Academy Award winner and Hollywood icon Nicolas Cage has the most Nic Cage-esque response when asked about possibly joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The question was posed by Variety, with Cage revealing how accurate to real life his recent outing The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent really was...
“I don’t need to be in the MCU, I’m Nic Cage.”
And he’s certainly not wrong. Cage has remained one of the most well-known A-listers for some time now, with the actor clearly feeling aloof about ever joining the billion-dollar franchise that is the MCU. As he states, he is Nic Cage. What more is there to say.
Cage though is a huge fan of comic books, with the actor having starred in several adaptations throughout his career. The actor starred in early Marvel movie Ghost Rider and its sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, as well as voicing the role of Spider-Man Noir in the 2018 Oscar winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Cage has also added his name to the world of DC, voicing Superman in the 2018 animated outing, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, following his much-publicized failed live action Superman appearance. Finally, Cage starred as the Batman-style vigilante Big Daddy in director Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass. Based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., Kick-Ass saw Cage suiting up as Damon Macready aka Big Daddy, drawing inspiration from Adam West’s portrayal of The Dark Knight for this satirical take on all things superhero.
Clearly carving out a comic book legacy for himself, it’s no wonder that Cage is indifferent to the idea of joining the MCU.
Nicolas Cage Will Next Play a Different Icon, Count Dracula, in Renfield
Nicolas Cage will next play an icon of the horror variety in Renfield, a modern monster tale of Dracula’s loyal servant. The tale follows Renfield, the tortured aide to history’s most narcissistic boss, Dracula, who is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Count. If only he could figure out how to end his co-dependency.
Directed by Chris McKay (The Tomorrow War, The LEGO Batman Movie) from a screenplay by Ryan Ridley (Ghosted, Rick & Morty), and based on an original idea by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, Renfield finds the lesser-known R. M. Renfield, who first appeared in Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula, suddenly finding a new lease on life in modern-day New Orleans after falling in love with a feisty but perennially aggressive traffic cop.
Led by Nicholas Hoult as Renfield and Nicolas Cage as Dracula, Renfield stars Awkwafina (The Farewell, Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings), Ben Schwartz (Sonic the Hedgehog, The Afterparty), and Adrian Martinez (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Focus), as well as Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog, The Expanse), Bess Rous (Ghostbusters), James Moses Black (Lansky), Caroline Williams (Ten Minutes to Midnight), and Brandon Scott Jones (Isn't It Romantic).
Renfield is scheduled to be land in theaters on April 14, 2023.