Kevin Feige addresses “genre bias” against superhero movies at the Oscars

Marvel boss Kevin Feige wants to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings acknowledged during awards season but he also isn’t holding his breath. The Marvel film is one of the best-reviewed movies of 2021 and it’s currently the highest-grossing domestic release of the year but Feige thinks there is a “genre bias” that prevents superhero films from getting consistently recognized at the Oscars.

During a chat with “The Hollywood Reporter”, he thinks that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings could be recognized in several categories but he’s not expecting the film to break the ground that Black Panther did when it was nominated for several key Oscars, including Best Picture. While the wins for costume design (Ruth E. Carter), production design (Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart), and score (Ludwig Göransson) were tremendous accomplishments for Marvel, he believes that how superhero films are viewed overall will prevent Shang-Chi to achieve the same acknowledgment.

“I think we are always at a deficit because of the Marvel logo and because of a genre bias that certainly exists. I just loved that for a shining moment there with Black Panther that was put aside and the work was recognized for the achievement that it was… There are a lot of comic fans that didn’t know who Shang-Chi was. And yet the work that Destin did and Dave did and Sue did and Joel did, created something new that connected with audiences. We recognized it, the audience recognized it, and I sure would love the hard work of all of these people who are telling their story to get recognized.”

While it was nice to see Black Panther earn all of its Oscar nominations (and three wins), I don’t think superhero movies really need acknowledgment from The Academy to prove their worth. I remember when The Dark Knight was snubbed from the Best Picture category despite being one of the films of the year, my friends were all up in arms about the movie being slighted. In my opinion, awards weren’t needed to tell me the film was great. The Oscar won by the late Heath Ledger was absolutely deserving but the actor receiving the gold or not wouldn’t have made my opinion any different. Superhero films are dominating the industry in so many other ways that recognition during awards season doesn’t seem all that necessary to prove their worth.

Do YOU think the Oscars have a bias against superhero movies?