Oscars 2022: 5 Marvel Movie Snubs That Prove Jimmy Kimmel Was Right About the Academy Award Nominations
Marvel movies have long been left out of the conversation when it comes to the major Oscar categories, and the 2022 nominations are no different. Although Marvel and Sony tried to get Spider-Man: No Way Home a Best Picture nomination, the Marvel Cinematic Universe film only got a nod for Best Visual Effects. Fans are angry about the snub, and, surprisingly, so is Jimmy Kimmel.
Jimmy Kimmel disses the 2022 Oscars
During a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the talk show host expressed his frustration over the 2022 Oscars snubbing Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“How did [Spider-Man: No Way Home] not get one of the 10 nominations for best picture?” Kimmel pondered. “Forget the fact that the movie made $750 million [in the U.S.] and is still going. This was a great movie. It wasn’t in the top 10 best movies of the year? There were three Spider-Men in it. You’re telling me Don’t Look Up was better than Spider-Man? It most certainly was not.”
He added, “Even if you go by the critics reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Don’t Look Up got a 46%, and Spider-Man: No Way Home has 90%. For god’s sake, Jackass Forever has an 89%. Why do Best Picture nominees have to be serious? When did that become a prerequisite for getting nominated for an Academy Award?”
The Oscars have always been notorious for ignoring Marvel movies, and the 2022 nominations prove that they never take superhero films seriously when it comes to the Best Picture category. Black Panther is the only MCU movie to garner a Best Picture nomination, but many other works deserve recognition. So, inspired by Jimmy Kimmel, we put together a list of five Marvel films that should have gotten an Oscar nod for Best Picture.
5. Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ was not nominated for Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars
Since the wound is still fresh, it’s best to start with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Oscars nominated the Marvel film for Best Visual Effects in 2022, but it deserved more.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the highest-grossing film of 2021, and it currently sits at sixth on the list of the highest-grossing films of all time. Despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, fans worldwide flocked to the theater to see it. Many people credit the third MCU Spider-Man movie for saving movie theaters. So it’s befuddling that it didn’t receive a Best Picture nod.
Spider-Man: No Way Home received widespread acclaim from critics and fans who praised the acting, writing, and direction. Tom Holland and Willem Dafoe delivered performances of a lifetime, and they would have been nominated for a 2022 Oscar had Spider-Man: No Way Home not been a Marvel film.
4. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
When most fans think of the best Marvel films, Avengers: Infinity War is always at the top of the list. Despite its numerous characters, the MCU movie never felt over-stuffed or frantic. Instead, it sucked audiences in and kept them on their toes from the very first scene where Thanos killed Loki to when the Titan snapped his fingers and erased half of the universe’s population.
Everything that had previously happened in the MCU led up to Avengers: Infinity War, and the movie did not disappoint. It was the highest-grossing film of 2018 and is currently the fifth highest-grossing film of all time. However, despite its success and raving reviews, the 2019 Oscars only nominated it for Best Visual Effects. And like every other Marvel film, it didn’t win.
We will say, going forward, the most-watched movie of the year should be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, even if it’s a Marvel project.
3. ‘Thor: Ragnarok’
The first two Thor films get lost among the rest of the MCU works, but the same cannot be said for Thor: Ragnarok. Many critics and fans consider the third Thor movie one of the best Marvel films. But it failed to garner an Oscar nomination. The Academy didn’t even nominate Thor: Ragnarok in the Best Visual Effects category.
Taika Waititi, who won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2020 for Jojo Rabbit, directed Thor: Ragnarok. And he completely reinvented the Thor character in the best way possible. Despite the tragedies he endured, Thor: Ragnarok breathed new life into Thor and made him hilarious.
Thor: Ragnarok is fun from beginning to end, and those who don’t usually enjoy Marvel films could appreciate this one. But since it’s a superhero film rooted in comedy, the Oscars ignored it during Best Picture nominations in 2018.
2. ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’
Captain America: The Winter Soldier introduced the Russo Brothers to the Marvel world, and the directing duo immediately proved that any MCU movie would be safe in their hands. The Russo Brothers later directed Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame.
Like other films on this list, fans and critics widely praise the second Captain America movie. Its suspenseful story changed the direction of the MCU, the action sequences were masterful, and it featured the return of Bucky Barnes. What is there not to love?
Unfortunately, the Oscars only nominated Captain America: The Winter Soldier for Best Visual Effects. But the Academy should have awarded the Marvel film with a Best Picture nod.
1. ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is one of Marvel’s biggest Oscar snubs
Out of all the MCU films on this list, the fact that the Oscars did not nominate Avengers: Endgame for Best Picture is the most confusing.
A few months after its release, Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time. And it held that title for almost two years until Avatar reclaimed its spot at the top. But whereas the Academy nominated Avatar for Best Picture in 2009, Avengers: Endgame only received a nod in the Best Visual Effects category in 2020. And it didn’t even win.
Avengers: Endgame was a triumph as the culmination of a 22-film story. Fans worldwide cheered and cried in movie theaters as they watched this group of superheroes assemble for the last time. Avengers: Endgame was a love letter not only to fans but also to cinema. And it’s a shame that its genre turned the Oscars away from recognizing it as one of the best films of 2019.
Perhaps Marvel movies will get their due at the Oscars one day, but it won’t happen in 2022.
