ENTERTAINMENTNicolas Cage Disses 'Ridiculous' Marvel Movies, Says They're 'Becoming a Well-Funded and Glorified WWE'
Nicolas Cage said Marvel movies have turned into a series of WWE-style fight scenes.
Oct. 2 2026, Published 3:21 p.m. ET
Nicolas Cage has been a Marvel acting mainstay longer than most, but he didn’t hesitate to share his feelings about the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe during a recent appearance at Fan Expo Dallas.
'Let's Face It, It's All Cutting to the Fight'
Nicolas Cage has played multiple Marvel heroes, including a hard-boiled detective version of Spider-Man in 'Spider-Noir.'
“It started out, in my view, terrific,” Cage said during a panel. “Some of the early stories were marvelous, the way that they wove all the threads together and told the different character stories and backstories. But lately, I do say this with love, when I see these 50-plus, otherwise intelligent, remarkably gifted thespians putting on these ridiculous outfits and getting ready for the fight — let's face it, it’s cutting all to the fight — it's hard for me not to be reminded that the MCU is becoming a well-funded and glorified WWE.”
Cage's Marvel Roles Include 'Ghost Rider' and 'Spider-Noir'
Nicolas Cage's first Marvel role was as cursed stuntman Johnny Blaze in 2007's 'Ghost Rider.'
Cage is a huge fan of the MCU.
In fact, the star — whose real last name is Coppola — chose his stage name based on Marvel’s Luke Cage, and he named his son Kal-El after Superman, a role he very nearly played. He’s been a Marvel mainstay longer than most, having played Johnny Blaze in 2007’s Ghost Rider and its 2011 sequel.
Most recently, the 62-year-old played Spider-Man variant Ben Reilly in the Amazon Prime series Spider-Noir, which was cancelled after its first 2026 season. He also played a version of Reilly in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
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'I Just Never Got Comfortable With Anything I Did'
Nicolas Cage said he loved the detective story and mystery angle of 'Spider-Noir.'
He said the show allowed him to stretch his acting muscles.
“It wasn’t just cutting to the fight,” he explained. “It was a detective story. There was a mystery there. And I would like to see it get back to telling the stories and not just cutting to the wrestling match.”
Cage added that his interest in expanding his horizons came from a meeting with a legend.
“I met David Bowie once and I said to David Bowie, 'I mean, how did you do it? How did you just keep reinventing yourself?’” Cage recalled. “He said, ‘I just never got comfortable with anything I did.' So that stuck with me.”
It's a Huge Year for Marvel Movies
Nicolas Cage's next major role is as NFL coach John Madden.
Cage will next star in Madden, a biopic about NFL coach John Madden.
Meanwhile, Marvel chief Kevin Feige has little to worry about, as the MCU remains a box office juggernaut. This summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day broke the record for domestic box office and currently is inching to an unprecedented $1 billion domestic total, and the re-release of Avengers: Endgame Encore topped the box office in its first weekend.
Meanwhile, the release of Avengers: Doomsday on December 18 is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year.
