Marvel Studios Snubbed for a Major Oscar Category that Seemed Like a Lock

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The Academy Awards announced the contenders for twelve categories, and surprisingly, Marvel Studios wasn’t nominated for Best Visual Effects – a category many predicted they’d be in. They also didn’t receive nominations in two other key areas.

Okay, so the Oscar shortlist for 2026 is out, and I’m pretty hyped! Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and Wicked: For Good are leading the pack with nominations in a bunch of categories. Honestly, I was surprised The Fantastic Four: First Steps didn’t even make the cut for Best Visual Effects – everyone was expecting it to be a shoo-in! The VFX shortlist was solid though, with titles like Superman and the newest Wicked movie making the list.

The final list of contenders also featured F1 with Brad Pitt, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, Sinners, and Tron: Ares. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee selected these ten films, and next month, all members of the branch will watch clips and interviews with the artists involved before voting to determine the winner.

Last month, The Fantastic Four: First Steps was considered for the Visual Effects award when the initial list of contenders was reduced to 20. However, it has since been removed from consideration as the list was further narrowed to the final ten nominees.

Despite being a strong contender, The Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t nominated for Best Original Score. Out of 135 films considered, only twenty made it to the next round. Other films still in the running include Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World, Avatar: Fire and Ash, One Battle after Another, and Wicked: For Good.

The Fantastic Four Continues to Underwhelm On Streaming Despite Positive Reviews

The recent lack of Oscar nominations for The Fantastic Four: First Steps adds to the film’s struggles. Earlier, it was reported that the movie had a very weak opening weekend, marking the lowest five-day debut for any Marvel Cinematic Universe film released in theaters. With only 4.9 million views, it had the fewest views of any MCU film on Disney+ during its opening weekend. In fact, it performed worse than other recent Marvel projects that didn’t quite hit the mark, like Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts.

Okay, so The Fantastic Four: First Steps wasn’t a total flop! It actually got recognized at the San Diego Film Critics Society awards, alongside some really cool indie films like Sinners, Hedda, Hamnet, and even Frankenstein. They even nominated it for Best Visual Effects, which is awesome, even if the Oscars didn’t give it any love. But here’s the best part: we’re getting more Fantastic Four in the MCU! They’re confirmed to be in Avengers: Doomsday which comes out December 18, 2026, and they’re already working on a sequel to their own movie. So, yeah, things are looking up!

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now streaming on Disney+.

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2025-12-17 17:09