With the staggering box office success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the internet has been set ablaze with its annual argument: Why can't superheroes win Oscars? Marvel and Sony have only added fuel to the flame with their heavy FYC push for the film. However, Peter Parker isn't the only hero going for the gold this year. Some other MCU favorites are in contention under different alter egos.
Part of what makes theAcademy Awards.
Oscar Isaac
Oscar Isaac is hanging up his Poe Dameron scarf and trading it in for a ticket to the MCU. With the recent trailer drop, Marvel fans are hyped for Isaac's debut as the titular Moon Knight in the Disney+ series. The series will premiere on March 30, 2022.
Isaac is in the middle of an impressive streak of projects. In between The Card Counter. He already earned a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance. If he lands a nomination, it would be Isaac's first Academy Award nomination.
Mahershala Ali
Everyone loves Mahershala Ali. Everyone loves Blade. Consequently, everyone loves the idea of Mahershala Ali as Luke Cage.
Ali is an Academy favorite, his two Best ing Actor wins for Green Book give him a 100% win rate. With his performance in Apple TV+'s Swan Song, Ali is fresh off some of the best reviews of his career. The film is his first in a lead role and has garnered Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. An Oscar nom for Best Actor could easily follow.
JK Simmons
One of the Spider-Man: Far From Home. The Marvel fandom was put in a frenzy when JK Simmons popped up reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson from the Sam Raimi trilogy. This cameo was a tease of crossovers to come, including Simmons' return in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
An Oscar winner for his villainous turn in Damien Chazelle's Being the Ricardos. Aaron Sorkin's dramatization of Lucille Ball is peaking at the right time with nominations from the Producers Guild, Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild, Critics Choice, and Golden Globes. Simmons, himself, has received nods from the Satellite Awards and Critics Choice Awards for Best ing Actor.
Tessa Thompson
Since drunkenly stumbling onto the screen in Thor: Love and Thunder.
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Thompson is in Oscar contention for headlining Rebecca Hall's directorial debut, ing. She has earned praise for her mesmerizing work as Irene Redfield, earning a Gotham Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performance and a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. If her name is called on nominations morning, it would be Thompson's first Academy Award nomination.
Cate Blanchett
As the goddess of death and Thor's older sister, Cate Blanchett stole the show as Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. She made quite the entrance by smashing Mjolnir and would go on to be one of Phase Three's most beloved antagonists.
Blanchett is one of our most acclaimed actors working today. She's a seven-time Academy Award nominee with two wins for Nightmare Alley, that is likely to add to her nomination tally.
Ruth Negga
Only the most die-hard of Marvel fans will recognize Ruth Negga for her work in the MCU. Long before the days of Disney+ and Marvel on Netflix, Negga had a recurring role on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For 17 episodes across five seasons, Negga played the quilled Inhuman, Raina.
Negga is no stranger to the Academy. She first popped up on their radar with a Best Actress nomination in 2016 for her work in Jeff Nichols's Loving. This year, Negga has stood her ground as one of the major award contenders with her haunting turn in Rebecca Hall's ing. She has already garnered bids for Best ing Actress from the Indie Spirit Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTA, and SAG Awards.
Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage made his first appearance as Eitri in the MCU with Avengers: Infinity War. After being forced by Thanos to create the Infinity Gauntlet, Eitri is tasked with forging a Mjølnir replacement. By crafting Stormbreaker, Eitri gave Thor the necessary tools to the fight in Wakanda. After sitting out of Avengers: Endgame, Eitri is rumored to be returning in Thor: Love and Thunder.
In Joe Wright's Cyrano, Dinklage returns to the titular role of Cyrano de Bergerac after portraying the same character in the stage musical adaptation that inspires the film. A total departure from the land of Westeros, Dinklage is singing his way into the audience's hearts. A career-first Oscar nomination is very plausible after receiving Best Actor nominations from the Critics Choice and the Golden Globes.
Bradley Cooper
Ever since his debut in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy, Bradley Cooper's Rocket Racoon has been a fan-favorite. The foul-mouthed mammal fires bullets and one-liners throughout each appearance from Guardians to Endgame. Rocket will return in this year's The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
With eight career nominations across Best Picture, Actor, ing Actor, and Adapted Screenplay, Cooper is deep in the hunt for his first Oscar win. This year, Cooper has two major contenders. As Stan Carlisle in Nightmare Alley, Cooper's chilling work could land a Best Actor bid. More likely would be a nomination in Best ing Actor for his manic performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza based on the actual Jon Peters. After his SAG nomination for Anderson's film, an Oscar nom is in Cooper's reach.
Olivia Colman
Marvel fans may not recognize Olivia Colman, but they soon will. Disney+'s series Secret Invasion has begun filming with Colman in an undisclosed role. Details are still under wraps. The miniseries is expected to be released in late 2022 with Colman ing MCU veterans Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, and Cobie Smulders.
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Whether it's her Emmy win for The Crown or her Oscar win for The Favourite, the industry takes any and every chance to award Colman. This year, she is deep in the conversation for Best Actress for her devastating turn in Maggie Gyllenhal's The Lost Daughter. Colman already has nominations from the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and a win from the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Stephen Strange has taken a lead role in the recent Marvel movies. After his origin movie in 2016, Strange made impactful appearances in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He will return to the spotlight later this year in Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Cumberbatch is no stranger to Oscar buzz, he was previously nominated for 2014's The Imitation Game. This year he is in the Best Picture favorite, Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog. Across the entire award season, Cumberbatch has received 19 wins and 21 additional nominations - more than any other Best Actor contender. His devilish work as Phil Burbank has received recognition from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, Critics Choice, and BAFTA.
Andrew Garfield
After a year of speculation, MCU fans across the globe were ecstatic to discover Andrew Garfield reprising his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Nicknamed "Peter #3," the titular Amazing Spider-Man made dreams come true by rescuing MJ and declaring his love for Peters #1 and #2.
Garfield was previously spotted on Oscar ballots with a nomination for his work in 2016's Hacksaw Ridge. This year, Garfield was everywhere from No Way Home to The Eyes of Tammy Faye. But it is his electric performance as Jonathan Larson in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tick, Tick... Boom! that is earning him accolades. On top of his Critics Choice and SAG nominations, Garfield collected a win from the Golden Globes for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
