Move Over, Captain America 4 — The Other MCU Contender Eyeing Major Oscar Glory
Marvel isn’t pinning its Oscar hopes on Captain America 4 alone—Thunderbolts* is charging into the Best Picture race after its May release, with director Jack Schreier now steering Marvel’s X-Men and Florence Pugh leading the antihero squad as Yelena.
Marvel is not exactly shy about awards season. Fresh off its May theatrical run, Thunderbolts* is making a full-court press for the Oscars — yes, including Best Picture — right alongside Captain America: Brave New World. Bold? Definitely. Surprising? A little.
Quick refresher: what Thunderbolts* is and who is in it
The film is directed by Jack Schreier (he is now the guy steering Marvel's X-Men movie) and brings together an anti-hero lineup: Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell as John Walker/U.S. Agent, Olga Kurylenko as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster, Lewis Pullman as Robert 'Bob' Reynolds/Sentry, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Hannah John-Kamen as Ava Starr/Ghost, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.
What Marvel is pushing for with Thunderbolts*
Disney's FYC (For Your Consideration) page spells out the campaign. The big swing is Best Picture — and if that lands, the statuette goes to producer Kevin Feige. Small industry wrinkle worth noting: the Academy is introducing a casting Oscar at this ceremony, so that category is actually in play this year.
- Best Picture (Kevin Feige)
- Best Director (Jack Schreier)
- Best Actress (Florence Pugh)
- Best Supporting Actor (Sebastian Stan; Lewis Pullman)
- Best Supporting Actress (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
- Best Casting (Sarah Halley Finn)
- Best Adapted Screenplay (Eric Pearson; Joanna Calo)
- Best Cinematography (Andrew Droz Palermo)
- Best Costume Design (Sanja Hays)
- Best Film Editing (Angela Catanzaro; Harry Yoon)
- Best Makeup & Hairstyling (Kimberly Jones; Lane Friedman)
- Best Original Score (Son Lux)
- Best Production Design (Grace Yun; Gene Serdena)
- Best Sound (Samson Neslund; Daniel Laurie; Onnalee Blank; Michael Semanick; Chris Giles)
- Best Visual Effects (Jake Morrison; Chad Wiebe; Mat Krentz; Nikos Kalaitzidis)
And Captain America 4 is in the mix too
Marvel is also pushing Captain America: Brave New World for a wide slate: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Film Editing, Makeup & Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Sound, and Visual Effects. No category-by-category names listed there, but the intent is clear: they want both movies in the awards conversation.
Key dates and where to watch
Oscar nominations land Thursday, January 22, 2026. The ceremony is set for March 15, 2026. In the meantime, Thunderbolts* is already streaming on Disney+ if you want to see what all the campaigning is about.
Credit where it is due: this awards push first popped up via Brandon Schreur at SuperHeroHype.