Angela Bassett has been nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Bassett is among the nominees, all of which were revealed earlier today, for Best Supporting Actress. A historic moment for both Bassett and the MCU as she becomes the first actress to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for a role in a Marvel movie.While Bassett has already made history by receiving a nomination for her role in the Black Panther sequel, she faces stiff competition should she want to make even more history by going on to win the Oscar. Also making the shortlist for Best Supporting Actress in 2023 are Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu for their roles in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Kerry Condon who starred in The Banshees of Inisherin, and Hong Chau for her part in The Whale.Wakanda Forever will be available to watch on Disney Plus from February 1, and if you skipped it in cinemas so you could stream it in the comfort of your own home, you might want to look away now to avoid spoilers. Bassett returned to the MCU to play Ramonda, King T'Challa's mother, in the sequel. The movie kicks off with an emotional funeral for her in-universe son due to the real-life passing of Chadwick Boseman in 2020.
Later in the movie, MCU fans were forced to say goodbye to Bassett's Ramonda as she is killed at the hands of Wakanda's latest threat, Namor. That begins a series of events that leads to Ramonda's daughter Shuri taking up the Black Panther mantle. Since the MCU is a multiverse now, there's every chance we see Bassett reprise the role of Ramonda in the future. If not, her winning an Oscar for the role she played would be a pretty special way to say goodbye to her character.
You can watch The Academy Awards live from 8 pm ET on Sunday, March 12, 2023, to see for yourselves if Bassett picks up the award for Best Supporting Actress.