The choice to direct superhero films has been called all kinds of unflattering words by filmmakers across the industry, but even that hasn’t deterred some of its best talent from flocking to the comic book genre. One can even argue that some of the directors on this list have made some of their best work under the Marvel umbrella, such as Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther, Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, or Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.
As a result, it’s no surprise that a few of the names attached to Marvel’s films over the years have had Oscar glory in the past, too. Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed the two biggest Marvel films of all time, Infinity War and Endgame, are honorary of this list, since they were producers on the 2022 smash-hit Everything Everywhere All At Once, which did an almost complete sweep at the 2023 Academy Awards. Sadly, only three producers can be honored with the statuette when a film wins Best Picture, leaving the Russo brothers on the outside looking in (that’s gotta hurt). In the same vein, The First Avenger‘s Joe Johnston is an Oscar winner in the category of Visual Effects for 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, but none of the films he’s directed have won the big prize.
Chloé Zhao
Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland was one of the big winners at the 2021 Academy Awards, taking home the golden men in three of the most important categories — Actress in a Leading Role, Directing, and the supreme, Best Picture. Zhao wasn’t yet an Oscar winner when she jumped onboard Marvel’s Eternals Eternals 2, which will see Zhao return to the director’s chair at Marvel Studios, is currently in development.
Sam Raimi
Ask any horror fan what their top five filmmakers are and the majority will mention Sam Raimi. Still, any horror fan can also tell you that the genre is constantly looked down upon by the Academy, and snubbed for categories it rightfully deserves. So, while most will probably be of the opinion Raimi’s Evil Dead movies are what should have landed him on this list, it was in fact 2004’s Spider-Man 2 that became the director’s only Oscar-winning film. Toby Maguire’s second outing as the web-slinger won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2005.
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is the man behind one of 1995’s biggest movies, the two-time Oscar-winning The Usual Suspects. Although Singer has never won an Oscar for directing, The Usual Suspects took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay. Years later, Singer would be attached to another Oscar darling, 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody. While the X-Men director was fired halfway through filming, he was still credited as the director of the Queen biopic, which won a whopping four Oscars, including Best Actor. The controversial director’s accusations of sexual abuse.
Taika Waititi
Let’s be real, Thor: Ragnarok was truly the start of Taika Waititi’s reign over Hollywood. At a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was begging for a new perspective, Waititi was the breath of fresh air we all needed. By then, the Kiwi filmmaker and actor had already been nominated for an Oscar for his short film Two Cars, One Night, but his talent was still largely untapped. The hype he received from Ragnarok was a solid launching pad for future endeavors, including his masterpiece Jojo Rabbit, for which he won Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2020 Oscars. Waititi’s second Thor adventure wasn’t as well received, but there’s no doubt he is one of the best directors in the Marvel family.
Ryan Coogler
Ryan Coogler is an underrated and uber-talented young director who has been making waves ever since his debut feature film Fruitvale Station. His second movie, Creed, launched one of the most successful non-superhero franchises of our time, while his third, Black Panther, became an immeasurable cultural phenomenon. It became the first superhero film to ever be nominated in the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards, and although it wasn’t victorious, it did win for Original Score, Costume Design, and Production Design. His second film for the MCU, Wakanda Forever, was also heavily nominated, including the first acting nod for the franchise, and secured a consecutive win for Ruth E. Carter’s Costume Design. Bringing Coogler along was easily one of the smartest decisions ever made by Marvel.
Kenneth Branagh
When one thinks of Kenneth Branagh, the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t immediately spring to mind, but the Belfast native did indeed direct 2011’s Thor. That makes two Oscar winners for the God of Thunder. Branagh’s filmography is extensive, as actor, director, writer, producer… you name it. From adapting Shakespeare to the big screen on multiple occasions to his turn as Hercule Poirot in two films he also directed, and, of course, playing Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter series. The man has done it all. But it was his semi-biographical 2021 drama Belfast that finally brought him Oscar glory. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, making Branagh the first person to ever be nominated in seven different categories. In the end, he took home the golden man for Best Original Screenplay.
Gavin Hood
It’s hard to believe an Oscar winner made 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but it did happen. The 59-year-old South African director Gavin Hood won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2005 for the critically acclaimed crime drama Tsotsi, which he not only directed, but also wrote. Hood hasn’t really found the same level of glory since, going on to helm under-the-radar titles such as 2013’s Ender’s Game, 2015’s Eye in the Sky, and 2019’s Official Secrets. Wolverine’s solo story was eventually continued in 2013’s The Wolverine, and 2019’s Logan, but Hood didn’t return for either, being replaced by James Mangold instead.
Published: May 5, 2023 06:43 am