Nicolas Cage has criticized the recent direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying the blockbuster franchise has become too focused on large-scale fight scenes at the expense of storytelling.
The 62-year-old actor shared his views during a panel at Fan Expo Dallas, where he reflected on how he believes Marvel’s approach has changed from its earlier years. He said he once admired the franchise for the way its films connected different characters and developed their individual stories and backgrounds.
Cage said the early Marvel stories were particularly effective because they were able to weave multiple storylines together while still giving characters their own identities and histories.
However, he argued that more recent productions have increasingly emphasized action sequences. He said watching older actors and other accomplished performers put on superhero costumes and prepare for major battles now reminds him of professional wrestling.
Cage described the MCU as becoming a “well-funded and glorified WWE,” while stressing that his comments were made with affection for the franchise rather than as an outright dismissal of superhero movies.
His criticism centered on what he sees as an imbalance between spectacle and narrative. According to Cage, many superhero productions appear to build toward large fight sequences, with the action becoming the dominant element of the story.
The actor said he would like Marvel to place greater emphasis on character development, mystery and storytelling rather than repeatedly moving toward what he described as a wrestling-style confrontation.
Cage pointed to his recent work in the superhero series “Spider-Noir” as an example of the type of storytelling he finds more appealing. In the series, he portrayed Ben Reilly, also known as The Spider, a private investigator operating in a 1930s version of New York City.
Unlike a conventional superhero action series, Cage said “Spider-Noir” appealed to him because it was structured as a detective story with a mystery at its center. He said the show was not simply built around getting characters to the next fight scene.
“Spider-Noir” was canceled after one season, but Cage previously said he was not upset about the decision because he believed the story he wanted to tell had already been completed.
The series also marked Cage’s television debut in a lead role. For the performance, he drew inspiration from crime and film noir productions from the 1930s and 1940s, including the work of director Howard Hawks and the classic film “Double Indemnity.”
Cage has a long history with Marvel characters. He played Johnny Blaze, also known as Ghost Rider, in the 2007 film “Ghost Rider” and returned for the 2012 sequel “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.” He is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe through those films, but his later work in “Spider-Noir” gave him another connection to the wider Marvel universe.
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