With movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Eternals, and Shang-Chi, it’s easy to forget that Scarlett Johansson’s original Avenger got her first solo film with Black Widow. The movie saw her hero in-between the events of Civil War and Infinity War as former family troubles arose, and it came as the MCU's first theatrical release in the Phase 4 slate.
Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova also got her formal introduction, a character who has since become a major hit amongst fans—even forming a fantastic dynamic with Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop in Hawkeye.
Also joining the fray were David Harbour’s Red Guardian and Rachel Weisz’ Melina. The two rounded out the dysfunctional under-cover Ohio family that Natasha Romanoff grew up with—and who she ended up making amends with by the end of the film
While the recent legal troubles between Johansson and Disney may have muddied the conversational waters surrounding the movie, the studio is hoping to course-correct that by launching its official Oscar campaign for the project.
Black Widow Goes for the Oscars
Black Widow's "For Your Consideration" campaign for the 2022 Academy Awards has officially begun, as Disney has released a list of over 30 top actors and filmmakers who shared their talents working on the film.
The list contains many names, among them being Scarlett Johansson for Best Actress, Florence Pugh for Best Supporting Actress, and composer Lorne Balfe for Best Original Score.
The full list can be seen down below:
BEST PICTURE
Kevin Feige, p.g.a.
BEST DIRECTOR
Cate Shortland
BEST ACTRESS
Scarlett Johansson
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Pearson
Story By: Jac Schaeffer and Ned Benson
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Florence Pugh
Olga Kurylenko
Rachel Weisz
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Gabriel Beristain, ASC
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
David Harbour
O-T Fagbenle
William Hurt
Ray Winstone
BEST FILM EDITING
Leigh Folsom Boyd, ACE
Matthew Schmidt
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Production Designer
Charles Wood
Set Decorator
John Bush
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Jany Temime
BEST SOUND
Shannon Mills
Daniel Laurie
Juan Peralta
Lora Hirschberg
Chris Munro
Nia Hansen
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Paul Gooch
Paula Price
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Geoffrey Baumann
Dave Hodgins
Craig Hammack
Paul Corbould
ORIGINAL SCORE
Lorne Balfe
Will Black Widow Land the Pose?
It’s worth noting that despite the very public legal troubles, Scarlett Johansson's lawsuit against Disney isn't likely to affect the film’s awards chances. This campaign is also a formality Marvel Studios does with all of its movies regardless of reception.
Even with normal chances, however, it doesn’t look too good. For one, Widow has some big competition thanks to that small indie project called Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not only is the project more likely to nab those technical awards like best VFX or Best Costume Design, but there’s also a vocal fan base for Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin to get recognized for his supporting-actor role.
The chances for all of Marvel Studios’ movies aren’t very high in the first place, as The Academy is well known for its supposed bias towards both blockbusters in general and superhero movies specifically. Hopefully, one day that changes, something the producers behind No Way Home have voiced.
If anyone from Black Widow were to take home awards, based on general reception, odds are it would be Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova for Best Supporting Actress. Not many new characters or actors from the MCU take off that drastically with viewers, and she was one of them.
Black Widow is now streaming on Disney+.
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