Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Flash.
The Big Picture
- The Flash movie features a cameo appearance by Nicolas Cage as a version of Superman, fulfilling a long-held desire by director Andy Muschetti to work with the actor.
- Cage’s Superman is shown battling a giant spider-like creature and witnessing the collapse of different worlds due to the Dark Flash’s manipulation of time.
- The presence of Cage’s Superman in The Flash closes the chapter on a 25-year journey to bring his version of Superman to the big screen, leaving a lasting impact on the film.
The Flash has finally zoomed onto Max after dealing with a mountain of setbacks along the way. Ezra Miller‘s Scarlet Speedster isn’t the only hero in the film, however: The Flash sees the return of Michael Keaton‘s version of Batman as well as Supergirl (Sasha Calle), as Barry Allen races through time and space to prevent an apocalypse. Along the way, he encounters his younger self…and a darker, twisted version of the Flash who is hellbent on saving his mother Nora (María Verdú). This Flash’s actions cause entire worlds within the multiverse to collapse — and provide the perfect opportunity for some select cameos across DC’s library of films. A recurring element seems to be the presence of Superman, as there are different versions of the Man of Steel at the literal center of these worlds. The most surprising is a version of Superman that bears a striking resemblance to Nicolas Cage!
While director Andy Muschetti was fairly open about the cameo, Cage’s Superman appearing on screen is the culmination of a long and often baffling process involving an early attempt to reboot Superman: Superman Lives. Inspired by Tim Burton‘s take on Batman, Warner Bros. sought a similar approach with the Man of Tomorrow — even attempting to hire Burton to direct & geek guru Kevin Smith to pen the script. While Superman Lives never made it to the big screen, its influence on other Superman projects is legendary. I even have a copy of Smith’s first draft of the script, which actually turned out to be a gripping Superman story.
What Would ‘Superman Lives’ Supposed to Be About?
Superman Lives decided to zig where other Superman films zagged, showcasing a Clark Kent in the prime of his career. He was in a relationship with Lois Lane, who knew of his double life; Clark also intended to propose to Lois, but she felt like their relationship shouldn’t come ahead of his duties as Superman. Meanwhile, Superman’s longtime foe Lex Luthor is contacted by the alien Brainiac, who seeks to subjugate the Earth while taking the Man of Steel off the board permanently. This leads him to block out the sun — which drains Superman’s powers — and launch the killing machine Doomsday into Metropolis. Though Superman is able to halt Doomsday’s rampage, he ends up dying due to grievous wounds inflicted upon him. But the Eradicator, the computer intelligence that Brainiac has been searching for, bonds itself to Superman and returns him to the fight.
Smith’s script has some immense emotional weight, especially in the scenes between Clark and Lois, while also packing in all the action one would come to expect from a big superhero blockbuster. There were even trends that pre-dated the modern superhero movie: Batman briefly appears at Superman’s funeral to urge people to keep the Man of Steel’s memory alive, and the film would have opened with Superman battling the Suicide Squad’s Deadshot. Smith even managed to seamlessly incorporate Warner Bros.’ requests, including Superman sporting the black and white suit he wore during The Death and Return of Superman as well as Superman doing battle with a giant spider. (The latter was at the request of producer Jon Peters, who also wanted polar bears in the movie for some strange reason.) He almost even convinced his longtime friend/collaborator Ben Affleck to don the red and blue tights before the studio went with Cage. Affleck would eventually pick up Batman’s mantle in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and reprised the role for The Flash.
Why Was ‘Superman Lives’ Canned?
Eventually, Superman Lives fell apart due to Smith’s script being tossed out when Burton boarded the project, and Warner Bros. eventually shelved it over financial concerns. But it continued to have an influence on other Superman projects. In Superman: Doomsday, a clone of Superman ends up saving a group of schoolchildren from the maniacal Toyman (John DiMaggio), who’s piloting a giant robot spider. Smith even cameos as an unimpressed bystander who scoffs, “A giant metal spider? Lame!” Smith would also end up directing a pair of episodes for Supergirl, with his first episode titled “Supergirl Lives” in a nod to his script. Even if it never made it to theaters, Superman Lives‘ impact cannot be denied.
How Does Nicolas Cage’s Superman Fit Into ‘The Flash’?
This leads to The Flash and Cage’s cameo. He is shown battling a giant spider-like creature, much like in the original script, and eventually dissolves it with a well placed blast of heat vision. Cage’s Superman is also shown wearing the dark blue suit that he was shown sporting in test photos from the film, and a luxurious mane of flowing hair. He witnesses other worlds, including Christopher Reeves and George Reeves‘s Men of Steel, being swallowed whole due to the Dark Flash’s manipulation of time. There’s even a reason within the script for this reocurrence: as Keaton’s Batman explains to Barry, time and space are like intersections on a road. Whole worlds can be formed due to the decisions we make, but there will always be constants. Superman is one of those constants, and The Flash emphasizes this by showcasing what happens if Kal-El never made it to Earth. His cousin Kara did and was promptly imprisoned by Russian military forces, leading to her deep distrust of humanity. Even worse, General Zod (Michael Shannon) is able to overpower the Flash and his friends and kills Kara repeatedly despite the Flash’s attempts to rewrite the timeline.
Cage’s presence was apparently a huge deal for Muschetti, who had nothing but praise for the actor. “Nic was absolutely wonderful,” Muschietti told Variety. “Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it… I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon,” Though Cage only has a brief appearance, his role in the Flash closes the book on a 25-year journey to bring his version of Superman to the big screen.
