In the 1990s, Nicolas Cage established himself as one of the most iconic actors of the modern age of cinema. He achieved this through roles in movies with incredible range, from tragic dramas to superhero movies, where he proved his versatility. Along the way, Cage’s eccentric personality, dedicated acting and over-the-top roles have earned him a huge fan base and cemented his status as a living meme.
Nicolas Cage is greatly beloved by millions of fans thanks to how he uses his distinct, campy and eccentric acting to command the movies he’s in. Multiple times, his acting has elevated what would otherwise have been some forgettable movies into films worth a watch, even if just to enjoy Cage at his best. While every movie the actor is in contains some fun moments, some go above and beyond in establishing his meme status.
Updated on May 9, 2025, by Arthur Goyaz: After decades of working in the film industry, Nicolas Cage has garnered a cult following from his viral memes. Though his talent remains undisputed, his penchant for over-the-top performances never fails to entertain fans. This list is updated to include other movies that made Nicolas Cage a meme and reflect CBR’s current style guide.
15 Dream Scenario Wouldn't Work Without Cage's Meme Appeal
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Dream Scenario is one of the best self-aware comedies of the past years, and it only works because Nicolas Cage is in it. In the movie, Cage plays Paul, a run-of-the-mill college professor whose life is turned upside down when people from all over the world start seeing him in their dreams. Cage’s role in the movie mirrors his own meme status in real life — Paul’s fame sort of takes a life of its own, similar to Cage’s viral power.
Dream Scenario‘s premise evolves into an absurd examination of what would happen if a naive professor gained Freddy Krueger-like powers. The chaos of Paul’s life represents crucial aspects of a generational clash in the modern world. Everyone is available at all times, whether they want it or not, and one’s image becomes a malleable weapon. In that sense, Dream Scenario is both a critique and a satire of Cage’s meme status.
14 Mandy Inspired a Rampage of "Cage Rage" Memes
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2021’s Pig sees Cage entering a transformative moment in his career, signaling his return to more subtle, high-concept movies. His decision to join projects like this might have had something to do with Cage’s growing frustration with «Cage rage» memes, which went viral following his over-the-top performance in 2018’s Mandy. The movie is one of the most remarkable surrealist, ultraviolent movies in Cage’s filmography. It follows a man forced to descend into a maddening path of revenge after a bizarre cult kidnaps his wife.
The first image that may pop up in viewers’ minds upon hearing the title Mandy is probably Nicolas Cage smiling madly, eyes wide open, in the front seat of a car with blood all over his face. The frame, which quickly went viral as a meme, perfectly represents all the «Cage rage» memes out there. On the other hand, Cage expressed dissatisfaction with how his fans handled his unique acting method in a movie as violently lyrical and contemplative as Mandy.
13 The Mystery Behind Cage's Appearance in Longlegs Took the World by Surprise
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Longlegs experienced one of the best marketing campaigns of any horror movie in recent years. With encrypted trailers, well-selected promotional clips and references to acclaimed thrillers such as Se7en and The Silence of the Lambs, the movie did a great job of piquing horror fans’ curiosity. However, the mystery around Cage’s titular role significantly boosted word-of-mouth marketing. Critics described his performance as a satanic serial killer as unlike anything he’s done before — and this was an actor who had already gone to some pretty unimaginable lengths.
However, the mystery around Cage’s appearance in the movie withered away with leaks that quickly turned into memes. In the context of Longlegs, Cage’s comically big prosthetic nose and powdery face are genuinely creepy and fear-inducing. Out on the internet, however, it’s easy to understand why it was a deal-breaker for fans who Longlegs’ mysterious marketing hyped up.
12 Nicolas Cage's Poorly Rendered Cameo in The Flash Was Little More Than a Meme Itself
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The Flash is now infamous for several things, except for being a good movie. There’s Ezra Miller’s criminal rampage before the movie’s release, the myriad of poorly rendered CGI that distracts rather than entertains the audience, the failed attempt to pay homage to Christopher Reeve’s Superman or the memes around Nicolas Cage’s horrendous cameo. The Flash delivers questionable CGI through Cage’s brief cameo, where fans see him fighting a giant spider while glimpsing other worlds.
Cage’s cameo in The Flash was an attempt to close the chapter on the incessant attempts to make a version of Superman Lives in which the actor would play Clark Kent. However, Cage’s cameo resembled a poorly rendered cutscene from a PS3 movie. The fact that the first image leaks were low-resolution theater shots only amplified the poor quality and helped turn Cage’s cameo into an instant meme.
11 Cage Plays an Exaggerated Version of Dracula in Renfield
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Nicolas Cage is no stranger to the horror genre, but he tends to fit better into horror movies with a comical appeal. His talent for over-the-top performances and meme potential were crucial to Renfield’s success, where he played a hilariously excessive version of Dracula. The movie, however, intends to give the count’s iconic servant Renfield a chance to shine. Set in the present day, Renfield grows tired of doing Dracula’s bidding when he falls in love with Rebecca Quincy, a charming police officer.
There’s no shortage of memorable one-liners delivered by Cage in the movie. The iconic «now, let’s eat!» featured in the trailer instantly gave fans a glimpse of what was coming for them. Though Nicolas Hoult is Renfield‘s true star as the titular character, Cage steals the show for himself every time he appears onscreen. His performance as a memefied version of Bela Lugosi’s rendition of Dracula is bound to age well over the years.
10 Nicolas Cage is a Badass Superhero in Kick-Ass
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Based on Mark Millar’s iconic comic book series of the same name, Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski, a high school kid who decides to become a superhero. However, Dave is far from a competent hero and fighter. He soon allies with Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, a well-armed father/daughter superhero team.
Cage was cast in the role of Big Daddy, a comedic Batman pastiche whose alter-ego is a gun-loving retired cop with a vendetta against the mob. Here, he ingratiated himself with superhero movie fans for his funny dad joke personality and over-the-top methods of fighting crime. Cage’s role in Kick-Ass precedes the many superhero parodies present in The Boys, for example.
9 Willy's Wonderland Makes Fun of Five Nights at Freddy's in a Bloody Fashion
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Nicolas Cage’s career throughout the 2010s fell into a slump, but he quickly found his footing in recent years. He has had something of a career revival ever since. One of the movies that helped bring back his career was Willy’s Wonderland, a thinly-veiled Five Nights at Freddy’s parody.
The movie follows Cage as a nameless drifter who gets tricked into spending the night as a janitor at the haunted entertainment center, Willy’s Wonderland. Cage commanded every scene he was in, and the scenes of him childishly playing arcade games amidst the horror made the movie all the more enjoyable. His constant defiance of the plot armor protecting him from Willy’s Wonderland‘s menacing villains added a unique appeal to the horror comedy film.
8 Great Moments Starring Nicolas Cage Define The Rock
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Every bit a Sean Connery movie as a Cage one, The Rock follows a rescue mission after a band of mutinous marines take over Alcatraz Island, capturing a tour group as hostages. Among those sent to save the hostages and prevent a chemical weapons attack are FBI agent Goodspeed (Cage) and former SAS operative Mason (Connery).
As one of Cage’s greatest movies, The Rock wasn’t without some great moments, such as Goodspood stealing a beatnik’s motorcycle. The explosive action movie followed a contentious relationship between the two protagonists, and it was in the interplay between the actors where Cage built up some good character moments. The Rock‘s director, Michael Bay, has also developed sort of a meme status because of his penchant for blowing things up in his movies. In that sense, his team-up with Cage couldn’t go unnoticed.
7 Cage Embodies an Unconventional Heartthrob Archetype in Wild At Heart
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Wild at Heart was among the very first breakout hits for Cage. The David Lynch movie saw the actor cast as Sailor Ripley, a young man who goes on the run with his girlfriend, with her mother sending criminals and detectives to find them. It was this version of Cage who appeared in his modern counterpart’s imagination in Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
Part of the meme for Cage when it came to Wild at Heart came as much from the promotion behind the movie as his performance itself. Famously, he appeared on Terry Wogan’s show in character, entering the stage in chaotic fashion, including throwing money out into the crowd and kicking the air, later engaging in hilarious conversation with the host. To this day, Sailor is remembered as one of David Lynch’s most imaginative characters.
6 Ghost Rider Is Still One of the Strangest Superhero Movies
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Nicolas Cage’s first venture into the superhero genre, Ghost Rider cast the actor as Johnny Blaze. The characters sells his soul to the devil in a bid to save his father’s life. However, after some predictable trickery from the devil, Blaze was left in grief, and later became the flaming skull dark superhero, Ghost Rider.
Nicolas Cage’s performance in Ghost Rider brought out his chaotic persona well. The transformation scenes featured in the film make for some great Cagey moments. Amusingly, the film also sparked a long debate over whether Cage’s abs had been added through CGI, something the actor has cited as a source of frustration.
