Nicolas Cage's Superman Gets His Own DC Comics Cover
Contains spoilers for "The Flash"
Nicolas Cage is back as Superman for the second time in June, with the fan-favorite actor starring in his own variant cover from DC Comics.
In the live-action "The Flash" DCEU film, Barry Allen's journeys through the Speed Force and battle with the Dark Flash led him to learn about several other realities. Among them was the universe featuring Christopher Reeve's Superman, another world featuring Adam West as Batman, and most surprisingly, a reality where Nicolas Cage's Superman finally took flight.
Considering Cage nearly played Superman in Tim Burton's vision of the Man of Steel, which was eventually scrapped, seeing Cage take on the role was a fun and totally unexpected cameo. Now, DC Comics is doubling down on Cage's Superman with a new variant cover by Dan Mora for "Batman/Superman: World's Finest" #19 showcasing the actor's version of the Man of Tomorrow alongside Superman and Batman.
What's the story behind Nicolas Cage's Superman?
In the mid-'90s, pre-production started on a new Superman film headed by Tim Burton. Titled "Superman Lives," the film was initially written by Kevin Smith and starred Nicolas Cage as a reimagined version of Superman. However, Cage's Superman film never began filming, with Smith sharing that producer Jon Peters' involvement sunk the project. The former "Batman" producer wanted to make several drastic changes to the Man of Steel, including ditching his iconic costume, not letting him fly, and having him off against a giant spider monster as the main villain.
The entire mess behind the production of the never-made movie is documented in the excellent "The Death of 'Superman Lives' What Happened?" by the late Jon Schnepp, who interviewed the cast and crew behind the project about its failings.
Since Cage's Superman project has been dead for over two decades, it was a major surprise to see the actor's Kal-El appear in a scene in "The Flash" where he fought the giant spider. To celebrate the moment, DC Comics is doing a brand-new cover from superstar artist Dan Mora, featuring Cage's Superman alongside the World's Finest heroes. The cover (revealed by Rolling Stone) features a new suit for Cage's Superman, with the hero getting approval from the main version of Kal-El, who gives his fellow super-character a thumbs up.
Mora told Rolling Stone he did his best to pay tribute to the version of the hero who appeared in "The Flash." The artist said he was a big fan of Cage's movies and acting and was excited to bring the comic version of the Superman variant to life on the cover.
Nicolas Cage's Superman is the latest pop culture cover from Dan Mora
"Batman/Superman: World's Finest" by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, and Tamra Bonvillain has had some fun with variant covers starring real-life celebrities. The debut issue of the series featured variant artwork by Mora showing Superman getting coffee with actor Jerry Seinfeld, a nod to his series, "Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee."
"Batman/Superman: World's Finest" #11 featured a variant cover starring musician Jack White in a piece from Rob Jones, Emery Swirbalus, and David James Swanson. Considering Nicolas Cage's recent appearance in "The Flash" and his history with Superman, the new cover from Mora is a fitting tribute to the actor. Seeing Cage as Superman is still a bit jarring — but it's fun to see him in the role after it seemed like the door closed on his time as the character more than 20 years ago.
Readers can pick up "Batman/Superman: World's Finest" #19 by DC Comics when it arrives in comic book stores and online retailers on September 19, 2023.