Deadpool & Wolverine: Ryan Reynolds Had "Conversation" About Including Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider

Cage played Ghost Rider in two films.

By Liam Crowley

Deadpool & Wolverine was a love letter to the Marvel projects that preceded the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-led film features surprise supporting stars reprising their Marvel roles of yesteryear including Chris Evans as Human Torch (Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), Jennifer Garner as Elektra (Daredevil, Elektra), and Wesley Snipes as Blade (Blade, Blade II, Blade: Trinity). Just about every non-MCU Marvel franchise had on-screen representation in The Void, even those that existed exclusively in development hell, but one that was rooted in legitimate hell was unable to come to fruition.

Ryan Reynolds Reveals Scrapped Nic Cage Ghost Rider Cameo

DEADPOOL-WOLVERINE-NICOLAS-CAGE-GHOST-RIDER-MARVEL
(Photo: Marvel)

The Spirit of Vengeance could have taken a ride through The Void.

Speaking to Collider, Deadpool & Wolverine star Ryan Reynolds revealed that there was "a conversation" about including Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider in the ensemble.

"Yes," Reynolds briefly said when asked if there was an idea for Cage to reprise Ghost Rider in Deadpool & Wolverine. "[It] came to a conversation for sure. Yeah, but no."

Cage portrayed Ghost Rider in two theatrical films, Ghost Rider (2007) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012), both of which were distributed by Sony Pictures. The Ghost Rider franchise was a financial success, as both installments made over double their respective budgets, but failed to win over critics. 

There were rumblings about a Ghost Rider 3 following Spirit of Vengeance's release in 2012, with directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor noting that "Nic wants to do it." Cage clarified later that he was done with the role.

"Personally, I'm done," Cage said in 2013. "I've done what I had to do with that part. You never say never, but right now, today, I would say that I'm done."

There's no word on whether Cage himself turned down a Ghost Rider cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine or if the idea did not make it past the creative conversation stage. Cage could have been hesitant to commit to another comic book movie cameo following what happened in The Flash, a film that saw him make his live-action debut as Superman from the cancelled Superman Lives film. 

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"What I was supposed to do was literally just be standing in an alternate dimension, if you will, and witnessing the destruction of the universe," Cage said. "I had no dialogue [so had to] convey with my eyes the emotion. So that's what I did. I was on set for maybe three hours. When I went to [see the film], it was me fighting a giant spider. I did not do that."

Deadpool & Wolverine is now in theaters.

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