
The films that were nominated, and particularly those that won, certainly don't make for the longest list, but we've gone back and found every Marvel title that was recognised in some way. Only a handful came away with awards, and you may be surprised by what the winners took down and what the losers fell to.
Quite appropriately, it all began after Sam Raimi ushered in modern superhero movies with Spider-Man...
17. Spider-Man (2002)
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man broke the mould and delivered blockbuster visual effects unlike any we'd seen on screen before. Earning nominations for "Best Visual Effects" and "Best Sound," the groundbreaking film ended up losing the former to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (the Battle of Helm's Deep was something else) and the latter to musical Chicago.
16. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Spider-Man 2 also broke into the Academy Awards, picking up three nominations...and actually winning one of them! That amazing battle with Doctor Octopus earned the sequel "Best Visual Effects," but it lost out on "Best Sound Mixing" to Ray and "Best Sound Editing" to fellow superhero movie, The Incredibles.
15. Iron Man (2008)
The first chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe lost out on "Best Sound Editing" to The Dark Knight (a film that was snubbed for "Best Picture," leading to supposed changes in that category which we still haven't seen take shape). Iron Man was also nominated for "Best Visual Effects," but somehow wound up losing to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
14. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Iron Man 2 wasn't a particularly good sequel to its predecessor, but we're not going to disagree with the decision to nominate it for "Best Visual Effects." Unfortunately, squaring off with Christopher Nolan's visually stunning Inception meant the film was unable to walk away with that prize.
13. Big Hero 6 (2014)
Big Hero 6 wasn't produced by Marvel Studios, but Disney Animation's charming animated film still made good use of some obscure Marvel Comics characters. Nominated for "Best Animated Feature," the movie ended up beating The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (none of which were overly strong competition).
12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The Russo Brothers made quite the impact with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, proving themselves legit blockbuster filmmakers in the process. The film was only up for "Best Visual Effects" (an apparent go-to for this genre at the Oscars), but understandably failed to take down Christopher Nolan's ambitious sci-fi film, Interstellar.
11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy blew us away by showing a totally different side of the MCU with a cosmic adventure featuring a unique, eclectic mix of characters. Unfortunately, James Gunn biggest film to date at the time lost out on "Best Makeup" to The Grand Budapest Hotel and, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, was unable to beat Interstellar in "Best Visual Effects."
10. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The X-Men franchise really upped the ante with Days of Future Past, but after being overlooked for a solid fourteen years since X-Men was released, this was not 20th Century Fox's year. Competing against fellow comic book movies Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Days of Future Past lost out to Interstellar for "Best Visual Effects."
9. Doctor Strange (2016)
Scott Derrickson successfully made the leap from horror to superheroes with Doctor Strange, but no one could have predicted the sort of mind-bending visuals the filmmaker would deliver. While the story was similar to Iron Man, those crazy sequences helped the movie stand out and it earned a well-deserved "Best Visual Effects" nomination, only to be bested by The Jungle Book.
8. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was arguably an even better movie than its predecessor, but it faced stiff competition in the "Best Visual Effects" category. Squaring off with Kong: Skull Island, War for the Planet of the Apes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Blade Runner 2049, it was topped by the latter - no great surprise given the stunning visuals that underrated sequel ended up delivering.
7. Logan (2017)
Hugh Jackman's tenure as Wolverine wrapped up in 2017's Logan, and James Mangold's movie made for a superb conclusion to the actor's time as the beloved character. Earning a rare "Best Adapted Screenplay" nomination (why doesn't that happen more often with comic book movies?), Logan would ultimately fail to pick up that prize after Call Me By Your Name ended up scoring the win.
6. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War was an incredible film that shocked audiences and united characters they never thought would share the screen. Despite being hailed as one of the best MCU movies ever made, it was only recognised in the "Best Visual Effects" category, but somehow ended up losing out thanks to the Ryan Gosling-led Neil Armstrong biopic, First Man.
5. Black Panther (2018)
Marvel Studios' only "Best Picture" nominee, Black Panther is also the most successful of any movie featured here. While it didn't land the big prize, it still picked up nominations in "Best Production Design," "Best Sound Mixing," "Best Sound Editing," "Best Costume Design," "Best Original Score," and "Best Original Song."
Black Panther may not have been recognised in the acting, writing, and directing categories, but it still earned Marvel Studios its first trophies for the score, production design, and costumes. It was a worthy winner, and while we'd have liked to see more, at least this showed that the Academy is capable of noticing when this genre excels.
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
This proved to be a good year for Marvel on the awards circuit, though this accolade belongs to Sony Pictures rather than Marvel Studios. This wildly original and unique spin on Spider-Man's world quite rightly earned Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse the "Best Animated Feature" Oscar, easily overshadowing the likes of Incredibles 2, Isle of Dogs, Mirai, and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
3. Avengers: Endgame (2019)
This is all sorts of wrong. Despite being an epic, sweeping three-hour blockbuster full of unforgettable moments, the Academy didn't see fit to recognise a movie that also happens to be the highest-grossing movie of all-time. Avengers: Endgame was also a hit with critics, but still received just the token "Best Visual Effects" nomination, only to lose out to Sam Mendes' undeniably impressive 1917.
2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings exceeded everyone's expectations, delivering stunning visuals and a somewhat more powerful story from Marvel Studios than we're used to seeing. It also overperformed at the box office in the midst of the pandemic, but will only battle for "Best Visual Effects" at this year's ceremony. It deserves to win.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
There's been a lot of disappointment and backlash surrounding the Academy's decision to overlook Spider-Man: No Way Home in the "Best Picture" race. Even Jimmy Kimmel has lashed out at the snub, but the critically acclaimed, box office record-breaking blockbuster will compete only for "Best Visual Effects." It seems some things never change, eh?