Will Poulter not having Oscar buzz despite absolute raves

Part of it might come down to his youth, but a large part of it will most certainly be the loathsome nature of his character. Fassbender was nominated for 12 Years a Slave, yes, but it was the biggest supporting role in the eventual Best Picture winner that year, and he had goodwill from missing out for Shame as well as being regarded as one of the most respected actors of his generation. DiCaprio was always going to be a harder sell, especially as Waltz had more screentime and played a much more likable character. Oscar has no problem recognizing villains, but recognizing racist ones has always been a rarity. That's why I expected Jennifer Jason Leigh to miss out in 2015. She didn't, but I wonder how close she came to missing.

With all that said (and obviously without having seen the film yet), I wouldn't rule Poulter out. He's a rising star, having been recognized by BAFTA a few years ago, and he did just have a sizable role in The Revenant. If he gets unanimous MVP mentions, I can see him being a fixture in the race.

Yes to all of this. Plus, while Detroit has raves, I don't see it having the kind of success that The Hurt Locker or even Zero Dark Thirty had. From many accounts that I've read so far, it comes off like torture porn, and I'm not sure that summer audiences want to see something like that. Also, Annapurna hasn't done that best job at promoting it, so I don't think it's going to do that well at the box office which may hurt it's chances for Best Picture especially since early contenders like Get Out, Dunkirk, and even Big Sick are doing very well at the box office. 

So if it does struggle in Best Picture, and even in Best Director since Bigelow missed for a stronger film, I think Poulter is likely going to be snubbed because of his age, and the fact that he's not really on their radar right now. This should only help him in the future if he keeps working with directors like Bigelow and AGI just like how Andrew Garfield finally made it in for Hacksaw Ridge but missed for The Social Network, and Garfield had a lot more going for him than Poulter does now since The Social Network was Best Picture runner-up and Detroit might struggle to even be nominated for Best Picture. 

Why do you assume the nature of his role is working against him? Fassbender and DiCaprio were both far bigger names than Poulter is. That probably helped their case. Him being a relative nobody is probably the biggest obstacle he has to overcome.

Many problems here:

(1) It's only EARLY August. We have yet to see any single critic circle or golden globe nomination being handed out.
(2) He's getting rave reviews for his performance. If the film gets picture, director, and screenplay consideration, I would suspect he's going to get it too, along with Smith and Boyea.
(3) The nature of his role is not a handicap at all. It's actually a strength. It shows he's matured and takes on an unpleasant character.
(4) Who is making early bird Oscar predictions? Seriously. It's way too early.

In regards to actors who play characters of this nature being at a disadvantage when it comes to awards recognition, I'd also like to bring up the fact that Tom Hardy was nominated for The Revenant (sneaking in at the eleventh hour after scoring no precursors, mind you) for playing a vile racist of a villain. Granted, Hardy had the benefit of well-established credibility and the fact that his film had just received a wide release and was picking up its popularity right before the nominations, but still, I think it belongs in the ballpark of Fassbender/Leigh in terms of recent performances of this type still receiving Academy recognition. 

As for Poulter, I absolutely want to see him recognized for the role. He's easily my Supporting Actor win of this year so far, and it'll take some truly astonishing work to top him in my personal line-up. As for whether or not he will be nominated, I certainly think he should be in consideration, but it doesn't play to his advantage that the film as a whole may not do well with the Academy; it has the disadvantage of not just an August release, but a release in the direct shadow of this year's first legitimate awards contender. It also hasn't received overwhelming critical acclaim. Of course, its subject matter, and a potentially weak year, could lead it to wider recognition come awards season, but I wouldn't count on it. Anyway, I really only see Poulter (or any of the actors, for that matter) getting in if the film receives attention across the board in numerous categories. I don't think Poulter has been singled out enough that he will be the only thing (or one of the only things) from the film that garners awards attention. He's not out of the game, but it'll be an uphill climb, especially if it proves to be a strong year for the category. 

Didn't say anything about his attractiveness

I was mostly referring to how miscast he was in Detroit, playing a hardass racist cop when he looks like a 15 year-old. He didn't make much sense for The Revenant either, and I seriously doubt he'll ever be nominated for those kinds of roles because he doesn't have the presence for them. Maybe if he plays a highschooler...

Nonsense. He's incredible in the film and was solid in The Revenant as well.

yeah, well I really can't take his baby face seriously