This MCU Star Had The Perfect Reaction To Earning An Oscar Nomination

This familiar face from the Marvel Cinematic Universe just got his second Oscar nomination — and had a pitch-perfect reaction to the news.

The 2021 Academy Award nominations were announced on March 15, 2021, and plenty of the nominations made history for the organization, thanks to a seriously diverse and inclusive slate of nominees and broken records like two women cracking the Directing category. Amongst the nominees, Shaka King's film Judas and the Black Messiah — which tells the story of the Black Panthers — scored several nods, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and supporting acting nominations for stars Daniel Kaluuya and LaKeith Stanfield, who play Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and undercover FBI informant William O'Neal, respectively.

This marks the second Oscar nomination for Kaluuya, who earned his first thanks to Jordan Peele's 2017 social thriller Get Out — and since then, he joined the MCU in 2018 in Ryan Coogler's Black Panther alongside fellow 2021 Oscar nominee Chadwick Boseman. Next to Boseman's Prince T'Challa, who becomes king at the beginning of the film, Kaluuya plays Wakandan warrior W'Kabi, a longtime friend and confidante to T'Challa. (Tragically, Boseman, who earned a posthumous nod for Best Actor, passed away in August of 2020.) Here's Daniel Kaluuya's pitch-perfect reaction to earning an Oscar nomination for playing Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.

Playing a real historical figure is a daunting task for any actor, and Kaluuya had a huge challenge ahead of him in playing Hampton, a complex and legendary figure. In his reaction to his Oscar nod, Kaluuya lavished praise on Hampton and his surviving family members, expressing his gratitude that he got the chance to bring the fallen activist to life once again.

"Chairman Fred Hampton was a light, a beacon of a being who would illuminate all he touched with his incredible message," Kaluuya said, according to a piece in Variety. "With the ability to command any stage and robbed of his opportunity to captivate a global audience. He created strategies that supported and uplifted the Black community but also unified other communities with his laugh, his mind, his passion and his love."

"Today, I am humbled to be nominated for portraying a man whose principles I deeply respect and for guiding me to walk in his footsteps," the acclaimed actor continued. "With the blessing of Chairman Fred Hampton's family, and the unwavering support from Ryan Coogler, Shaka King and Charles King, and the cast led by LaKeith Stanfield and Dominique Fishback, I became a vessel for Chairman Fred's spirit at a time when we need his rally cry for equality and justice more than ever. I commend my fellow nominees for their impressive work. To be seen and celebrated by my peers in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is beautifully humbling and I am deeply grateful. Thank you." 

Judas and the Black Messiah is available to stream on HBO Max now.