Nicolas Cage Reveals Why He Turned Down Iconic Comic Book Villain Role
Nicolas Cage has been active doing press to promote Amazon Prime's Spider-Noir. Over the last several weeks, the Oscar-winning actor has shared interesting insight into his career and what led him to the show.
Premiering this week, the eight-episode series follows Cage portraying his popular character from the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated movies in live-action. Spider-Noir, who is called "The Spider" in his universe, is a dramatically stylized 1940s noir version of Spider-Man.
In an interview with Complex News, Cage revealed that his debut in the world of Marvel superheroes almost came much sooner. In fact, he was close to being in a Spider-Man movie over 20 years ago.
According to the actor, director Sam Raimi offered him the role of Norman Osborn/Green Goblin in 2002's Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire. Raimi's pop-culture and genre-defining film was the first modern live-action Spider-Man movie. Cage was intrigued by the opportunity but explained why he ultimately passed.
"I had two moments like that, looking back," Cage told Tiffany Hunt. "One was when Jim Carrey wanted me to do Dumb and Dumber, and I said I'd rather do Leaving Las Vegas, and the other was Spider-Man as the Green Goblin, and I said I'd rather do Adaptation. Both of those choices gave me more to do as an actor."
Referring to Spider-Man, Cage said, "I would have done it had those other opportunities not been on the table, but in this case I chose what I thought was better for me at that time, and I think I made the right choice."
In Cage's absence, Willem Dafoe would land the villain role, delivering one of the most iconic performances ever in the genre. Spider-Man was a foundational piece of a culture shift in the film industry, paving the way for superhero movies becoming mainstream blockbusters. Dafoe unforgettably reprised the role in 2021 when all three live-action movie Spider-Men met on screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Willem Dafoe has the rare ability to play both villain and hero with equal power, from his menacing Green Goblin to his compassionate role in The Florida Project.
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As Cage is the latest addition to the 20-plus-year modern, live-action history of Spider-Man, it is fascinating to know the actor was almost a cornerstone of the very beginning.
Hollywood is full of what-if castings, but few will have the imagination running wild like Nicolas Cage maniacally laughing and throwing pumpkin bombs at Spider-Man.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 3:19 PM.