Nicolas Cage is no stranger to the Marvel cinematic universe, having portrayed such Marvel characters as Ghost Rider and, more recently, the web-slinging PI in “Spider-Noir.”
Now, weeks after the latter show was canceled by Prime Video, the actor is offering a blunt opinion about the current state of the MCU.
Comparisons to WWE
During a recent appearance Fan Expo Dallas (via The Playlist), Cage was asked about the MCU.
His pointed response quickly began going viral on social media, sparking a debate among fans who either agree with his opinion or disagree vehemently.
“I do say this with love,” Cage said during an onstage Q&A held at the fan convention.
“When I see these 50-plus and otherwise intelligent and remarkably gifted thespians putting on these ridiculous outfits and getting ready for the fight — let’s face it, it’s all cutting to the fight — it’s hard for me not to be reminded that the MCU is becoming a well-funded and glorified WWE,'” Cage stated.
The Attraction to ‘Spider-Noir’
While that’s an interesting comment coming from someone who recently portrayed a superhero onscreen, Cage has previously explained that he never saw “Spider-Noir” as a superhero project.
Speaking with Variety ahead of the series premiere, Cage said it was the opportunity to portray a hard-boiled film noir PI that really appealed to him.
“I wanted to try to create an essence of some of my favorite old world actors because I wanted to embody that style — Bogart, Cagney, Edward G. Robinson — and designed my performance to fit within the black-and-white format,” Cage said, admitting he initially found the prospect of hunkering down for a TV series to be daunting.
“It was scary, and it was risky,” he added. “I was constantly worried that I was going to get fired, because I was doing this thing of channeling old actors and colliding it with Stan Lee’s masterpiece that is ‘Spider-Man’ to create this Roy Lichtenstein pop-art sensation of sorts. I didn’t know until I finally saw the eight episodes whether it was going to work.”
An Earlier Remark About the MCU
A few years back, Cage was onstage for a Q&A hosted by Variety, where he was asked to share his opinion on the state of superhero movies.
“There’s been a lot of discussion about that, hasn’t there?” Cage observed.
“See, I gotta be nice about Marvel movies — I mean, I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage,” he continued, referencing changing his moniker from his birth name of Nicolas Coppola (his uncle is famed “Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola) to taking the surname of a comic book character.
“What am I gonna do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father — he named me,” he added. “So yeah, I understand what the frustration is, I get it, but I think there’s plenty of room for everybody … I’m seeing all kinds of artistic and independently driven movies, I think there’s plenty of room for everybody.”
When his interviewer prompted that the MCU needed to add him to its roster, he replied, “Oh, me? Yeah, I guess I’m not in the MCU. I don’t need to be in the MCU — I’m Nic Cage!” he said, eliciting cheers and applause from the audience.
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Nicolas Cage Shares His Assessment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe After ‘Spider-Noir’ Cancellation