Angela Bassett has made history after becoming the first actor to receive an Oscar nomination for a Marvel film, having been honoured for her turn as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Bassett, 64, has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress ahead of the 95th Academy Awards next month, when she will be going up against the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Hong Chau (The Whale) and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once).
The star recently won a Golden Globe for her role in Black Panther, in turn becoming the first MCU star to win such an award.
Now she has also received another historic nod after becoming the first actor to receive an Oscar nomination for the Marvel film.
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Speaking to CNN after the exciting news broke, Bassett said: “This morning is a little extra special in the Bassett Vance household with news of my Oscar nomination.
“What has drawn me to each of the women I’ve portrayed throughout my career is their strength, compassion, resilience, and power. Wakanda Forever’s Queen Ramonda is a character that touched my spirit because she is a mother and a leader who must care for her grieving nation as much as she cares for her family in mourning.
“Ramonda is a love letter that reflects and acknowledges what we women do everyday.”
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While the successes aren’t a first for Bassett – who received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It?, and also won a Golden Globe for the role that year – they are momentous for the Marvel franchise.
They are also particularly poignant in the wake of the death of Bassett’s Black Panther co-star Chadwick Boseman.
Accepting her Golden Globe earlier this month, Bassett thanked everyone involved in making Wakanda Forever, saying the project was an emotional rollercoaster.
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“We embarked on this journey together with love," she said.
"We mourned, we loved, we healed.
"We were surrounded each and every day by the light and the spirit of Chadwick Boseman.
"We have joy in knowing that with this historic Black Panther series, it is a part of his legacy that he helped to lead us.
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"We showed the world what Black unity, leadership and love looks like, behind and in front of the camera.
"To the Marvel fans, thank you for embracing these characters and showing us so much love.”
Topics: Oscars, Celebrity, Film and TV, Black Panther
Jess Hardiman