Actress Scarlett Johansson has two Academy Award nominations under her belt, but she still can’t understand why Avengers: Endgame, which she starred in as Black Widow, didn’t walk away with more than its one nomination for visual effects.
“How did this film not get nominated for an Oscar?” Johansson wondered about the 2019 Marvel Cinematic Universe smash hit in a recent interview with Vanity Fair. “It was an impossible movie that should not have worked, that really works as a film — and also, it’s one of the most successful films of all time.”
Avengers: Endgame is certainly considered one of the best of the MCU outputs in recent years, but the Academy has rarely afforded top honors — such as the acting and directing categories for example — to superhero (or even genre) fare. In fact, the only Marvel film to date to snag a nomination is 2018’s Black Panther. That said, Johansson’s turn as Natasha Romanoff was pretty award-worthy, from her first appearance in 2010’s Iron Man to her death in Endgame.
However, the actress also told Vanity Fair that she most likely would never return to that world. “It would be very hard for me to understand in what capacity [returning] would make sense for me, for the character that I play,” she explained.
“I miss my buddies and really would love to be with them forever, but what works about the character is that her story is complete. I don’t want to mess with that. For fans, too — it’s important for them.”
After Black Widow’s death in Endgame, Johansson returned for one more spin as Romanoff. She starred in the prequel film Black Widow in 2021, which she also executive produced.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
