Jonathan Majors Thinks Angela Bassett's Black Panther Nomination Is A Chance For The Oscars To 'Evolve'

Angela Bassett's Oscar campaign was all but sealed when "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" premiered in November 2022. It's true that comic book movies are very rarely brought into the awards conversation, at least when it comes to performance categories — though not for lack of trying. But this is Angela Bassett we're talking about, and her performance as Queen Ramonda, the grieving mother and sovereign of Wakanda, was downright Shakespearean. Marvel's Cinematic Universe has never been short on strong performances, but Bassett's turn in "Wakanda Forever" is not one that the Academy could have easily ignored.

Bassett made history as the first actor to be nominated for their performance in a Marvel Studios project. She was also the only Black female performer recognized by the Academy in 2023 — after shocking snubs for Daniel Deadwyler and Viola Davis. Whichever way you slice it, this nomination is a pretty big deal, and fans and critics aren't the only ones who recognize its significance.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" actor Jonathan Majors is a relative newcomer to the MCU, but he's already part of the family — or, as he describes it, the Shakespearean troupe. Majors spoke to The Wrap about Angela Bassett's performance in "Wakanda Forever," and what it represents for the MCU moving forward:

"Cinema must evolve, it must grow. As the MCU grows and evolves — literally we go in phases — the Academy, the art form, grows and evolves. And what Angela Bassett has done within this medium — this is an opera. And so to act and to perform and to give a performance on that level, with that much humanity, in an opera is a high level of difficulty, and takes a high talent to do so."

To Majors, the MCU offers an opportunity for actors to subvert the expectations of the superhero film — and their performances in turn help to keep institutions like the Academy on their toes. "It's an opportunity, I think, for the Academy to broaden their territory artistically and culturally," Majors continued. He's definitely not wrong, and hopefully the Academy will eventually recognize stellar performances wherever they are. The Oscars still fail to acknowledge genres like horror, ignoring tremendous talents in the process. Even if Bassett doesn't take home the Oscar in March (competition is pretty stiff, after all), the fact that the Academy recognized her at all is a step in the right direction.