Nicolas Cage Says the Marvel Cinematic Universe ‘Is Becoming a Well-Funded and Glorified WWE’ With 50-Plus Year Olds in ‘Ridiculous Outfits’

Nicolas Cage‘s critique of the Marvel Cinematic Universe during a recent conversation at Fan Expo Dallas (via The Playlist) is quickly gaining traction on social media, with many people either agreeing with the Oscar-winning actor or questioning him considering his own ties to superhero projects.

“I do say this with love,” Cage said at the convention. “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.”

Cage is not a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although he just played the title character in Sony’s Marvel series “Spider-Noir.” The show was canceled after one season, which consisted of eight episodes. Cage also played the Marvel superhero Ghost Rider in two movies, 2007’s “Ghost Rider” and 2012’s “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” and now the comic book character is officially joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe courtesy of Ryan Gosling. The MCU’s “Ghost Rider,” directed by Shawn Levy, is on the release calendar for July 28, 2028.

Cage’s “Spider-Noir” series was based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir and was adapted for television by Oren Uziel. The series took place during the Great Depression and starred Cage as Ben Reilly, “a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.”

Speaking to Variety before the show’s premiere, Cage said he was attracted to “Spider-Noir” not because of its superhero roots but because the show was being designed in black and white as a classic film noir (and thus with shades of German expressionism thrown in).

“I wanted to try to create an essence of some of my favorite old world actors because I wanted to embody that style — Bogart, Cagney, Edward G. Robinson — and designed my performance to fit within the black-and-white format,” Cage said, adding that taking on a television show made him nervous at first.

“It was scary, and it was risky,” he continued. “I was constantly worried that I was going to get fired, because I was doing this thing of channeling old actors and colliding it with Stan Lee’s masterpiece that is ‘Spider-Man’ to create this Roy Lichtenstein pop-art sensation of sorts. I didn’t know until I finally saw the eight episodes whether it was going to work.”