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Everyone knows that the Oscars rarely recognize superhero movies during their award ceremony, and the 2022 show will likely continue the tradition. But fans hope that the Oscars will nominate Spider-Man: No Way Home, the highest-grossing film of 2021, during their next ceremony. And we believe that if any actor from the third Spider-Man film deserves an award, it’s Tom Holland.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' actor Tom Holland, who many fans want to see nominated for an Oscar Award in 2022 for his role in the film, wears a dark gray suit over a white button-up shirt and black tie.
Tom Holland | Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Tom Holland’s journey as Peter Parker came full circle in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

As of the writing of this article, Spider-Man: No Way Home has earned $1.694 billion worldwide at the box office, making it the sixth highest-grossing film of all time. And it currently has a 93% approval rating on the Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 383 reviews, and an Audience Score of 98%, based on over 25,000 ratings. To say that the world loved this movie is an understatement.

Of course, all of these facts and figures reinforce the argument that Spider-Man: No Way Home should be nominated for best picture. But why should the academy recognize Tom Holland for his portrayal of Peter Parker?

Marvel Cinematic Universe fans always believed Spider-Man: Homecoming was Peter’s origin story. What else would make them think otherwise? However, it wasn’t until the credits rolled in Spider-Man: No Way Home that fans realized the entire trilogy was his origin story. And that kind of plot development could have been challenging to pull off, but Tom Holland navigated it beautifully in a way that made it believable.

Tom Holland gave the performance of a lifetime in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

As mentioned before, the Academy Awards don’t typically nominate superhero movies for any of its acting categories. Both Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix won Oscars for their portrayal of The Joker. But an actor from an MCU movie has never garnered a nomination. And it’s time that the Oscars expand their horizons for the awards ceremony in 2022 with Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

At the drop of a hat, Holland went from playing a doe-eyed teenager worried about his college applications to a superhero who had the fate of the multiverse resting on his shoulders. And don’t even get us started on his performance during Aunt May’s death scene. Holland broke everyone’s hearts when his character pleaded for the last parental figure he had left to wake up and talk to him while she lay dead in his arms.

Peter’s grief continued to subtly, and not so subtly, influence his actions for the rest of the film. Whether it was while he faced off against Green Goblin at the Statue of Liberty or when he decided to leave MJ and Ned alone, Holland never let the grief subside.

And when Holland’s Peter met Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire‘s Peters, it was like magic. He played off them so well since they had so much to teach him about being Spider-Man. And his Peter was always willing to learn and grow.

So, even though Spider-Man: No Way Home is a superhero movie, that shouldn’t matter when it comes to the Oscars. Tom Holland acted his butt off in the film, and he deserves to be recognized for his performance.

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Marvel and Sony are pushing for the Oscars to nominate the MCU movie

When Spider-Man: No Way Home became a global hit, Marvel and Sony realized it had a good chance of getting nominated for an Oscar. And while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Tom Holland stated his case for why the academy should nominate the MCU film.

“I’ve made Marvel movies. And I’ve also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars. And the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other,” Holland said. “But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters — it’s all the same, just done on a different scale. So, I do think they’re real art.”

By considering Spider-Man: No Way Home and Tom Holland for Oscars, the academy has the chance to expand its audience. But they shouldn’t do it for the ratings. They should do it because it’s an outstanding film and Holland is an extraordinary actor.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters. And the academy will announce Oscar awards nominations for 2022 on Feb. 8, with ABC broadcasting the ceremony on March 27.

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