For most of the MCU, this article might not make any sense. No offense, but of course Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder aren’t going to have massive Oscar appeal. However, thanks to Black Panther being Marvel’s first, and only Best Picture nominee and still the studio’s only Oscar winning film in any category, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, until proven otherwise, has to be taken seriously as an Oscar contender.

Now, of course, Wakanda Forever could release and just be a great addition to the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, and not much more. This film doesn’t have to be an awards player to be seen as good or to even match or surpass the original Black Panther film. However, if this film does manage to garner Oscar acclaim, here is where the film could wind up.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will have the people of Wakanda not only deal with Namor and the underwater city of Atlantis, but with the death of their King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman). Ryan Coogler comes back to write and direct the newest Marvel epic.

Here are where we see Wakanda Forever having the best shot come the 2023 Oscars

Costume Design

The first time around, Ruth E. Carter won this award, making her the first Black winner for costume design in Oscars history. This time around, it looks as though the reigns have been passed on to Mobolaji Dawodu who worked on Disney’s Queen of Katwe. Dawodu clearly has a lot to live up to following an Oscar winner, but his designs seem gorgeous, his biggest issue might come in trying to keep Carter’s style while still making it his own.

Production Design

While they might not have retained Ruth E. Carter for costumes, Marvel did manage to hold on to Hannah Beachler who was also an Oscar winner for Black Panther in Production Design. Building Wakanda is a massive feat and doing it a second time could be good news for her and the film.

Original Score

Similar to Beachler, Ludwig Göransson is scoring Wakanda Forever after winning the Oscar for Black Panther. We didn’t get to hear much of the score in the trailer, but what we could hear was big, beautiful, and bold.

Visual Effects

Funny enough, VFX was a nomination that Black Panther missed out on the first time around. Wakanda Forever looks to right that wrongs as this sequel will not only include the usual amount of Marvel action VFX but also go underwater bringing in Namor and the MCU’s version of Atlantis.

Original Song

This one is… interesting. The first time around, Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar not only co-wrote an Oscar-nominated song for the movie (“All the Stars”), he made an entire album for it. This trailer began with a cover of Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” by artist Tems, and was mashed up with Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright.” There has been no confirmation of Lamar being a part of Wakanda Forever, but his addition in the trailer could mean one of two things: he’s involved with the film or this was done as a form of respect for his work on the original. Either way, we have seen Coogler’s willingness to bring in original music, and Wakanda Forever could be no different in that category.

Of course, Wakanda Forever could exceed expectations, just like the original did, and pick up far more nominations. Or, as I said earlier, it could just be a fun Marvel action-superhero movie. Either way, I think we are in for an action-packed and emotional ride.