The never-ending debate about the creative and artistic merits of the superhero genre has been rumbling on the background of the cultural conversation for what feels like forever, and we’ve seen opinions that cover the entire spectrum.
Just the other day, no less an authority than Marvel Cinematic Universe creator Kevin Feige weighed in, claiming that the company’s logo has created a sort of inadvertent bias against blockbuster comic book adaptations among Academy Awards voters, even though Black Panther landed a Best Picture nomination and won three Oscars in total.
Inevitably, it’s kicked up a hornet’s nest on Twitter, with many fans pointing out that the MCU has a handful of trophies in the cabinet already, while also making the very salient point that none of the studio’s films are what you’d call Best Picture quality.
Marvel Studios has made a lot of good films, and several great ones, but nothing that could be called a serious contender for the most prestigious prize in the industry. Avatar, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: A New Hope and Jaws are just some of the all-time great crowd-pleasers that lost out on being named Best Picture, so it’s not the end of the world if the MCU never wins the big one.
