Netizens blasts the Oscars for using Chadwick Boseman as 'bait'

Netizens are accusing the Oscars 2021 of using Chadwick Boseman to gain viewership as it had reportedly tipped him to win Best Male Lead days ahead of Sunday's awards night.

Predictions were for the 43-year old to receive a posthumous Academy Award for his portrayal of Levee Green in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." The expectations were high given his various trophies in the lead-up to the ceremony.

Boseman won at the Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and the Golden Globes, where his wife Simone Ledward gave a moving acceptance speech on his behalf. However, fans were left dismayed when the Oscars award for Male Lead Actor went to Anthony Hopkins for his role in "The Father." Aside from Boseman, the 83-year old won against Riz Ahmed for "Sound of Metal," Gary Oldman in "Monk" and Steven Yeun in "Minari."

This is Hopkins' second Oscar win after he took home the statuette for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in the 1992 film "The Silence of the Lambs." In "The Father" he portrays a man with dementia opposite "The Crown" star Olivia Colman who plays his daughter.

Surprisingly, the veteran actor was not even around to accept his award. Instead, Joaquin Phoenix accepted on his behalf which made for an anti-climactic ending.

Hopkins may have deserved his Oscar win, but there were those who claimed that the Academy "robbed" Boseman. His victory caused an uproar among fans of the late actor.

"So embarrassing. Chadwick Boseman should've won. Shame on the Academy," one user tweeted and another wrote, "I genuinely respect *SIR* Anthony Hopkins, but Chadwick was robbed."

Meanwhile, others claimed the Oscars used Boseman as "bait" to attract viewership. The Academy reportedly intentionally announced Best Male Lead last so people will tune in until the end of the ceremony to hear Boseman announced as the winner.

"They announced Best Picture before the Best Actor awards leaving the Leading Male for last. I'm pretty sure they did that because they thought Boseman was gonna win. It'd be an honorary bookend to the ceremony. Anthony Hopkins winning and not being present def wasn't the plan," one fan tweeted.

Boseman died from his battle with stage 4 colon cancer on Aug. 28 last year. He was already in a lot of pain when he appeared in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" but no one else knew, except close friends and family, that he was sick until his death.