It’s hard to accept that the last DCU movie we got was The Flash. And until the newest one drops, that’s how our latest memory of the DCU will stay. After all, it’s a ways off until the Blue Beetle release date hits. And with some classing The Flash as one of the worst movies of 2023, there’s definitely a bitter taste left in our mouths.
Though we found some positives to draw from the movie in our The Flash review, we’ll still never fully be able to get on board with the image of plastic-looking CGI babies floating through the air, or wooden performances from the Justice League members that make an appearance. In short, The Flash is not the best superhero movie around. Not even close.
But what fans seem to dub as the most atrocious element of the latest of DC’s new movies is the insane cameo tsunami that happens in the movie’s climax. By bringing back beloved deceased actors and fulfilling some incredibly niche fan dreamcasts, the finale of the action movie was a muddled mess.
One of the most bizarre moments of The Flash saw Nicolas Cage appear as Superman. As most of us know, Nicolas Cage was set to play the Kryptonian hero in a scrapped Tim Burton movie. A cool idea on paper, but based on the screen tests and costume leaks (below), we’ve come to terms with the fact that it’s probably better it never happened.
Part of the reasoning for the project’s death was due to the fact that producer Jon Peters has some strange requests for the movie. One being that Superman could not be shown to fly (one of his main characteristics), and that he would need to fight a giant spider in the third act.
Ironically, the giant spider gimmick was one that The Flash actually brought to fruition. The clip we see of Cage’s Superman in his alternate reality is, in fact, fighting a giant spider. Weird. But what does Cage think of all this? Was his cameo everything he was promised? Well…kind of.
“Well, I was glad I didn’t blink,” he said when asked about his appearance by USA Today. But jokes aside, he did feel that the inclusion of his long-lost superman iteration gave him some closure.
“For me, it was the feeling of being actualized. Even that look for that particular character, finally seeing it on screen, was satisfying. But as I said, it’s quick,” he added.
While we here at The Digital Fix enjoyed the surprise somewhat, we also think it brought perhaps the only earnest moment of emotion in The Flash’s latter half to be stopped dead for some very strange superhero throwbacks. And quite frankly, we think whatever version of Cage’s Superman exists in the imaginations of fans is likely always going to be much, much better than anything they can put on screen.
To see what DC has cooking, get to know the Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate, and take a look at the Aquaman 2 release date and Superman Legacy release date. You can also find out how to watch the DC movies in order, and take a look at our ranking of the best DC characters and best DC villains.
And once you’ve done that, take a look at our thoughts on why DC has doubled down in the wrong direction! Plus, we’ve got a lot of opinions on the five things we want to see from James Gunn’s new DCU, and one we don’t. Plus, see where (and if) Cage ranks on our list of the Superman actors ranked.