Oscars: 10 MCU movies that should have been nominated for Best Picture
By Josh Baggins
For 15 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been producing some of the best cinematic entertainment in the industry. However, out of the 33 movies released, only one has been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Black Panther in 2018. While the Academy Awards is one of the last award ceremonies with prestige and exclusively honors a selective number of nominees, many of the MCU’s higher quality output warrants acknowledgment over some of the Academy’s recent collection of contenders.
Here are 10 MCU movies that should have been nominated for Best Picture in their respective years, as well as the Best Picture nominees they might have replaced.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 over The Holdovers (2023)
Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers is simply a satisfactory movie, that is nicely written and contains some solid performances. Not only is it set in the 1970s, but its cinematic style is an ode to personal dramatic films of that decade, with flawed, but ultimately endearing individuals at its center – a throwback to movies directed by Hal Ashby, Bob Rafelson, etc… Thus is the gift that Payne gives by reviving such nostalgia, yet outside of Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s portrayal of a mourning cafeteria manager, the material is not exceedingly deep or daring.
Sure, Payne is a celebrated craftsman who warrants recognition, while James Gunn entertains with works of genre popular fiction. But Gunn is so much more than that – he has grown into a genre guru with an impeccable knack for emotional storytelling with a heart. The Rocket flashback sequences alone raise Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 above the majority of 2023 releases.
In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Star-Lord’s arc, including his relationship with his sister Mantis and his grappling with an impossible Gamora predicament, comes to an equally satisfying conclusion as Mr. Hunham's in The Holdovers. Each Guardian is emphasized at just the right point in the plot and the action sequences are carried by the best visual effects of the year. Even if most would not label Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as the best film of this past year, it should at least be in more top 10 discussions.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness over Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Not only Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but also Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a better action movie than Top Gun: Maverick, and they contain just as gripping narratives as Avatar: The Way of Water (another nominee). Of course, it is fine that a billion people watched and loved Maverick, but that doesn’t automatically make it one of the best movies of the year.
Mass audiences really ate up the shirtless football scene on the beach, which could have fit into a Budweiser commercial, and the touching reunion with Val Kilmer’s Iceman. That exchange was ultimately telegraphed to tell audiences exactly how to feel – Maverick ends the conversation with “this is a nice moment, let’s not ruin it.” Multiverse of Madness also “gave the people what they want” when Sam Raimi gathered the Illuminati with an assortment of astonishing character comebacks. In contrast, Raimi leaves fans stunned and shocked by the Illuminati sequence, while Joseph Kosinki’s Maverick consistently feels common and predictable.
Overall, Multiverse of Madness is bold and surprising (only Raimi can successfully pull off Zombie Strange). And while the faceless villain in Maverick does work within the film’s context, it doesn’t exactly give the heroes someone to feed off of. On the other hand, Scarlet Witch was the perfect antagonist for Doctor Strange, following her storyline in WandaVision.