Oscar-winning comic book adaptations

Key findings

The quality of comic book adaptations has evolved; the scripts, direction and acting are impressive.
Comic book adaptations are currently competing for Oscars, and some are taking home awards.
Awards for Best Animated Feature Film, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, and Makeup and Hairstyling.

It was not long ago that comic book adaptations were considered B-movies at best and absolute Garbage in the worst case This was an age of awkward costumes, wooden performances and, typically, a great disregard for Source material That all changed in the early 2000s with films like Batman Begins, where a lot of love and care was put into the writing, direction and acting. Since then, comic book movies have been some of the most popular and profitable franchises in the world. Of course, there is still the occasional flop, but the ratio has undoubtedly shifted significantly in the other direction.

The Academy Awards reserve their prestigious Oscars only for the best and most influential films of the year . Directors, actors, studios and entire film departments go to great lengths just to be nominated for such an award. Comic book movies weren’t even considered Oscar-worthy two decades ago, but today they’re celebrated alongside all the other great films of the year. In fact, many comic book movies are proud winners of multiple Oscars. Here are some of the most impressive comic book movies to win an Oscar.

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1 The Dark Knight

Heath Leger – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

The Dark Knight (2009)

With: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart

This list can only begin with Heath Leger’s stunning portrayal of the Joker in Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Undoubtedly, this is the best Batman movie of all time, but you could also call it the best comic book movie. While the script and direction played a large part in its appeal, it was Leger’s take on the most iconic villain in the Batman mythos that made the film a must-see. Unfortunately, Leger passed away before the film’s release and was unable to accept his award for his Oscar-worthy performance. Although he technically played a supporting role, he and his Joker were as much the stars of the film as Bale’s Batman.

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2 joker

Joaquin Phoenix – Best Performance by an Actor

Jokers (2019)

With: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy, Robert De Niro

If you want to win an Oscar, land a role as the Joker. Okay, that’s not entirely true, but that’s the current trend. The sequel to Leger’s Joker must have been a daunting task for any actor, but Phoenix wasn’t afraid to put his own spin on the role. He embodied the unstable nature and more tragic side of the character in a way we’ve never seen on the big screen before. The result was a film that didn’t feel like a comic book movie at all, but did so without betraying the character it was inspired by. Now all that remains is to wait and see if lightning can strike twice when the sequel comes out.

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3 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Animated Film

Spider-Man: A New Universe (2018)

$21 $31 Save $10

With: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld

A major reason comic book movies weren’t taken seriously for so long was the fact that they were mostly live-action. It’s just so difficult to make a person look good in the costumes that superheroes wear. That’s why animation was the best comic book media for so long, at least on television. Spider-Man: In a New Universe was a change of pace after all the live-action movies for a few reasons. First, Miles Morales was a fantastic new leading man for us to invest in, but the animation style was like nothing else. With an intentionally choppy style but mixed with bright and bold colors, everything about this film was a visual treat. It more than deserved the Best Animated Feature award it received.

Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield, all as Spiderman.

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4 Suicide Squad

Best performance in makeup and hair styling

Suicide Squad (2016)

With: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie

Yes, that’s right, the 2016 disaster film Suicide Squad is an Oscar winner. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the much better second attempt, but what can you do? It didn’t win anything you’d normally tune into the Oscars for, but we have to admit that makeup and hair are very important for a comic book movie. The least a movie can do is make the characters look right, and for that we can at least give this movie some credit.

What is the worst movie you have ever seen?

This past weekend, Borderlands hit theaters and despite a star-studded cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Cate Blanchette and Kevin Hart, it failed to impress critics or audiences, scoring just 10% on the Tomatometer and grossing just $8.8 million from over 3,000 theaters, making it one of the worst opening weekends of the year. You can read our critic Anthony Marcusa’s review at the link to learn more about Borderlands, but I thought, as far as terrible movies go, what’s the worst movie you’ve ever seen? It might be a recency bias, but I remember being totally disappointed by Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with its cheap design, bad story and lackluster effects. For me, this film represents the ultimate low point in the MCU, and I remember thinking that if the franchise is going in this direction, then Tony Stark really did die for nothing. Granted, I guess it’s back now (sort of), but whatever: What’s the worst movie YOU remember?

5 Black Panther

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Black Panther (2018)

15$ $27 Save $12

With: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o

Remember we mentioned that costumes are difficult? Well, Black Panther nailed that aspect so well that it won an Oscar for costume design. The Black Panther outfit isn’t as complex as other heroes’, but that also makes it difficult to do well. It’s mostly a black suit, but the embellishments, angles, and texture have to be perfect so you don’t look like a guy wearing a black leotard. A great win for a great movie.

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6 Spider Man 2

Best performance in visual effects

Spider Man 2 (2004)

$38 76 $ Save $38

With: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina

Making a character fly in a movie is easy, but feeling the rush and vertigo of swinging between buildings in your cinema seat is a true feat. The lengths Spider-Man 2 went to to give us first and third person shots of Peter swinging effortlessly through the city are still impressive today. And that’s without even mentioning the huge sets like the train or the rooftop fights where CG and practical effects blend seamlessly together.

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