Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ picks up three Emmy noms but live action series are practically ignored

Just one year after its record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations in 2021, Marvel Studios took home nominations in this year’s nominee announcements for the Television Academy’s 74th annual ceremony.

While last year’s critical darling WandaVision was nominated in several categories, including prestigious Outstanding Lead Actor nods for Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, no such love was accorded the three Marvel Studio live-action series produced for Disney Plus this year. The notable exception was the franchise’s one animated series, What If…?, which picked up an Outstanding Animated Program nom as well as a posthumous nomination for Chadwick Boseman in the Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance category. Boseman recorded the VO for his character T’Challa for the series’ second episode, “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” before his death in 2020. Boseman’s co-star JeffreyWright was also nominated, as was F. Murray Abraham for his vocal performance as Khonshu in Moon Knight.

The studio also scored nominations for technical and stunt categories, with Moon Knight receiving the most nominations.

The studio made 94 submissions for consideration for this year’s awards in multiple categories, including 30 subs for Hawkeye, 26 for Loki, 25 for Moon Knight, and 13 for the animated series What If…? The respective leads for each of the four shows were all submitted for acting consideration, including Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, Tom Hiddleston, and Owen Wilson. Three What If…? stars were submitted for Best Character Voice-Over Performance, including Hayley Atwell, Jeffrey Wright, and the late Chadwick Boseman, and F. Murray Abraham for his vocal performance as Khonshu in Moon Knight.

The complete list of Marvel Studios Emmy nominations follows:

What If…?

• Outstanding Animated Program
• Outstanding Character Voice-Over (Chadwick Boseman)
• Outstanding Character Voice-Over (F. Murray Abraham)

Hawkeye

• Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Comedy Series Or Variety Program while Anthology Series Or Movie 

Loki

• Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Period Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More)
• Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes 

Moon Knight

• Outstanding Character Voice-Over (F. Murray Abraham)
• Outstanding Stunt Performance
• Outstanding Cinematography For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
• Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie Or Special (Original Dramatic Score)
• Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
• Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie 
• Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Or Anthology Series, Movie, Or Special

Although there didn’t seem to be any egregious snubs, the lack of nominations for fan favorite and critical darling Florence Pugh for her performance as Black Widow/Yelena in Hawkeye may raise a few eyebrows. Moon Knight actor Oscar Isaac was also critically lauded for his portrayal of the title role yet did not score a nom (although he was nominated for his role in HBO’s Scenes From a Marriage).

The winners will be announced live at this year’s Emmy Award Ceremony, which will air Monday, Sept. 12, on NBC. The ceremony will also stream live on Peacock.