62 Years Ago Today, a Fan Favorite Marvel Actor Was Born (He’s Played Two Heroes So Far, and Returns in 2026)

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The Spider-Verse films are a perfect two-for-two. Even if you don’t usually watch animated movies aimed at younger audiences, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are truly exceptional, thanks to their incredible animation and the creative involvement of Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The voice casting is also spot-on – Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, and the rest of the cast couldn’t have been better. It’s impressive how many talented actors contributed to these two films.

Nicolas Cage, known for his action roles, clearly enjoyed voicing Spider-Man Noir in Into the Spider-Verse. His performance was a deliberate nod to Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon and the quick dialogue of James Cagney in White Heat, showcasing his dedication to every part he plays. He’s returning to that role soon in Spider-Noir. Today is Cage’s 62nd birthday, and we’re taking a look back at his history with superhero roles, and why Spider-Noir promises to be his best yet.

The History of Nicolas Cage in Superhero Movies & Spider-Noir

Most people now know that Nicolas Cage was originally cast to play Superman in a Tim Burton film called Superman Lives. He would have been the first actor to take on the role after Christopher Reeve. Although the movie was never made, it progressed quite far in development, and photos of Cage in the Superman costume eventually appeared online years later.

Despite not getting the lead role in a full-length Superman movie as originally planned, the actor eventually got to portray the Man of Steel in a couple of unexpected ways. He first voiced Superman in the animated film Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, alongside Jimmy Kimmel as Batman. Later, he filmed a scene for the 2023 film The Flash, but the scene ended up being quite different from what he expected. Instead of the intended scene of Superman watching a universe collapse, he appeared in a battle against a giant spider – a nod to the ending of his unmade film, Superman Lives. The actor was disappointed that the filmmakers changed the scene he had filmed.

Surprisingly, Nicolas Cage’s first foray into superhero films wasn’t with DC, but with Marvel’s Ghost Rider. The movie is a bit unusual, aiming for a dark tone but ultimately sticking to a PG-13 rating. While it didn’t give Cage full range to showcase his over-the-top style, that actually suited the character – a stuntman who becomes a demonic bounty hunter. The sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, did let Cage really lean into the role, but unfortunately, it still wasn’t a hit with critics or audiences.

Despite his age, Nicolas Cage showed he could still convincingly play a superhero in Ghost Rider, but the movie needed a stronger story. He found that better script with Kick-Ass. You might wonder why we didn’t count his Kick-Ass character, Big Daddy, as one of his Marvel superhero roles. While the Kick-Ass comic originated with Marvel, it was primarily published by Image Comics.

While Nicolas Cage is fantastic in roles like Big Daddy and Kick-Ass, his portrayal of Spider-Man Noir is arguably his best superhero performance, and we’re about to see a lot more of it. The new live-action series Spider-Noir, coming to MGM+ and Prime Video, is especially exciting because Cage isn’t just part of a Spider-Man team this time – he’s the main character.

The movie was filmed from late 2024 to early 2025 using black-and-white cameras to create a classic film noir atmosphere. It will explore Spider-Man dealing with the challenges of being an aging superhero and finding purpose again as he confronts a powerful crime boss, played by Brendan Gleeson – who recently appeared in the comic book film Joker: Folie à Deux. Early indications suggest Spider-Noir will be a stronger film than the recent Joker sequel.

While there’s no exact date yet, Spider-Noir is scheduled to premiere sometime in 2026. The series will have eight episodes, each around 45 minutes long, and viewers can choose to watch it in either black-and-white or color.

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2026-01-07 18:18