Even if the Academy Awards failed to recognize the three Marvel releases of 2025, fans of the entertainment property can still watch the actors of some of their favorite Marvel characters compete on Oscar night.
At least one Marvel film or television cast member is nominated in all four acting categories. What are the chances of these seven actors in their respective Oscar races?
Best Lead Actor – Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan
Both Ethan Hawke and Michael B. Jordan played unforgettable villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is especially not an easy task for a superhero television series, yet Hawke pulled off an impressive achievement as Arthur Harrow in Moon Knight. He was a complex cult leader type of antagonist, whose deliberate handling of the material soared above a more typical depiction of a superhero antagonist.
Now he can win his first Oscar as Broadway songwriter Lorenz Hart for Blue Moon. This is the cinema icon’s third nomination and first as a lead actor. Blue Moon is one of his finest performances in a long career. His ability to rattle off seemingly hundreds of words a minute, while pivoting throughout an emotional spectrum, is truly remarkable.
Michael B. Jordan is up for his first Oscar, when he really could have been nominated for his MCU role of Killmonger in Black Panther. His imposing qualities were comparably assertive in both Black Panther and Sinners; playing double duty as identical twin brothers whose entangled soulful harmony is interrupted by vampires of the Mississippi. There is an obligation to mention that Jordan also took a crack at Human Torch in Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four, but it is for Black Panther that he has garnered universal praise in this genre.
It would be hard for either to pull off an upset against the supreme talent of Timothée Chalamet, who elevates his craft to another level, delivering one of the best performances of the decade. Even if there is a common consensus that Hawke and Jordan have never been better than their two nominated performances, that conviction can be multiplied in reference to Chalamet in Marty Supreme. Hawke’s son, Levon, has a bit part in Chalamet’s film, so maybe that could take the sting out of Blue Moon potentially losing to Marty Supreme.
Best Lead Actress – Rose Byrne and Emma Stone
Speaking of best performances of the decade – the female side of that coin belongs to Jessie Buckley’s excruciatingly heartbreaking portrayal in Hamnet. Buckley is not associated with Marvel, unlike two participants in her category, Rose Byrne and Emma Stone. Could these actresses, who prominently depicted Marvel love interests, pull off an upset on Oscar night?
The Oscars really love a good Yorgos Lanthimos/Emma Stone collaboration. Although Bugonia may not be as deserving of all the accolades that The Favourite and Poor Things have received before it, Stone definitely commands the screen. Her screen partner, Jesse Plemons, is equally as good, but Stone earned the only acting nod (her fifth) for Bugonia.
Before being decorated with award recognition, Stone starred alongside Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man two-fer. She brings a combination of charm and confidence to Gwen Stacy. Although her time in the franchise may have been cut short (as was the series itself), Stone’s Stacy was at the center of one of the most famous death scenes in superhero history.
Rose Byrne also had two appearances opposite a beloved Marvel hero – her Moira MacTaggert had strong feelings for Professor X in X-Men: First Class. Their relationship status was a bit complicated, as he ends up wiping her memory, so the pair don’t quite have the same connection when re-teaming in X-Men: Apocalypse.
With an even more three-dimensional and relatable turn than most nominees, Rose Byrne delivers her single best performance in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. She displays a vulnerability and mental disintegration with an understated awareness that few performers can accomplish. If it were not for Jessie Buckley, Byrne would be the strongest contender in the field.
Best Supporting Actor – Stellan Skarsgard and Benicio del Toro
Perhaps Stellan Skarsgard should be in the Lead Actor category, since he is featured in Joachim Trier’s personal Sentimental Value just as much as Best Actress nominee Renate Reinsve. Alas, here the MCU veteran stands, positioned to make a run for an Oscar, with his first nomination. He is just as convincing in Sentimental Value as in his supporting turns in Good Will Hunting and Breaking the Waves.
Yet Skarsgard will forever remain in the hearts of MCU fans for bringing smiles to their faces as Erik Selvig. He had sufficient enough screentime to make a lasting impression as Jane’s colleague and Thor’s friend. Skarsgard’s Selvig fit into the plots of Thor, The Avengers, and Thor: The Dark World, and briefly popped into Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Another MCU actor with a smaller role is Benicio del Toro. Aside from cameos in Thor: The Dark World and Avengers: Infinity War, his Collector is known for an extended sequence in Guardians of the Galaxy. Essentially a crime boss on Knowhere, Benicio del Toro’s signature eccentricity marks the Collector as a striking side character. He brings his distinctive mannerisms to One Battle After Another, along with his observant gaze that suggests a profound understanding, allowing his sensei to operate in a space that is simultaneously serious and insouciant.
Benicio del Toro is already an Oscar winner (for Traffic) and One Battle After Another is his first nod in over 20 years. However, his screenmate, Sean Penn, has the showiest performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic crime drama. If someone can spoil either of the Marvel actors’ nights, it could be the two-time Oscar winner.
Best Supporting Actress – Wunmi Mosaku
Although the most lively and ferocious turn in Sinners belongs to Hailee Steinfeld, who delightfully played Kate Bishop in the Hawkeye limited series, Wunmi Mosaku was also captivating opposite Jordan and ended up earning the nomination. Mosaku took a role in Loki that teetered on the line between minor and significant and prompted Hunter B-15 to stand out. She ensured her return in the sophomore season and even earned a small part in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Mosaku does have tough competition; however, Sinners receiving the most nominations this year could help her cause. Those Sinners nominations extend to the larger Black Panther team as well. Ryan Coogler is acknowledged for the first time as a director after helming the first superhero movie to ever be nominated for Best Picture. He is also vying for Best Original Screenplay this year.
Composer Ludwig Goransson could win his third Score Oscar for Sinners—his first was for Black Panther. He is also up for Original Song for “I Lied to You," his second nod in this category after “Lift Me Up” for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Hannah Beachler, who won Best Production Design for Black Panther, is now in the running for Sinners. The same goes for Ruth E. Carter and her Costume Design. She won two Oscars, for Black Panther and the sequel (Wakanda Forever’s only victory), and can win another for Sinners.
So it is not just Marvel's cast, but also former crewmembers, who can win Oscar statuettes this year. The Academy Awards takes place on March 15.