2023 may not have been a great year for superhero movies, but the genre has proven itself capable of reinvention countless times. Therefore, it is a shame that superhero movies are often overlooked when the nominations for the Academy Awards are announced. While superhero movies such as The Dark Knight have left an impact in other categories, the genre is still often snubbed in the Best Picture category.
2018’s Black Panther is a notable exception, becoming the first superhero movie to receive a Best Picture nomination. On the other hand, 2014’s Birdman, which won the Best Picture Oscar can be broadly classified as a superhero movie. However, other superhero movies also deserve similar recognition from the Academy, and here are some that made the strongest case for a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.
5. Logan (2017)
Directed by James Mangold, Logan served as the swansong for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. The dystopian neo-Western film only had the broad strokes of a superhero movie and thrived on interpersonal character drama. Moreover, with the resurgence of Western films at the Oscars in recent years, this recalibration of a superhero story into a neo-Western certainly deserved a Best Picture nomination. However, it had to settle for a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.
4. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
It is easy to dismiss Avengers: Infinity War as a cash grab or as an amusement park film. However, the film, which is presented from the perspective of the antagonist, brought something truly unique to the superhero genre while effortlessly capturing the scope of the story. It deconstructed the typical superhero movie formula and demonstrated a strong technical prowess, which made it worthy of a Best Picture nomination. However, the film could manage a Best Visual Effects nomination.
3. Superman (1978)
Directed by Richard Donner, 1978’s Superman was not just the character’s first leap onto the big screen but also a big step towards the culture juggernaut superhero films would become in the coming decades. With inventive visual effects, editing, and cinematography combined with John Williams’ mesmerizing score, the film had all the technical qualities for a Best Picture nomination. It set the template for modern blockbuster filmmaking at a time when such films were a big risk, making it even more deserving of the nomination.
2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is arguably the greatest superhero film ever made, as it thoroughly humanizes an iconic comic book character beyond any and all preconceived notions of superhero tropes. Moreover, its heart-tugging storyline is executed with brilliant sound, editing, and visual effects, wrapped together through Raimi’s skillful direction. Therefore, along with Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing, it deserved to be in the Best Picture nominations.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
The only reason Spider-Man 2‘s status as the best superhero film is arguable is because The Dark Knight exists. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the second installment of the Dark Knight trilogy is a subliminal film in every regard. Technically brilliant and narratively sound, it has surprising thematic depth, which makes it relevant even in today’s date. Therefore, it is almost criminal that The Dark Knight was left out of the Best Picture nominations simply by virtue of being a superhero movie.
Logan, Avengers: Infinity War, and Spider-Man 2 can be streamed on Disney+ while Superman and The Dark Knight are available on Max.
