A lot of people who loved Spider-Man: No Way Home don’t think the web-slinging blockbuster is deserving of a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, so you can only imagine how some folks are going to react now that Disney has mounted a sizeable push for Black Widow to gain recognition.
The first feature-length installment in Phase Four is perfectly fine for what it is, giving Scarlett Johansson a well-deserved solo adventure that teed up some big things to come in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while also giving fans the gift of Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova.
However, it’s far from being the best superhero blockbuster of the year, never mind one of the best films. With that in mind, scratch your head and wonder why the Mouse House has submitted Black Widow for consideration in many of the biggest categories, which you can see in full below.
- Best Picture: Kevin Feige
- Best Director: Cate Shortland
- Best Actress: Scarlett Johansson
- Best Supporting Actress: Florence Pugh, Olga Kurylenko, and Rachel Weisz
- Best Supporting Actor: David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, and Ray Winstone
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Eric Pearson; Story by Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson
- Best Cinematography: Gabriel Beristain, ASC
- Best Film Editing: Leigh Folsom Boyd, ACE and Matthew Schmidt
- Best Production Design: Charles Wood and John Bush
- Best Costume Design: Jany Temime
- Best Sound: Shannon Mills, Daniel Laurie, Juan Peralta, Lora Hirschberg, Chris Munro, and Nia Hansen
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Paul Gooch and Paula Price
- Best Visual Effects: Geoffrey Baumann, Dave Hodgins, Craig Hammack, and Paul Corbould
- Original Score: Lorne Balfe
While there’s every chance Black Widow could land a nomination or two when it comes to the technical prizes, there’s not a hope in hell it’s making the cut for Best Picture, Best Director, or Best Actress. It’s awards season, though, so the studio has every right to try and drum up support.