Nicolas Cage names his inspirations for Spider-Man Noir performance

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced us to various animated alternate Spideys, but Nicolas Cage’s Noir was a real standout.

Although based on a more serious character from the comics, the movie turned him into a spot-on spoof of dour superheroes — like DC’s Batman. And no one could’ve brought the hard-boiled web-slinger to life more perfectly than the one and only Cage, whose self-parodic, brooding portrayal was one of the Oscar-winning film’s many highlights.

In a hilarious video for GQ, in which he begrudgingly replies to fans’ questions online, Cage opened up about how much he enjoyed voicing Spider-Man Noir in the Sony animated flick, as well as naming his inspirations for the role. The Face/Off star unsurprisingly revealed that he based his performance on classic film noir stars such as Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney.

“Well, Spider-Man Noir was great,” Cage said. “I really enjoyed playing that part. I liked it because I was able to bring some of my own personal interests in the early actors of the ’30s and ’40s, like Bogart and Cagney, that were in all those noir films. So that was fun for me. And they let me do it, which is unusual.”

The good news for Spider-Verse fans is that at least two sequels are on the way, with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) landing in cinemas this October, before Part Two follows in 2023. The less good news is that Cage has yet to be confirmed to reprise Spider-Man Noir in the movies. Cageaholics don’t need to despair just yet, though, as Sony is keeping much about the films under wraps it’s still possible he could feature.

What we do know is that Shameik Moore will be back as Miles Morales, alongside Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker and Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen. Oscar Isaac is also back in a bigger role as Spider-Man 2099 following his cameo at the end of the first installment. Issa Rae, meanwhile, is joining the returning quartet as Jessica Drew, also known as Spider-Woman.

As for Cage, see him as a fictionalized version of himself in the critically acclaimed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in theaters from April 12.