The Flash is in theaters now and with it came a comic history book full of DC cameos. This included Nicolas Cage’s Superman finally seeing the light of day after more than 25 years. It was one of the more surreal moments to come out of the epic multiverse adventure. However, Cage’s Superman is still flying high as the actor is about to make his comic book debut as the iconic hero on the cover of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #19, according to an exclusive from Rolling Stone.
The cover by Dan Mora sees Cage not as he would’ve appeared in the ill-fated Superman Lives, but as a new version of the DC hero with a red and black suit. The “S” symbol on his chest has even been replaced with an “N” which is an obvious nod to Cage’s name. To complete his initials a “C” can be found on Cage’s belt. While this looks like a very Red Son evil Superman inspired supersuit, classic Superman is giving the actor the thumbs up in the background as Batman is getting ready for a battle besides him. The scene takes place in the Batcave with a lot of great detail and Easter Eggs found throughout. There are a couple nods to Michael Keaton’s Batman with his Batmobile front and center as well as this Dark Knight sporting the actor’s style of Bat-symbol. Cage’s Superman is also wearing a version of Batman’s signature bladed gauntlets.
When talking to Rolling Stone, Mora stated, “I grew up watching Nic Cage’s movies and am a big fan his. I was excited that he finally got a chance to play Superman in The Flash and I did my best to pay tribute to him in that role.” The artist would finish by saying, “Nic is a great actor that injects so much energy into his roles. You can’t help but imagine what his Superman would be like.” Whether you’re a fan of DC or Cage, this will make any avid comic book reader smile. Seeing these three heroes standing side by side together is nothing short of magical.
Superman Lives!
Tim Burton’s Batman sent shock waves through the film industry when it became the blockbuster smash hit in 1989. This quickly got the director working on its sequel Batman Returns, but the lukewarm reception and darker tone caused Warner Brothers to go into a different direction for that hero. However, there was still a desire to get a new Superman film off the ground. Later known as Superman Lives, this was a film that was written by Kevin Smith and would have been directed by Burton with Cage in the starring role. The film never got made due to various production problems, but footage of Cage’s costume test as the Man of Steel are widely available on the internet and wild rumors about the film started to quickly circulate after its cancelation. This included Superman fighting a giant spider in the film. That’s something that would finally come to life in The Flash and documented in the great documentaryThe Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?. While Cage is now best known for playing Ghost Rider and Spider-Man Noir for Marvel, his first love is Superman. Before The Flash became an exciting reality, Cage would voice Superman in the highly underrated 2018 animated film Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.
When Does Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Release?
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #19 hits store shelves on September 19, 2023. The story was written by Mark Waid with art from Travis Moore. You can view the Cage centric cover down below. The actor can also be seen in The Flash which is in theaters now.
via Collider