11 Unexpected Actors Who Might Win Oscars In 2019
3. Michael B. Jordan - Black Panther
The Role: Erik Stevens aka Erik Killmonger, the cousin of Wakanda's King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), who seeks to overthrow him and invert the world's racial dynamic by any means necessary.
Why He Might Win: Michael B. Jordan gave by far the most compelling performance in Marvel Studios' most recent tentpole, which combined with the film's enormous critical and commercial success has passionate cheerleaders already campaigning for Jordan to get a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
The numbers are certainly hard to ignore, but what really helps Jordan's case is the villain's unexpected emotional complexity, with director Ryan Coogler allowing the actor to shine in numerous dramatic scenes, far removed from the typical superhero bombast. If he is nominated and even wins the Oscar, it'll be because of that ferocious "death was better than bondage" line.
Why It's Unexpected: Again, comic book and general tentpole prejudice is a major obstacle here, because as talented as Jordan is, to many Oscar voters he's merely the best part of another silly whizz-bang Marvel movie.