Nicolas Cage shares why he does not 'need to be in' Marvel

Nicolas Cage said he doesn’t need to star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but he will not "put down" the franchise.

"I've gotta be nice about Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage," Cage told Variety.

The Ghost Rider star whose real name is Nicolas Kim Coppola added: "What am I going to do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father. He named me."

"I understand what the frustration is. I get it. But I think there's plenty of room for everybody. I'm seeing movies like 'Tár.' I'm seeing all kinds of artistic and independently driven movies. I think there's plenty of room for everybody."

"I don't need to be in the MCU, I'm Nic Cage."

Cage also reflected on how he almost played the DC hero Superman in the 1990s.

"They wanted Renny Harlin to do the movie. I sat down with Renny. I was doing another picture, he came to the trailer and we talked. I liked Renny… but I thought if I'm going to do this, it's such a bullseye to hit."

"I said, this has to be Tim Burton. I called Tim and said, 'Would you do this?' Tim didn't cast me, I cast Tim, and Tim said yes. I loved what he did with Michael [Keaton] and Batman, and I was a big fan."