First, congratulations to Marvel Studios for finally receiving the first-ever Oscar nomination in an acting category. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Angela Bassett is nominated for best supporting actress. The Marvel film is also nominated in 4 other categories including best original song, best costume design, make-up and hairstyling, and best visual effects.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s 5 Oscar nominations are less than its predecessor. 2018’s Black Panther had seven nods. Unlike Joaquin Phoenix and the late Heath Ledger for DC, Bassett’s best supporting actress nomination is rare as no performance in a Marvel film has ever been nominated for an Academy Award. Phoenix and Ledger were nominated and both won for their performances as the Joker — Phoenix for 2019’s Joker and Ledger for 2008’s The Dark Knight.
The 64-year-old Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star recently won a Golden Globe for her performance as Queen Ramonda. Winning the award makes her the first actor to win an acting award for a movie based on Marvel Comics. She’ll look to continue to blaze a path at the 95th Academy Awards as the first actor to win an Oscar for a Marvel film.
As for the technical awards, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will look to add awards to the franchise as it competes again in the costume design category. Costume designer Ruth E. Carther won for the first film. Wakanda Forever will go up against Babylon, Elvis, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Camile Friend and Joel Harlow will compete in the make-up and hairstyle category against Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerova for All Quiet on the Western Front, Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine for The Batman, and Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley for The Whale.
Asides from the best supporting actress category, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stands a tall test in the visual effects category as it competes against the visually stunning scenes in Avatar: The Way of Water and The Batman. Top Gun: Maverick and All Quiet on the Western Front are also nominated for best visual effects.
See Angela Bassett in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever now streaming on Disney+. The 95th Academy Awards premiere live March 12, 2023 on ABC and held at the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood.
