Entertainment

This Year's MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominees Will Make 'Black Panther' Fans Cheer

by Nina Bradley
Danai Gurira as Okoye in the Marvel's Black Panther
Marvel/Disney

After years of backlash surrounding awards shows and their lack of diversity, the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards nominations are aiming to be more inclusive than ever, particularly for women. The nominees — which were announced on Thursday, May 3 — celebrate two films (Wonder Woman and Girls Trip) headlined by female actors, while recognizing another movie (Black Panther) that featured a predominately African-American cast. Fans were extremely displeased whenWonder Woman and Girls Trip were both snubbed at the Golden Globes and Oscars earlier this year, receiving no nominations at either event. However, it seems that the MTV Movie & TV Awards may be helping change the narrative on how both women and people of color are represented and recognized. Plus, the categories are gender-neutral again this year.

As the biggest box-office hit of 2018, thus far, Marvel's Black Panther deservedly led the charge with a total of seven MTV nods overall. The film received recognition in the Best Movie category, while Chadwick Boseman was nominated in both the Best Performance and Best Hero categories for his role as the movie's titular character. Michael B. Jordan was also nominated in the Best Villain category for his portrayal of the film's antagonist, Erik Killmonger. As an ensemble, Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright received a nod in the Best On-Screen Team category.

Leading the pack in the TV division is Netflix's breakout original Stranger Things, which received a total of six nods overall. The sci-fi series was nominated for Best Show, while Millie Bobby Brown received recognition in the Best Performance category for the role of Eleven. Dacre Montgomery also scored a nomination for his role as Billy Hargrove in the Scene Stealer category.

Among other noteworthy moments for this year's show, Tiffany Haddish will become the first black woman to ever host the MTV Movie & TV Awards in its almost 26-year history. In addition to her hosting duties, Haddish is also up for consideration in the Best Comedic Performance and Scene Stealer categories.

In a recent promo for the upcoming June 18 ceremony, Haddish shared, “You don’t want another generic dude in a tux hosting a boring-ass awards show. You want the boss who paved her own way!” So it's safe to say that this year's show is going to be one to watch.

Check out the full list of nominees below:

Best Movie

  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Black Panther
  • Girls Trip
  • IT
  • Wonder Woman

Best Show

  • 13 Reasons Why
  • Game of Thrones
  • grown-ish
  • Riverdale
  • Stranger Things

Best Performance In A Movie

  • Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther
  • Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
  • Ansel Elgort – Baby Driver
  • Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  • Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird

Best Performance In A Show

  • Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
  • Darren Criss – The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
  • Katherine Langford – 13 Reasons Why
  • Issa Rae – Insecure
  • Maisie Williams – Game of Thrones

Best Hero

  • Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther) – Black Panther
  • Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen) – Game of Thrones
  • Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman) – Wonder Woman
  • Grant Gustin (Barry Allen/The Flash) – The Flash
  • Daisy Ridley (Rey) – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best Villain

  • Josh Brolin (Thanos) – Avengers: Infinity War
  • Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
  • Michael B. Jordan (N’Jadaka/Erik Killmonger) – Black Panther
  • Aubrey Plaza (Lenny Busker) – Legion
  • Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise) – IT

Best Kiss

  • Jane the Virgin – Gina Rodriguez (Jane) and Justin Baldoni (Rafael)
  • Love, Simon – Nick Robinson (Simon) and Keiynan Lonsdale (Bram)
  • Ready Player One – Olivia Cooke (Sam) and Tye Sheridan (Wade)
  • Riverdale – KJ Apa (Archie) and Camila Mendes (Veronica)
  • Stranger Things – Finn Wolfhard (Mike) and Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven)

Most Frightened Performance

  • Talitha Bateman (Janice) – Annabelle: Creation
  • Emily Blunt (Evelyn Abbott) – A Quiet Place
  • Sophia Lillis (Beverly Marsh) – IT
  • Cristin Milioti (Nanette Cole) – Black Mirror
  • Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) – Stranger Things

Best On-Screen Team

  • Black Panther – Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/ Black Panther), Lupita Nyong’o (Nakia), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Letitia Wright (Shuri)
  • IT – Finn Wolfhard (Richie), Sophia Lillis (Beverly), Jaeden Lieberher (Bill), Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie), Wyatt Oleff (Stanley), Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben), Chosen Jacobs (Mike)
  • Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – Dwayne Johnson (Smolder), Kevin Hart (Mouse), Jack Black (Shelly), Karen Gillan (Ruby), Nick Jonas (Seaplane)
  • Ready Player One – Tye Sheridan (Wade), Olivia Cooke (Samantha), Philip Zhao (Sho), Win Morisaki (Daito), Lena Waithe (Aech)
  • Stranger Things – Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), Noah Schnapp (Will), Sadie Sink (Max)

Best Comedic Performance

  • Jack Black – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
  • Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip
  • Dan Levy – Schitt’s Creek
  • Kate McKinnon – SNL
  • Amy Schumer – I Feel Pretty

Scene Stealer

  • Tiffany Haddish (Dina) – Girls Trip
  • Dacre Montgomery (Billy Hargrove) – Stranger Things
  • Madelaine Petsch (Cheryl Blossom) – Riverdale
  • Taika Waititi (Korg) – Thor: Ragnarok
  • Letitia Wright (Shuri) – Black Panther

Best Fight

  • Atomic Blonde – Charlize Theron (Lorraine) vs. Daniel Hargrave (Sniper), Greg Rementer (Spotter)
  • Avengers: Infinity War – Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Danai Gurira (Okoye), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) vs. Carrie Coon (Proxima Midnight)
  • Black Panther – Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) vs. Winston Duke (M’Baku)
  • Thor: Ragnarok – Mark Ruffalo (Hulk) vs. Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
  • Wonder Woman – Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) vs. German Soldiers

Best Music Documentary

  • Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story
  • Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated
  • Gaga: Five Foot Two
  • Jay-Z’s “Footnotes for 4:44”
  • The Defiant Ones

Best Reality Series/Franchise

  • Keeping Up with the Kardashians
  • Love & Hip Hop
  • The Real Housewives
  • RuPaul’s Drag Race
  • Vanderpump Rules

The competition will definitely be tough, so fans are going to have to stay tuned to find out who gets to take home the golden popcorn.