DC has the upper hand over Marvel at the Academy Awards, but this year’s Oscars gives Marvel a chance to end a record DC has held for over 45 years.

The 96th Academy Award nominations were announced this week, and Marvel has a chance to break a record DC has held over the studio for 45 years. Superhero movies have often gone overlooked at the Oscars, as the Academy doesn’t tend to favor bombastic blockbuster movies. However, The Dark Knight forced the Academy to rethink the artistic value of these films, and comic book films have been represented at the ceremony more frequently. Recent films like Black Panther, Joker, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had a presence at the Oscars and received several nominations and a few wins.

While Marvel has been the more dominant force at the box office, DC has had lots of success at the Academy Awards. Marvel has never surpassed DC at the prestigious seasonal award dating back to 1978’s Superman, which won a Special Achievement Oscar. However, this year’s ceremony presents Marvel with the opportunity to finally pass DC.

The 2024 Academy Awards Can Finally Let Marvel Surpass DC’s Oscar Win Count

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DC and Marvel are currently tied in Oscar win as 7, but Marvel has never pulled ahead. DC’s biggest awards hits include The Dark Knight, which won Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger, Joker, which won Best Original Score and Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix, and 1989’s Batman, which won Best Art Direction. For Marvel, its Oscar wins include Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design for Black Panther, Best Visual Effects for Spider-Man 2, Best Animated Feature for Big Hero 6, and Best Animated Feature for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

For the 2024 Academy Awards, Marvel received two nominations: Best Animated Feature for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Best Visual Effects for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. DC movies received no nominations, meaning Marvel has the perfect chance to tie or pass DC. However, these films do have tough competition.

How Likely Are Marvel’s 2024 Oscar Nominees To Win?

While Marvel has a good chance of winning an Oscar or two this year, there are a few obstacles. First, the MCU doesn’t have a great track record of winning Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. No MCU film has won this Oscar, even though they have been nominated several times. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has a decent shot at winning, but The Creator and Godzilla: Minus One also have solid chances of taking home the award. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is currently in a two-horse race for Best Animated Feature.

While Across the Spider-Verse has been winning similar awards from other outlets, including the Critics’ Choice Awards, it lost the Golden Globe to The Boy and the Heron. The Academy did show it likes Spider-Verse films by awarding the first film with Best Animated Feature, but it may elect to give this year’s award to The Boy and the Heron, as it is Hayao Miyazaki’s supposed final film, and the legendary anime director has only won the award once. Viewers will have to wait until March 10 to see if Marvel takes home an award or if DC keeps its undefeated streak going.