Nicolas Cage has taken aim at the current direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying its recent films have shifted too far towards action and away from storytelling. He compared the franchise to a “well-funded and glorified WWE”.
According to Deadline, the Oscar-winning actor made the remarks during a Q&A at Fan Expo Dallas. Cage said he misses the earlier MCU films, which he felt gave greater importance to character stories and backstories.
“It started out, in my view, terrific. Some of the early stories were marvelous,” Cage told the audience. He praised the way those films “wove all the threads together” while exploring different characters and their backstories.
Cage did not name the earlier films he considered “marvelous”. However, he said he has noticed a change in recent years.
“Lately — I do say this with love — 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,” he said.
Cage has never appeared in an MCU film. He recently starred as Ben Reilly in Prime Video’s Spider-Noir, which was cancelled after one season. The live-action superhero detective series followed his character, also known as The Spider, as a down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York during the Great Depression.
Cage said one of the things he liked about Spider-Noir was its focus on mystery rather than constant action.
“One of the things I liked about Spider-Noir was it wasn’t cut into the fight. It was a detective story. There was a mystery there,” he told the audience. “And I would like to see it [MCU] get back to telling the stories and not just cutting to the wrestling match.”
Although Cage has never been part of the MCU, he has played Marvel characters before. He portrayed Johnny Blaze, also known as Ghost Rider, in Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012). Sony Pictures produced both films.
