Though Cage hasn’t actually starred in the MCU, he has played two Marvel Comics characters across his career.

*Spider-Noir *alum Nicolas Cage slams recent MCU films as ‘well-funded and glorified WWE’

Though Cage hasn’t actually starred in the MCU, he has played two Marvel Comics characters across his career.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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October 1, 2026 1:07 p.m. ET

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Nicolas Cage; Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Credit:

Jason Mendez/Getty; Everett

- Nicolas Cage isn’t a fan of the recent entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

- The *Spider-Noir *alum said that while the MCU “started out terrific,” it has become “a well-funded and glorified WWE.”

- Cage previously stated that he didn’t mind missing out on the blockbuster franchise: “I don’t need to be in the MCU, I’m Nic Cage!”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been upgraded from theme park to professional wrestling comparisons.

Like Martin Scorsese before him, Nicolas Cage has a few concerns about the direction that the blockbuster franchise is moving in. While answering questions before a crowd at Fan Expo Dallas, the Oscar winner described recent MCU films as “well-funded and glorified WWE,” sharing that he yearns for a time when they prioritized story over action.

“It started out, in my view, terrific. Some of the early stories were marvelous,” Cage said during the Q&A. “The way that they wove all the threads together and told the different character stories and backstories.”

Nicolas Cage in 2024.

Neilson Barnard/Getty

Without naming any specific titles, Cage acknowledged that things have changed with the MCU’s recent films.

“Lately — I do say this with love,” Cage continued. “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.”

While Cage himself has not participated in the MCU’s now 18-year run (which includes 38 feature films), he is no stranger to ridiculous outfits and superhero antics — and has even portrayed two Marvel characters separate from the Cinematic Universe. Cage starred as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, a Marvel Comics character, in 2007’s *Ghost Rider* and its sequel, 2012’s *Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance*. Sony Pictures produced the pair of films, though Ghost Rider is now set to enter the MCU, where he’ll be played by Ryan Gosling.

More recently, Cage portrayed the Marvel Comics character, Ben Reilly, in Prime Video’s *Spider-Noir*. The live-action superhero detective series saw Cage’s variant Spider-Man toiling as a private detective during the Great Depression. It was canceled after one season.

Nicolas Cage in ‘Spider-Noir’.

Courtesy of Prime Video

“One of the things I liked about *Spider-Noir* was it wasn’t cutting to the fight,” Cage told the fan convention audience, while lamenting about recent superhero films. “It was a detective story. There was a mystery there.”

He added, “I would like to see [the MCU] get back to telling the stories and not just cutting to the wrestling match.”

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Cage previously stated that he is none too concerned about his lack of a place in the MCU. In a viral 2023 clip, the actor was onstage at the Miami Film Festival, when a panel moderator told him, “We need to get you into the MCU.”

Cage replied, “Oh me? Yeah, I guess I’m not in the MCU, am I? I don’t need to be in the MCU. I’m Nic Cage!”

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’.

Cage is not the first member of Hollywood royalty to level criticism at the MCU, the most famous example being Scorsese’s 2019 remarks about why the superhero flicks are “not cinema.“

The Oscar-winning director explained, “The closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

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The comments sparked serious outrage amongst the MCU’s stars, creatives, and fans. In the years since, the superhero saga has progressed through Phases Four, Five and now Six, with films arriving to varying degrees of success. The next entry up on the docket is *Avengers: Doomsday*, which will see several members of the Fox X-Men franchise enter the fray alongside the Fantastic Four, two different sets of Avengers, and more.

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