Nicolas Cage isn’t a fan of the direction comic book movies have gone, joking that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a “well-funded and glorified WWE” filled with “intelligent, incredibly talented spies.”
The star, a vocal comic book fan, was asked about the industry’s decades-long wave of superhero movies on stage at Fan Expo Dallas on Saturday.
“It started, in my opinion, great. Some of the early stories where Marvel – the way they wove all the threads and told different stories and character backstories,” said Cage. “But recently – I say this with love – when I see these 50-plus, highly intelligent, highly talented skydivers putting on these ridiculous outfits and getting ready for the fight…
The statement drew laughter from the crowd. Cage went on to credit the recent Marvel adaptation, Prime Video’s “Spider-Noir” series, as having different interests than the usual superhero fare.
“One of the things I like about ‘Spider-Noir,’ is that it didn’t cut the fight. It was a detective story. There was a mystery there,” Cage continued. “I’d like to see him get back to telling the stories and not just cut to the wrestling match.”
In addition to playing a noir-detective version of Spider-Man in “Spider-Noir,” Cage has also appeared in comic book adaptations such as two “Ghost Rider” movies, “Kick-Ass” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” In 2005, he named his son Kal-El, the same name as Superman in DC Comics.
Cage will next be seen as John Madden in Prime Video’s “Madden,” a David O. Russell-directed biopic of the NFL figure releasing in November.
