The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the most popular and successful franchises in the history of cinema, but there's arguably something missing: major awards prestige. The MCU has yet to receive any major Oscar wins over the course of its ten-year history, but it seems that doesn't really bother Kevin Feige all that much. In fact, the Marvel Studios president opened up during an appearance at the Produced By Conference in Los Angeles and noted that Marvel is in good company with no Oscar wins. Feige explained:
Maybe it's easy to dismiss VFX or flying people or spaceships or billion dollar grosses. Hitchcock never won best director, so it's very nice, but it doesn't mean everything. I would much rather be in a room full of engaged fans.
Sure, an Oscar would be great for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but that's apparently not the top priority for Kevin Feige. As the Marvel guru noted during the recent Produced By Conference (via Heroic Hollywood), the lack awards gold does not make or break the Marvel Studios legacy, so if a filmmaker as iconic as Alfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar, then it shouldn't matter if Marvel doesn't. After all, if the man behind iconic films like Psycho and Vertigo never received that type of recognition, then it's arguably evident that an Oscar win is not the only metric to gauge filmmaking success.
We should note that, despite not getting any Oscar wins, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone to the Oscars before. Films like Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have received nominations for a variety of below-the-line categories, but all have come up short so far. The Academy isn't necessarily opposed to bringing Marvel movies into consideration; it's just a matter of Marvel not winning anything at Hollywood's biggest night yet.
Despite Kevin Feige's lack of concern over Marvel's Oscar status, other Marvel Cinematic Universe insiders have become far more vocal about their desire to see the MCU get some recognition. Specifically, Avengers: Infinity War writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely recently opened up and likened the production of an Avengers movie to something like Lord of the Rings: Return of the King regarding the scale of the undertaking, with Markus even noting:
People mumble about it with various movies, for various reasons. There was an article about Wonder Woman [recently], and there's articles about Logan, none of which are us. I think someone has to come to Jesus, so to speak, and take a look at the amount of work that's been done.
Of course, the lack of Oscars for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not stopped fans from clamoring for a win with the MCU's most recent offerings. In fact, the historic release of Ryan Coogler's Black Panther has become a massive cultural moment for the superhero genre, with some highlighting the film's themes and execution as deserving of recognition from The Academy next year. We have no idea if that will happen, but it shows that some Marvel fans haven't given up on that fight.
We will have to wait and see what happens with the current slate of Marvel Cinematic Universe films as the next Oscar season approaches. Avengers: Infinity War is currently in theaters, and make sure to watch out for Ant-Man and The Wasp when the upcoming Marvel film debuts on July 6.
