The Marvel Cinematic Universe has once again been shut out of the Oscars. Historically, the franchise is most prevalent in the Visual Effects category, and with three releases this past year, it is disappointing that none of them could secure a nomination. Especially since the list of Visual Effects nominees is one of the least exciting in recent memory. Even last year, the Academy overlooked Deadpool & Wolverine for the peculiar choice of the Robbie Williams' CGI ape feature, Better Man.
This year, we have Brad Pitt behind the wheel of a racecar (F1) and Matthew McConaughey driving a school bus (The Lost Bus). The racing sequences in the former and the raging inferno in the latter both fit their narrative well, but all three movies the MCU put out in 2025, in their own unique ways, have much more impressive visual effects. Those are Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
In particular, The Fantastic Four: First Steps definitely deserved to be nominated for Best Visual Effects. The doubling of Michael B. Jordan and the transforming vampires from Sinners are not as visually stunning as the lustrous and sleek Silver Surfer, and the upgraded dinos in Jurassic World Rebirth are less imposing when compared to the giant Galactus stomping through Manhattan. At the end of the day (or the Oscar ceremony) it might not have mattered what four films were recognized after Avatar: Fire and Ash. But an Oscar nomination is an Oscar nomination, and First Steps had the best visuals of the year after Fire and Ash.
Aside from Avatar, the nominee most deserving, from a strictly technical standpoint, is Jurassic World Rebirth. Is it basically the same effects this time around for the seventh movie in the franchise? Pretty much, but it still looks like real dinosaurs are chasing Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, so you have to give credit where credit is due.
Arguments are also made that some superhero movies rehash similar visuals time after time. However, First Steps really “stepped” it up for an engrossing eye-popping aesthetic, whether on the retro-futuristic streets of New York City, or in a wild and trippy space sequence with Silver Surfer hunting down the foursome as Invisible Woman goes into labor while floating around their spaceship.
Perhaps, what the movie really should have earned is a nod for Production Designer, Kasra Farahani. This category is even more competitive, from Guillermo del Toro’s and Tamara Deverell’s caliginous Frankenstein, impeccably reimagining gothic horror for contemporary audiences, to Ryan Coogler and Hannah Beachler constructing a weathered southern juke joint on the outskirts of Depression-era Mississippi.
First Steps' best chances at knocking a nominee off the list would have either been the less exceptional settings in One Battle After Another, or the simpler presentations, yet still beautifully crafted sets, of Hamnet, standing in for England circa 1600. Although, given the Academy’s affinity to pile on nominations for their favored films, in as many categories as possible, the odds of a Marvel film overtaking one of the Best Picture nominees in Production Design was very slim.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps was also snubbed for Best Original Score. Michael Giacchino is a past Oscar winner (for Up), who orchestrates the perfectly plucky pairing for the aesthetics of the Fantastic Four’s mid-century modern world. Unlike Visual Effects, where the MCU has received 14 nominations, their music is hardly ever considered by the Academy.
Only Black Panther has ever succeeded in this regard, ultimately winning the Oscar for Original Score. Even The Avengers’ iconic and triumphant tracks by Alan Silvestri were ignored. However, if there was ever a better piece of music written for the MCU, it was in First Steps, where the 1960’s influenced pop art on screen was met by the weaving of Giacchino’s, mostly upbeat, notes in almost every frame.
Alas, Black Panther composer, Ludwig Goransson seems poised to pick up another trophy for setting the southern tone in Sinners; a movie whose music is just as significant as any other component in its whole.
For the other nominees - the buzziness of Bugonia’s strings is quite masterful, Hamnet is soulfully composed by Max Richter, while Jonny Greenwood produces a delightfully unusual tempo featuring pianos and violins for One Battle After Another. Although Alexander Desplat’s score for Frankenstein is grand and operatic, it does sound more common than the other nominated music, so this is where First Steps could have swapped in for a spot on the list.
MCU fans also cannot forget how Thunderbolts* unexpectedly pumped-up the emotional stakes like few other films in the franchise have. While its practical effects are certainly more entertaining than watching F1 and The Lost Bus, its writing is also first-rate – Joanna Calo also worked on Hacks, The Bear, and Beef. And its cast could bring audiences to tears one moment while evoking genuine humor the next.
Would the voters ever rank Florence Pugh as Yelena along with the nominated actresses? Several of them are working through one sad story or another, with Jessie Buckley reaching excruciating depths in Hamnet. But Pugh’s performance is as emotionally resonant as Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value or Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue. Jacob Elordi’s creature is a tortured soul in Frankenstein, whereas Lewis Pullman is just as conflicted with his dual personalities in Thunderbolts*.
Overall, it is not a big surprise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is ignored for various awards, for another year. Yet it is still unfortunate given the quality of the production and visual effects that was on display in 2025.
The winners of the Academy Awards will be announced on March 15.