One of Marvel’s Best Casting Choices Needs to Return for Avengers: Secret Wars

It wasn’t that long ago that the Marvel Cinematic Universe only had the Avengers to rely on. Rights issues forced Marvel Studios to get creative when building its movie franchise, so it turned to lesser-known heroes who had potential, such as Iron Man and Captain America. Meanwhile, Fox and Sony were running the X-Men and Spider-Man into the ground, releasing lackluster projects to grab whatever attention they could. Eventually, deals were struck to bring the majority of Marvel’s characters into the MCU family. However, Marvel Studios is choosing not to ignore the past, as Kevin Feige and Co. know that their franchise wouldn’t exist without some of the early 2000s superhero films.

Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Jackman, and Patrick Stewart are just a few of the notable names who have been able to reprise their comic book roles in the MCU. Even more are on the way in Avengers: Doomsday, with the majority of the cast of Fox’s original X-Men movies returning for one last ride. There’s one more actor who deserves a swan song in Avengers: Secret Wars, though, because they’re one of the better casting choices Marvel has ever made.

Nicolas Cage Did Everything He Could for Ghost Rider

Nicolas Cage was at the top of his game in the early 2000s, starring in noteworthy films, such as National Treasure and The Weather Man. Despite all the success, Cage took a big risk by accepting the lead role in Ghost Rider. Production issues caused the movie to take its sweet time getting the cameras rolling, but once it did, Cage went all out. He brought the wild stuntman who makes a deal with the devil, Johnny Blaze, to life without any problems, even adding an emotional layer to the character that’s rarely seen in the source material.

Ghost Rider didn’t hit it big at the box office, and critics didn’t connect with the movie due to its lackluster story and villain. However, there was enough there to warrant a sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. It did even worse than its predecessor, and while it had a lot of the same issues, critics also came for Cage, who turned in a wacky performance to try and make up for a lackluster story. After Spirit of Vengeance, Cage’s bike was put in storage as the MCU got its hands on Ghost Rider, but it didn’t recast Johnny Blaze. Instead, it had the character appear in his iconic flaming skull form and hand over the reins to Robbie Reyes, leaving the door open for Cage’s return.

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Ghost Rider Is Just What Avengers: Secret Wars Needs

Since Spirit of Vengeance, a lot has happened for Ghost Rider in the comics. One of his biggest accomplishments was briefly joining the Thunderbolts, a group of anti-heroes that briefly formed in the MCU before becoming the New Avengers at the behest of Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. However, Blaze pulled off an even more impressive feat when he usurped Mephisto as the King of Hell. He grabbed the title in an effort to help Doctor Strange, who was battling the villain after he opened a doorway that allowed him to invade Earth.

Blaze’s new power allowed him to turn Mephisto’s army against him and help a good number of souls avoid eternal damnation. Sure, the power went to his head a little bit, with him turning on Reyes and threatening his loved ones if he didn’t race him, but there’s a lot of potential in a story that features Ghost Rider ruling Hell. The MCU could even borrow from it in Secret Wars, which is sure to feature countless cameos.

The MCU has been waiting for the right moment to properly introduce its version of Blaze, and what better way to do that than to have Cage return and rule an important corner of the universe. After all, the Avengers and their allies are going to need to pull out all the stops if they want any chance of beating Doctor Doom, and a visit to Hell and a bit of Cage magic could be just what the doctor ordered.

Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on December 17, 2027.

Would you like to see Nicolas Cage return in Avengers: Secret Wars? What kind of role do you think he should play in the movie? Let us know in the comments below!