Despite many successful superhero films releasing after it, Black Panther holds a rare Academy Award record to this day.
With the night of The Oscars now in the fast lane, people are excited to see who will take the world of cinema by storm and emerge as the winner of the most illustrious recognition in the film industry. In retrospect, people are also looking back at the late Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther for the superhero films that have been nominated for one or many of the various categories for this year.
While The Academy might still have some reservations regarding the recognition of superhero cinema at the ceremony, they can’t deny the popularity and excellence that these films bring with them.
In fact, the exceptional nature of Boseman’s film was so undeniable back in 2019 that The Oscars had to put their concerns aside and award this project with three awards in different categories from a total of seven nominations, making it the most awarded comic book film in Oscar history.
Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther Might Remain The Highest Oscar Winning Comic Book Film Forever
Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan in a still from Black Panther
While comic book films may have been the popular form of mainstream media for the better part of almost the last two decades, they only started to receive mainstream recognition fairly recently by reputable establishments like The Academy for their Oscar Awards.
And by far, the most impactful film to have shifted the perspective of the awarding committee on superhero cinema was none other than the Late Chadwick Boseman‘s Black Panther.
The fact that this film was nominated for a total of seven categories was a shock enough considering the stand-offish stance on comic book films that the awards seem to take, but the film was even nominated for the most sought-after title of Best Picture, which is a major milestone for a project when it comes to superhero cinema.
While the film, unfortunately, lost that title to filmmaker Peter Farrelly‘s Green Book, it did go on to win in three categories of the seven total nominations it received. The winning titles for this film included Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design, making it, to this day, the most Oscar wins for a superhero film in history.
While many films have since defied expectations when it comes to their reception by the committee and the public alike, none have quite been in the same ballpark when it comes to Black Panther.
How Was Black Panther So Unique?
Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther in a still from Avengers: Infinity War
While other superhero films focus more on character development and progression in their films, Black Panther differentiated itself from the rest by also focusing heavily on world-building and environmental design, which was both ambitious and successful in the end.
Along with the development of T’challa, every aspect and exposition of the nation of Wakanda and its residents, cultural and political structure along day-to-day life was portrayed with such artistic excellence that people were drawn to the film naturally.
Along with that, the outstanding performance of the stars, as well as the story that was told through this film, culminated to form a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience.
Black Panther, streaming on Disney+.
