Like any great superhero story, the origin of Nicolas Cage includes the man born Nicolas Coppola taking on a new identity. Okay, sure, he wasn’t getting superpowers in the process, but given the major successes that would follow – including winning an Academy Award and starring in many a hit movie – he might as well have. Of course, it seems a bit weird to call the former Mr. Coppola mild mannered, given he had such a recognizable name thanks to his uncle, acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and since we know him to be such a wonderfully unusual onscreen presence.
But wanting to discard some of the baggage and nepotism claims that can accompany such a lineage, young Nicolas decided he needed a new last name, and so he turned to his lifelong love of comic books for inspiration. As a fan of Marvel’s Hero for Hire, Luke Cage (AKA Power Man at the time), his choice of last name quickly became clear, and the newly christened Nicolas Cage was about to take Hollywood by storm…though to be fair, it was both Luke Cage and composer John Cage he credits for inspiring his choice of name.
In the years since, the ever-eclectic Cage has played all sorts of different roles across all sorts of genres. But his genuine love for comic books has also continually drawn him to comic adaptations, even if the results have varied in terms of box office and critical results…or indeed, if they even got made at all. With his new streaming series, Spider-Noir, once more bringing Cage back into the comics realm, here’s a look back at Nicolas Cage’s comic book adaptations so far.
Superman Lives (1999… if it had been made)
After winning an Academy Award for his performance in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, Cage took a pivot few could see coming for such a quirky, passionate actor, especially one who had continued to mix in plenty of small, character-driven films even after achieving stardom. But now, suddenly, he became a bonafide action star; in short order, he’d star in The Rock, Face/Off, and Con Air, all of which were hits. In the process, he transformed both the public’s perception of him as well as how the studios saw him in terms of box office potential. Oh, he was still entertainingly “weird,” but now it was understood that his weirdness could anchor a genuine blockbuster.
But there was still a lot of skepticism when it was announced that Cage would be playing Superman. Using a script initially written by fellow comic book aficionado Kevin Smith (coming off his own ascendance in the mid-’90s) before others worked on later drafts, Superman Lives was intended as the first big cinematic reboot of the character since Christopher Reeves’ iconic incarnation. Warner Bros. had also hired Tim Burton, the man who had so successfully reinvented Batman in live action for modern audiences, to direct the movie.
Burton and Cage sounds like a natural pairing, sure…but on a Superman movie? This was a character known for projecting a certain square-jawed, cornfed, midwest decency that seemed way outside Burton and Cage’s usual offbeat wheelhouse, not to mention Cage not looking like the usual Superman actor. For that reason, despite Cage himself adoring the character and making it clear he was quite invested in playing him, there wasn’t that much fan sadness when Superman Lives got the plug pulled only weeks away from beginning production.
In the years that followed, a lot more curiosity built up around the project, as well as the growing belief that this would have been a very different but perhaps very interesting take on the Man of Steel. In fact, there’s an entire well-made documentary about it – The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? – that goes in-depth on what the film could have been and includes some fascinating costume test footage of Cage.
But despite Cage’s personal investment in Superman, it wasn’t to be (at least in this form), and he would have to table his desire to play a superhero.
Ghost Rider (2007) / Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
Nearly a decade after Superman Lives fell apart, Cage would finally get to play a comic book character in Ghost Rider. In theory, Cage playing Johnny Blaze – the motorcycle stuntman who sells his soul and transforms into a flaming-skulled spirit of vengeance – sounds right up Cage’s alley in terms of how trippy it could get. But even as the MCU was getting ready to launch, Ghost Rider was one of the “other” Marvel movies frequently still being made, using characters already licensed to other studios (in this case Sony). Unfortunately, Daredevil (Ben Affleck edition) director Mark Steven Johnson went zero for two in terms of delivering a satisfying Marvel movie, with a rather ho-hum story that included just a few moments where Cage could really shine.
Still, Ghost Rider made money, and so Cage ended up reprising his role in 2012’s sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, which had a more inspired filmmaker choice in the form of Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor, the duo who’d made the oh-so-fun and stylized Crank films. The end result, however, was a movie that mostly got worse reviews than the first Ghost Rider and made less money (although it was not a bomb).
Nevertheless, there were fans of its go-for-broke approach, including IGN’s Scott Collura, who wrote in his review: “Cage pulls out all the stops as Blaze tries to contain the fire within, screaming, giggling and generally freaking out while his face partially CGI-morphs – a dead, blackened eye here, a wisp of char there. It’s ridiculous – and hilarious – and Cage knows it, Neveldine and Taylor know it, and even Johnny Blaze seems to know it.”
Astro Boy (2009)
In the prolonged five-year break between Ghost Rider movies, Cage had a couple other comic-based projects, including his voice role as the title character’s father, Dr. Tenma, in a 2009 animated movie version of the Astro Boy manga. So what drew Cage to the project besides his general love for comics as a medium? Was it the art? The action? The fun?
Nope, as he told the LA Times: “The sadness of the story is exactly what drew me to Astro Boy. I can’t help but feel for him especially when his father rejects him.”
Kick-Ass (2010)
He might have missed out on his Superman movie, but in 2010, Nicolas Cage got to play Batman! Well, okay, not really…but kinda sorta?
Based on the comic book of the same name, Kick-Ass was among the earlier examples of superhero deconstruction to reach movie screens, in the same way such stories had often become a part of the comics themselves. In a world filled with powerless costumed vigilantes, Cage’s “Big Daddy” is an ex-cop turned obsessive superhero who’s fashioned his own daughter (Chloe Grace Moretz’ Hit-Girl) into just the sort of murderous vigilante he is.
The Batman influence for Big Daddy is obvious, from his black, caped costume to the very fun beat of actually showing Big Daddy applying the black makeup around his eyes that the Batman movies had long done without ever acknowledging it (years later, Robert Pattinson’s Batman would be the first to actually show Bruce Wayne unmasked with just that sort of makeup).
Best of all, though, was Cage’s inspired performance. He’s very good as Big Daddy’s alter ego, Damon Macready, but next level when he’s in the superhero costume. As Big Daddy, Cage is very clearly doing his take on Adam West’s oh-so-memorable, stilted Batman delivery. The sardonically witty mixture of ultraviolent, Dark Knight-without-restrictions action and a persona modeled on the beloved and notably campy Batman TV series works extremely well in the midst of Kick-Ass’ heightened reality.
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (2018)
In 2018, Cage had roles in two different animated superhero movies – one based on DC Comics characters, the other based on Marvel. First up was Teen Titans GO! To the Movies, the feature-length version of the long-running series. This quite funny movie was jam-packed with jokes that ran the gamut from completely silly slapstick to some notably dark and edgy humor that (mostly) went over the heads of kids in the audience.
Among some of the many easter eggs and deep cuts in the film was a piece of casting aimed at a certain older in-the-know portion of the audience, which was that Nicolas Cage voiced none other than Superman! It’s a small role and, like almost every other character in this movie, it’s a purposely goofy version of the Man of Steel. There’s a bit of a poignant in-joke moment when he’s asked by Starfire if there has ever been a movie made about him, and Cage’s Superman answers: “So many, and more to come.”
Alas, not the one that would have starred Mr. Cage himself. Still, he was now officially Superman in one part of the multiverse…and it wouldn’t be the last time.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
A few months later, Cage could once more be heard in superheroic animated form in the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In a film featuring several versions of Spider-Man, Cage voiced Spider-Man Noir – a black-and-white 1930s-era incarnation of Spidey.
Cage’s vocal performance was hysterical, giving the character an old-timey Humphrey Bogart-influenced cadence as he spoke about his mutual love of drinking egg creams and fighting Nazis. And just like that, comic book superfan Nicolas Cage had done it; he had now played Superman and Spider-Man – two of the most iconic, recognizable superheroes in history! Okay, maybe not the exact versions people think of, but still.
Cage wasn’t in 2022’s sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but with Spider-Man Noir making a silent appearance at the end of that film, he’s set to return in the trilogy capper, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, in 2027. And of course, he’ll be not just heard but seen as a version of this character soon, which we’ll get to shortly.
The Flash (2023)
Cage’s next comic book role was a cameo meant to once more play off the most famous movie he never made. In The Flash, the big final confrontation involves the potential collapse of the multiverse, leading to glimpses of other realities. Amongst familiar versions of DC characters from TV shows and movies from the past comes a more unlikely one, given he never actually was seen on screen in the role – Nicolas Cage as Superman!
Unfortunately though, what could have been a fun payoff to a journey begun in 1998 hit multiple barriers, starting with The Flash bombing. But perhaps more notable was that the sequence Cage appeared in was specifically criticized for using digital recreations of dead actors like George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, and Adam West long after they could consent to such a thing, which remains a hotly debated topic. Plus, these recreations were criticized for looking notably digital and unrealistic, and Cage’s cameo was both silent and involved another often off-putting process in the form of de-aging (though Cage himself had done performance capture for it). Even Cage expressed unhappiness with the end result, in terms of what he’d hoped to convey with Superman in this brief appearance versus what we got.
On top of that, there’s the simple fact that the visual of Nicolas Cage in a Superman costume was something a certain kind of geeky fan could appreciate as an inside joke, but it was just as likely to be baffling to people unaware of Superman Lives. For many in the audience, the sequence featured a bunch of pre-established DC movie and TV heroes, and then this big star looking out of place alongside them. But look, it was a nice idea to let him finally be seen suited up as Superman, even if it didn’t work out so well.
Spider-Noir (2026-?)
Things are looking very promising for Nicolas Cage’s next comic book project though, which is both his first-ever TV series and also a return to a character he’s already played in another version.
Having already been so well received as Spider-Man Noir in Into the Spider-Verse, Cage now gets to bring the character to live action in the Prime series, Spider-Noir. Though the names Peter Parker and Spider-Man aren’t used – likely due to the ongoing wacky specifics and restrictions related to Sony and Marvel’s shared use of Spider-Man in the movies – Cage will portray 1930s private eye Ben Reilly and his alter ego, the Spider.
The trailers hint at an atmospheric, fun series, with the black-and-white version (it will simultaneously be available in color) looking particularly enticing and appropriate for a series that will also introduce film noir-inspired versions of Spider-Man characters like Black Cat, Sandman, and Electro. At the center of it all is Cage, heard in the trailer intoning how he “got plas-tered!” with just the sort of awesomely bizarre delivery we’ve come to expect from him.
What do you think of Cage’s time in the comics world? Let’s discuss in the comments, and vote in our poll too!
