We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Avengers: Endgame

Before Captain America: The Winter Soldier, only films featuring Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) ever picked up Oscar nominations. Since then, only one such film has: Avengers: Infinity War. What this says about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that while the films have all been technically proficient, appreciation among Oscar voters has always been mercurial.

Entering this year’s Oscar race, the franchise has pulled off only three Oscar wins, all of them for Black Panther (Original Score, Production Design & Costume Design; the film is, incidentally, the only one in the franchise to score a Best Picture nomination). Some had thought that the snap of Infinity War would ultimately result in an Oscar win for the series, but it ultimately lost to First Man, an outcome that was far from certain.

Yet, this is the end of the line for an unprecedented eleven-year adventure. Does that mean that the series might finally get some love? Avengers: Endgame is filled with visual effects along with sound design, and music that are all exemplary. If the film manages more than a single nomination for Visual Effects (such as Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Original Score), it could well go home with the VFX prize. It’s far from certain. What might guarantee its victory is a Best Picture nomination. That said, it would be an incredibly large shock to see it earn that important a citation, especially considering the Academy’s reticence to recognize superhero films in general.