Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World has landed on the Academy’s shortlist for the 98th Academy Awards, while Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four were left off entirely.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed its shortlists across multiple categories, with Brave New World advancing in Music (Original Score).
Captain America Advances in Original Score
Captain America: Brave New World is one of 20 films still in contention in the Original Score category, placing it ahead of several other recent Marvel releases.
Shortlisted films in the category include Avatar: Fire and Ash, Tron: Ares, Wicked: For Good, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, among others.
Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four Shut Out
Absent from all Oscar shortlists are Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four, neither of which advanced in music, technical, or visual categories.
The omissions highlight uneven awards traction for Marvel’s current slate as the studio continues to recalibrate following mixed critical and box office results.
Worth a mention is that James Gunn’s Superman made the list for Best Sound and VFX.
Of all four of the films, you’d actually think Fantastic Four would have made the shortlist for both Sound and VFX. Does anyone out there even remember what the Cap 4 music sounds like? Serious question.
What the Shortlist Means
To be clear, being shortlisted does not equal an Oscar nomination or a win. Captain America: Brave New World has not been nominated at this stage and has not won an Academy Award. The shortlist simply keeps the film in contention ahead of final voting.
Oscar nominations voting runs from January 12–16, 2026, with official nominations announced on January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will air live on March 15, 2026.
Full list below.
98th Oscars Shortlists
Animated Short Film
Autokar
Butterfly
Cardboard
Éiru
Forevergreen
The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Hurikán
I Died in Irpin
The Night Boots
Playing God
The Quinta’s Ghost
Retirement Plan
The Shyness of Trees
Snow Bear
The Three Sisters
Casting
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle after Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sirât
Weapons
Wicked: For Good
Cinematography
Ballad of a Small Player
Bugonia
Die My Love
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Nouvelle Vague
One Battle after Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Sirât
Song Sung Blue
Sound of Falling
Train Dreams
Wicked: For Good
Documentary Feature Film
The Alabama Solution
Apocalypse in the Tropics
Coexistence, My Ass!
Come See Me in the Good Light
Cover-Up
Cutting Through Rocks
Folktales
Holding Liat
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Mistress Dispeller
My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow
The Perfect Neighbor
Seeds
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Yanuni
Documentary Short Film
All the Empty Rooms
All the Walls Came Down
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
Bad Hostage
Cashing Out
Chasing Time
Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”
Classroom 4
The Devil Is Busy
Heartbeat
Last Days on Lake Trinity
On Healing Land, Birds Perch
Perfectly a Strangeness
Rovina’s Choice
We Were the Scenery
International Feature Film
Argentina: Belén
Brazil: The Secret Agent
France: It Was Just an Accident
Germany: Sound of Falling
India: Homebound
Iraq: The President’s Cake
Japan: Kokuho
Jordan: All That’s Left of You
Norway: Sentimental Value
Palestine: Palestine 36
South Korea: No Other Choice
Spain: Sirât
Switzerland: Late Shift
Taiwan: Left-Handed Girl
Tunisia: The Voice of Hind Rajab
Live Action Short Film
Ado
Amarela
Beyond Silence
The Boy with White Skin
Butcher’s Stain
Butterfly on a Wheel
Dad’s Not Home
Extremist
A Friend of Dorothy
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Pantyhose
The Pearl Comb
Rock, Paper, Scissors
The Singers
Two People Exchanging Saliva
Makeup and Hairstyling
The Alto Knights
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
One Battle after Another
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Wicked: For Good
Music (Original Score)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Bugonia
Captain America: Brave New World
Diane Warren: Relentless
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Hedda
A House of Dynamite
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
One Battle after Another
Sinners
Sirât
Train Dreams
Tron: Ares
Truth and Treason
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Wicked: For Good
Music (Original Song)
“As Alive As You Need Me To Be” – Tron: Ares
“Dear Me” – Diane Warren: Relentless
“Dream As One” – Avatar: Fire and Ash
“Drive” – F1
“Dying To Live” – Billy Idol Should Be Dead
“The Girl In The Bubble” – Wicked: For Good
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
“Highest 2 Lowest” – Highest 2 Lowest
“I Lied To You” – Sinners
“Last Time (I Seen The Sun)” – Sinners
“No Place Like Home” – Wicked: For Good
“Our Love” – The Ballad of Wallis Island
“Salt Then Sour Then Sweet” – Come See Me in the Good Light
“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” – Viva Verdi!
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams
Sound
Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Frankenstein
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
One Battle after Another
Sinners
Sirât
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Superman
Wicked: For Good
Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash
The Electric State
F1
Frankenstein
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners
Superman
Tron: Ares
Wicked: For Good
