Nicolas Cage Joins ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’

Cage will play noir version of Spidey, joining an all-star cast.

“How many of us are there?” asked Miles Morales in the first trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Enough, it would seem, to fill out the supporting roles with an all-star voice cast. Already confirmed are Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Lily Tomlin and Liev Schreiber, to name just a few. And now, as reported by Collider, joining them is the one and only Nicolas Cage.

That’s right, the Ghost Rider himself is returning to the Marvel Universe this year. And the character he’ll be voicing is Spider-Man Noir. A noir-inspired, alternate universe take on the character, set in during the Great Depression. His story features a number of similar beats to regular Spidey, including being inspired by Uncle Ben’s death to fight crime. However, a series of complicated twists sets them apart, as Peter is betrayed by his mentor, Ben Urich, and takes a violent stance on crime.

This Spidey is a brutal vigilante with little regard for any “great power, great responsibility” motto. Instead, this Peter Parker lives by the words– “If there is too much power, then it is the responsibility of the people to take it away.” He also wears a black trenchcoat and nonchalantly guns down criminals. Edgy. Which makes it all the more perfect that Cage will be the one to bring this character to life.

Cage voicing any iteration of Spidey is worth celebrating, but a dark, brooding alternate version? Now that’s a stroke of casting genius. The idea of bringing levity, especially of the Nicolas Cage variety, to such a serious character is a hopeful indication of the movie’s tone. With the script from Phil Lord and a fun, vibrant animation style, the film certainly doesn’t look to be going for the grim, self-serious tone of Cage’s comic book counterpart.

And this is not the only off the wall choice Into the Spider-Verse has made. First, there was the decision not to portray Jake Johnson’s older Spider-Man as a wise veteran hero. Instead, the film’s second trailer introduced us to Peter Parker, the deadbeat mentor. A far cry from what many fans would have imagined seeing from an experienced Spidey. But this not only offers the potential for fun interactions between him and Miles but is also a perfect fit for Johnson, who’s practically made a career playing schlubby guys.

While we haven’t seen exactly how Spider-Man Noir will be portrayed in the movie, Nicolas Cage’s casting at least gives us an indication that the ultra-serious vigilante is likely to be given a goofy makeover. Although he’s is no stranger to playing the straight man, 2018 looks to be the year of the crazy Cage. With the recent trailer for Mandy and the announcement that he’ll finally get to be Superman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Cage looks to be having a fun year.

Also, this isn’t even the first time Cage has stepped into the role of a gun-toting vigilante. His performance as Big Daddy in Kick-Ass is perhaps the best indication of how he’ll fare as Spider-Man Noir. And if that’s anything to go by, we’ll be in for a blast when Earth-90214’s Spider-Man shows up.

With an already stacked cast and a pair of exhilarating trailers, Into the Spider-Verse was already shaping up to be the surprise hit of 2018. And now, with Nicolas Cage signing up, this should be very high on your most anticipated list.

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