Nicolas Cage Wants Us To Know That He Doesn’t Need The Marvel Cinematic Universe Because He’s “Nic Cage”

On Sunday night, Nicolas Cage was presented with the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award at Miami Film Festival. Like a cockroach who spends its money on stolen dinosaur skulls and a $200,000 octopus, Nic has managed to survive four decades of extreme highs and lows in Hollywood. Highs like winning an Oscar for Best Actor for Leaving Las Vegas, and lows like having so many box office flops that there are articles titled “Nicolas Cage’s 15 Worst Movies.” So when Nic accepted his award from Variety, he looked back on his lengthy career and felt like there was one thing he needed to make clear: Nic Cage does not need Marvel. “Are you sure about that?” said Nicolas Cage’s accountant.

Nicolas Cage and his newest wife, Riko Shibata, welcomed their first child together (and Nick’s third) last year, but even though he has a new mouth to feed, he’s not begging for a Marvel check. This is what Nic told the crowd on Sunday:

“I’ve gotta be nice about Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage. What am I going to do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father. He named me,” he said when asked about the state of superhero movies today. “I understand what the frustration is. I get it. But I think there’s plenty of room for everybody. I’m seeing movies like ‘Tár.’ I’m seeing all kinds of artistic and independently driven movies. I think there’s plenty of room for everybody.”

So, would he want to be in the MCU? His response is easy: “I don’t need to be in the MCU, I’m Nic Cage.”

I think what he meant to say was, “I’m a nepo baby.” Because no matter how many flops he puts out, being the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola is gonna keep him off the unemployment line.

Despite acting like he doesn’t need Marvel money, Nic made it clear that he’s down to take roles in superhero movies and even has some ideas for certain characters. One movie in particular that he hopes to get the call for is the potential sequel to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which he explained during a 2022 interview at SXSW, “The villain that Vincent Price played on the 1960s show, Egghead, I think I want to have a go at Egghead. I think I can make him absolutely terrifying. And I have a concept for Egghead. So let them know over at Warner Bros., I’m down for Egghead.”

You know, Nicolas Cage is all sorts of humble. Because while he says he doesn’t need the MCU, I’m sure the MCU needs him and has been burning up his phone, begging him to please star in another Ghost Rider movie!