Could Angela Bassett win Oscar for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’? Some Experts think so

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is, of course, different from the film we would’ve gotten if star Chadwick Boseman had lived. What we got was a action epic that was also a meditation on grief, as well as a deeper exploration of Wakanda’s female characters. That includes Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda, who navigates grief and responsibility after she assumes the throne upon the death of her son T’Challa (Boseman). But could Bassett go as far as to win an Oscar for her performance? That’s possible according to the Expert journalists we’ve surveyed from major media outlets.

According to the combined predictions of all Gold Derby users, Bassett ranks eighth in the race for Best Supporting Actress with 35/1 odds. But when you consider just the Experts she ranks a little higher: seventh place with 16/1 odds. As of this writing only six out of 22 of those journos is betting on her to be nominated, but three of those say she’ll win: Clayton Davis (Variety), Kevin Polowy (Yahoo), and Jazz Tangcay (Variety). And this is in a category so wide-open that no one has more than seven Experts predicting them to win. In fact, based solely on winner predictions, Bassett ranks third, behind only Jessie Buckley for “Women Talking” (seven Experts) and Kerry Condon for “The Banshees of Inisherin” (four Experts).

Winning an acting Oscar for a superhero movie isn’t impossible. Heck, two actors (Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix) won for playing the same “Batman” supervillain, Joker. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t been able to break into the acting categories at all yet, even when the original “Black Panther” (2018) was nominated for Best Picture. Michael B. Jordan might have come close for the first “Panther”; he was cited by multiple critics groups, including the Critics Choice Awards. That shows us it’s not out of reach for Bassett, who has the added pedigree of being a past Oscar nominee for “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (1993). But that was 29 years ago, so the queen is overdue for a coronation.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?