8 Comic Book Adaptations Which Were Good Enough To Deserve The "Best Picture" Oscar

Comic book movies are frequently snubbed at the Oscars and during awards season in general, but there are some that were so good, they deserved not just a nomination, but to win with a gold statue.

By JoshWilding - Nov 30, 2016 08:11 AM EST

Filed Under: The Dark Knight

As of right now, comic book movies are easily the biggest and most successful genre in Hollywood and across the globe. Sure, we still get the odd dud, but for the most part, things are looking good for these movies, so why exactly do they still not get any serious awards attention? They've been around for decades now, but not a single one has managed to walk away with the Best Picture gong at the Oscars.

An award like that obviously isn't the be all and end all, but it is a stamp of approval. Throw in the fact that many superhero movies have been every bit as critically acclaimed as the type of films which frequently clean up come awards season, and it's pretty mind-blowing that one has never, well, won.

Anyway, this got me thinking; looking back over the dozens of superhero movies which have graced the big screen over the years, which of them were most deserving of the Best Picture Oscar? It won't surprise you that the likes of Fantastic Four and Suicide Squad aren't included here, though you may still be surprised by some of those I think really did deserve to pick up one of those gold statues...

8. Spider-Man 2

Twelve years after it was first released, Spider-Man 2 remains one of the greatest superhero movies of all-time. Spider-Man was very good, but by the time the sequel rolled around, Sam Raimi had found a winning formula which sadly wasn't recreated in the third instalment. Featuring groundbreaking visual effects, some powerful performances from its leads, and a screenplay as complex and funny as the best Marvel Studios movies, Spider-Man 2 did not disappoint.

The work delivered by Tobey Maguire and Alfred Molina should have guaranteed an Oscar nomination, while the fact that Raimi juggled so many different storylines and actually made them all work alongside each other proved that this was filmmaking at its finest. Had it managed to land an Oscar nomination, that scene between Peter Parker and his aunt when he reveals he was responsible for Uncle Ben's death would have no doubt been used!

I know that many of you won't appreciate seeing this movie here, and while I won't deny that some strange storytelling decisions held The Dark Knight Rises back somewhat (just how did Bruce Wayne get back to Gotham City?), it definitely deserves its fair share of praise. Hans Zimmer's score was of course amazing, but Christopher Nolan's decision to have the battle between Batman and Bane feature no music whatsoever was a genius move, and the fact that all we heard was the sound of the fists hitting flesh and grunts of pain made this a fight scene unlike any other in a superhero movie.

Nolan made us fear for the hero's safety and had all of our jaws on the floor when Bane "Broke the Bat," and that makes this a very special movie indeed. However, by far the most powerful moment came when Batman revealed his secret identity to Jim Gordon. Watching that still gives me chills, and the fact that Nolan actually found a way to give the hero's story a fitting end deserved to be recognised.

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6. Watchmen

Zack Snyder's work in the DC Films Universe may be pretty divisive, but the filmmaker could pretty much do no wrong back when 300 and Watchmen were released. While the latter failed to find a huge audience upon its release, the work put into this adaptation by Snyder was incredible, and fans were left with a very special movie. Slavishly adapting the beloved Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons graphic novel, Watchmen was more akin to an experience than your regular comic book movie, and the visuals were truly breathtaking.

Ultimately, it was probably the violence and oddness of the tale which probably held this one back, but those are also the things which made sure it stood out from the crowd and deserved to receive some sort of recognition. No one had ever made a comic book movie which directly adapted the source material and it hasn't been tried since, and that makes Watchmen a true one of a kind.

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5. Superman

Superman may not look like much by today's standards, but at the time, it was truly groundbreaking. The movie promised that it would make audiences believe a man could fly, and that it did. Christopher Reeve delivered in a big way here for a relative unknown, while impressive performances from the legends like Marlon Brando and Terrence Stamp ensured that the Man of Steel's first real big screen adventure made a mark.

While the movie received nominations for Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Sound Mixing (it even received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects), Superman was not given a Best Picture nod, and that's a damn shame. Perhaps people at the time didn't realise just how special this movie was, but that's something which has since become clear when you think about the impact this has had on both the Superman mythos and pop culture as a whole.

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4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I considered putting Captain America: Civil War here, but as great as that movie was (and it's by far the best superhero movie to be released in 2016), I think The Winter Soldier beats it when it comes to Oscar worthiness. Joe and Anthony Russo didn't just exceed expectations here, they blew them away, and we were left with a superhero movie which not only delivered in terms of action and spectacle, but also emotionally too.

The First Avenger brushed over Steve and Bucky's friendship fairly quickly, but this movie managed to make things right with just a flashback. As The Winter Soldier mercilessly beats Captain America, the moment a bloodied Steve tells his old friend that he's with him "Till the end of the line," really is something else and should have even the coldest hearted fan tearing up a little. Arguably Marvel's finest solo outing to date, it's hard to imagine what could beat this in Phase 3 and what upcoming release will ever be as deserving of an Oscar.

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3. X2: X-Men United

I thought long and hard about which of the X-Men movies - if any - most deserved to be included here (though it's fair to say that The Last Stand was never seriously considered), but it ultimately has to be the Bryan Singer helmed sequel X2. While it's true that it perhaps put a little too much of the spotlight on Wolverine, that takes away nothing from how great a movie this was, and there are a long list of powerful moments which made it worthy of getting an Oscar nod.

From the way Logan's complex relationship with William Stryker (a superb Brian Cox) was handled to the team's visit to the President and amazing action sequences like Nightcrawler's attack on the White House and Wolverine vs. Lady Deathstrike, this was a movie which delivered a lot of very special moments. Singer followed this up with the admittedly amazing Days of Future Past and the not so well-received Apocalypse, but for him and this franchise, this may be as good as it ever gets.

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2. The Avengers

Joss Whedon's decision to shoot The Avengers in an aspect ration more suitable to a TV show probably didn't help this movie's chances come awards season, but let's face it, the Academy look down on the genre, so it was likely never considered anyway! It really should have been though, because this was a real game changer. Finding the right balance of action, humour, and drama that the Marvel Studios releases have since become known for, The Avengers effortlessly made history by bringing together heroes from different movies, putting them together, and making it work.

The special effects were also incredible, and while the way the Chitauri invasion was handled wasn't exactly perfect, Whedon's script was smart enough that it deserved to be recognised in some way. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and while Infinity War sounds incredible, this was probably Marvel's best shot at getting some serious awards attention for Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

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1. The Dark Knight

It had to be this one, didn't it? Heath Ledger may have won a well-deserved posthumous Oscar for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, but the fact that the movie was snubbed caused an uproar and led to the rules being changed so that more movies would be given the opportunity to receive a nomination (sadly, that's made little to no difference over the past eight years). While it may not be the most comic book faithful adaptation on this list, The Dark Knight is still a damn masterpiece, and one of the best blockbusters to ever hit the big screen.

Christopher Nolan pretty much revolutionised the industry with his use of IMAX cameras for some of the best sequences ever put on film - that bank robbery was a thing of beauty - while it wasn't just Ledger who delivered an incredible performance here. The fact that this movie didn't score one of those coveted gold statues is probably one of the biggest mistakes ever made by the Academy, and if something like this can't win the big one, what will?

Do you agree that these comic book movies were Oscar worthy? Have we missed any others deserving of a mention here? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the usual place.

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328 Comments

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

GinjaNinja - 11/30/2016, 8:38 AM

ogrodafloresta - 11/30/2016, 12:03 PM

@GinjaNinja - @GinjaNinja - The guy just want attention! Watchmen, Avengers and TDKR? Please...

Fogs - 11/30/2016, 12:14 PM

@ogrodafloresta - MY EYES!

Spodermug - 11/30/2016, 8:38 AM

10 Reasons Why Josh Wilding Needs To Stop Writing For This Site.

Evansly - 11/30/2016, 8:56 AM

@Spodermug -

CaptDeadpool - 11/30/2016, 9:20 AM

@Spodermug - I never really minded the "next" articles but this one.... Cmon Josh. None of these were better than the movies that actually won their year. Some on your list aren't even worthy of a nomination let alone a win.
What about Road to Petition, V For Vendetta, History of Violence, Scott Pilgrim? OK joking on the last one

marccampos - 11/30/2016, 8:39 AM

no..

teefurtree - 11/30/2016, 8:41 AM

I think few of these are actually "Best Picture" quality...they are good movies, very good movies even, but in my opinion the list is a little inflated.

JonAwesome - 11/30/2016, 10:44 AM

@teefurtree - I think if you were going to nominate an X-Men movie it would have to be Days of Future Past. I mean I loved X2 but I just don't find it Oscar worthy.

Cooler - 11/30/2016, 8:42 AM

The Dark Knight may be the only one who deserved to be at least nominated imo.

Clundgren - 11/30/2016, 9:07 AM

@Cooler - Pretty much. And it shouldn't have won. The rest are fun, well-made popcorn films (mostly, the Watchmen kind of sucks). Let's not try to make them something they aren't.

Plus, the list didn't include the best superhero film of all time, The Incredibles.

slickrickdesigns - 11/30/2016, 8:42 AM

switch out TDKR for Ironman 1.

Sickness1 - 11/30/2016, 8:43 AM

Suicide squad iron man 3 the original captain America,Steele,

musim - 11/30/2016, 8:45 AM

Dark Knight, Cap: TWS, sure. The rest no. History of Violence deserves to be on that list too.

CaptDeadpool - 11/30/2016, 9:14 AM

@musim - how about Road to Perdition

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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8 Comic Book Adaptations Which Were Good Enough To Deserve The "Best Picture" Oscar

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7. The Dark Knight Rises

6. Watchmen

5. Superman

4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

3. X2: X-Men United

2. The Avengers

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