Nicolas Cage Won't Return As Spider-Man Noir In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, And He's Not Sure Why

When 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" burst onto the scene and instantly established itself as a new fan-favorite spin on the classic superhero, many considered it to be the result of a perfect storm of timing, inspiration, and creativity. For one thing, remember just how uncertain and pieced-together the entire production of the film really was. Had it come out just a few years later, the multiverse novelty of it all might have worn thin already. And incredibly enough, it came at a time when the casting of Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir (of all characters!) could be properly appreciated for the stroke of genius that it was.

Now that Cage's stock has risen ever higher, thanks to projects like "Pig," "The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent," and most recently the inspired choice to have him embody Dracula himself in "Renfield," one would have assumed that his involvement in the "Spider-Verse" sequel, "Across the Spider-Verse," would be a given. Unfortunately, that doesn't appear to be the case... and not even Cage is 100% sure of the reasons why.

In an interview with Screen Rant (via Comic Book), the actor couldn't hide his disappointment at the prospect of being left out of the action this time around:

"You'd have to ask Sony. I don't know what's going on with that. No one's spoken to me about that. Ask them. I don't know. I really don't. I wish they would. I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that's a great character. Spider-Man's the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G. Robinson, come on, it's a great character."

The Nicolas Cagesaissance has hit a bit of a speed bump, unfortunately.

After stealing every scene as the hilariously dark and tortured version of Spidey in "Into the Spider-Verse," Nicolas Cage's Spider-Man Noir had to be among the top of the list of returning characters who fans simply needed to appear in the sequel... right? Well, reality continues to be full of disappointment and heartbreak as it appears as if "Across the Spider-Verse" simply doesn't have the room for the black-and-white antics of the Spidey detective. He's not the only well-received character noticeably missing from the marketing of the follow-up, however, as many of the stand-outs from the original film – Spider-Ham, Peni Parker, and all the rest — haven't so much as been glimpsed in any of the footage thus far.

But honestly, as much as everyone would've loved to see more of Cage's delightfully throwback voice performance, there's something refreshing about the idea of the creative team avoiding the urge to shoehorn characters into a sequel just because fans expect it. Ideally, the demands of the story would always come first over marketing, popularity, and other relatively petty concerns. And, to be fair, it's not like "Across the Spider-Verse" will be lacking in opportunities for fan-service, either. And who knows, maybe Cage is simply playing coy and hiding the surprise for a secret cameo at some point in the upcoming film, too. Keep hope alive, folks!

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" will swing into theaters on June 2, 2023.