The competition is tough, however, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is already on top! The film has been shortlisted for the Oscars in a total of 5 categories, and fans couldn’t be more thrilled. The Oscar ceremony will take place on March 12, 2023, while all the candidates will be announced on January 24, 2023.

According to ScreenRant, “It is the only Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 4 film from 2022 to appear on more than one of the ten shortlists, which also feature May’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in the Visual Effects Category. The five categories in which the Black Panther sequel is featured are Visual Effects, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound, and Original Song (for “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna).”

The aching absence of Chadwick Boseman, who played King T’Challa in the first Black Panther film and who died, aged 43, in 2020, is not something that can be filled in a sequel,” said Wendy Ide from The Guardian. “And wisely, returning director Ryan Coogler doesn’t try to do so. Coogler leans into the pain shared by Boseman’s colleagues and fans alike and crafts an unexpectedly sober picture that explores the grieving process. And while not everything works, the emotional core is raw, credible and affecting.”