As is the case literally every single time we get our hopes up about the Academy coming through with a truly diverse and representative assortment of nominees, we are let down across multiple categories. This year was no exception (i.e. ZERO women directors nominated?!?).
There's also much to celebrate, however, as Black Panther has now become the first superhero movie to score a nom in the Oscars' Best Picture category.
Coogler's work has previously been nominated. His 2015 Rocky sequel Creed, also starring Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan, earned co-star and franchise creator Sylvester Stallone a Supporting Actor nod in 2016. Coogler's feature-length directorial debut Fruitvale Station, though not nominated at the Oscars following its 2013 theatrical release, also notably received widespread praise from other critical institutions including the Sundance Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, and more.
As Varietybroke down in their Tuesday morning report on the 2019 Oscar noms, superhero films' evolving relationship with the Oscars can arguably be traced back to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. Though the late Heath Ledger was posthumously nominated (and ultimately won) in the Supporting Actor category at that year's ceremony, the film itself was famously missing from the list of Best Picture contenders.
