Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige believes that the Oscars hold an inherent bias against superhero movies.
It’s no secret that superhero movies are the biggest financial success for Hollywood for at least a good decade at this point. Much of that success can be attributed to the prominence of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which Kevin Feige leads as the President of Marvel Studios. Through his leadership, the MCU has become the most commercially-successful film franchise of all-time.
However, for all of its box office success, beyond the technical wizardry on display, Marvel movies have not often been honored by the Academy Awards with certain Oscars. With the notable exception of Black Panther receiving a Best Picture nomination among others, as well as Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse winning Best Animated Feature. Kevin Feige feels that the Academy has a tendency to look down on Marvel films, or better yet, the entire superhero genre when it comes to giving out nominations for Oscars in non-technical categories, telling THR the following:
“I think we are always at a deficit because of the Marvel logo and because of a genre bias that certainly exists. I just loved that for a shining moment there with Black Panther that was put aside and the work was recognized for the achievement that it was… There are a lot of comic fans that didn’t know who Shang-Chi was. And yet the work that Destin did and Dave did and Sue did and Joel did, created something new that connected with audiences. We recognized it, the audience recognized it and I sure would love the hard work of all of these people who are telling their story to get recognized.”
Black Panther garnered Kevin Feige a 2018 Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, but with that film’s notable exception, Marvel remains relegated to technical categories such as Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.
While Kevin Feige’s sentiment regarding the Oscars’ bias against superhero movies, the Academy was willing to honor DC films in pretty big categories – most notably involving the character of the Joker. Both Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix received Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor respectively for their performances as the Clown Prince of Crime. Also, Joker went on to receive a Best Picture nomination and led the 2019 Oscars race in terms of the amount of nominations it received.
Here is the synopsis for Marvel and Kevin Feige’s upcoming MCU film, Spider-Man: No Way Home:
“For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man, our friendly neighborhood hero’s identity is revealed, bringing his Super Hero responsibilities into conflict with his normal life and putting those he cares about most at risk. When he enlists Doctor Strange’s help to restore his secret, the spell tears a hole in their world, releasing the most powerful villains who’ve ever fought a Spider-Man in any universe. Now, Peter will have to overcome his greatest challenge yet, which will not only forever alter his own future but the future of the Multiverse.”
Directed by Jon Watts from a script written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, No Way Home stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Tony Revolori, Martin Starr, J.B. Smoove, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Benedict Wong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, and Jamie Foxx, with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield heavily rumored to appear.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will hit theaters on December 17, 2021. Stay tuned for all the latest news surrounding the film as well as the future of Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige, and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: THR