Spider-Man Noir is perfect for Nicolas Cage to redeem himself as a live-action Marvel hero over a decade after the last time he played one.

With a Spider-Man Noir television series officially announced, Nicolas Cage’s new role has the opportunity to redeem his last Marvel live-action appearance. Officially titled Noir, the television series will be on MGM+ and Amazon Prime. There is no word yet on when it will be expected to be released. Nicolas Cage will play the titular character, but it might not be the exact Spider-Man Noir he first played in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Noir won’t be the first time Nicolas Cage has played a superhero in live-action. He had a brief, CGI-filled cameo in The Flash, portrayed Big Daddy in Kick-Ass, and was Johnny Blaze in Ghost Rider and its sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Despite being praised for his fantastic portrayal of Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Cage’s other Marvel live-action films weren’t received nearly as well. As such, Nicolas Cage has the opportunity to make something special this time around with the upcoming Noir.

Nicolas Cage’s Spider-Man Noir Can Make Up For His Ghost Rider Movies

Both of Nicolas Cage’s first Marvel live-action films were critically panned, and didn’t particularly light up the box office either. Ghost Rider was released in 2007 and failed to make 2.5x its budget at the box office, which is typically the break-even point. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, the lower-budget sequel, came out in 2012 with essentially the same results as its predecessor, and a third film was never made.

Nicolas Cage has already successfully portrayed a version of Spider-Man Noir, but translating the character into live-action could be a challenge. Still, if Noir is well-received when it’s released, the critically panned Ghost Rider films could just become an interesting footnote in Cage’s live-action Marvel career. A different live-action Spider-Man could also be refreshing for audiences that have seen the iconic webslinger multiple times already.

Why Spider-Man Noir Is The Perfect Nicolas Cage Superhero Role

Nicolas Cage has already shown that he can perfectly play an alternate universe webslinger with his wonderfully idiosyncratic portrayal of Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Interestingly, the ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also hinted at his character having a bigger role in the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Of course, a live-action version of the character presents different challenges, but Cage has shown he could pull off an off-beat character like Noir throughout his entire career.

Nicolas Cage thrives on playing unique and memorable characters, and Noir could be the perfect vehicle for him to play to his strengths as an actor. Noir has a unique setting that lends itself well to being a peculiar, stylized series that is unlike anything else in the genre. It is an opportunity for the Spider-Man Noir show to separate itself from the plethora of superhero content that has come out since Cage’s last Ghost Rider film that came out in 2012.

Getting Nicolas Cage to play Spider-Man again for the live-action Noir television series was the right choice for Sony and Amazon. The actor is already associated with the character from the wildly successful Spider-Verse films and thrives off the type of off-beat performances that a character like Spider-Man Noir can provide. Whenever the series officially releases, it’s sure to provide a prime opportunity to showcase Cage’s acting talents alongside a distinct and fresh kind of hero depiction.