Jan 22, 2019

Black Panther did what The Dark Knight could not when it became the first superhero movie the Oscars nominated for Best Picture.

You’ve become part of a bigger universe; you just don’t know it yet. Indeed, Black Panther did what Wonder Woman could not, nor Logan or The Dark Knight before it. It became the first superhero movie nominated for a Best Picture Oscar by the Academy Awards. These are marvelous times, indeed.

Black Panther reaching this zenith—for it is definitely in the “it’s just an honor to be nominated” camp—has been one of the most amusing narratives of awards season. Earlier last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences even attempted to create a side category titled “Best Popular Film” strictly to honor movies like Black Panther. Of course we, as well as most people who would ever watch the Oscars,...