Nicolas Cage’s Superman was depicted better in a controversial DC movie than he was in The Flash. Nicolas Cage’s Superman has long been an infamous case in the world of superhero cinema. Cage was supposed to appear in a Superman movie directed by Tim Burton, but the project failed to enter production despite substantial work in pre-production.

Of course, Cage then appeared in The Flash, as the Superman of an alternate dimension. This scene caused some controversy, as did many other cameos in The Flash, with Cage being open about the process since the movie was released in 2023. With the DCU in full swing, it is unlikely Cage will ever truly get a run out as Superman.

That said, there was a DC movie from 2018 that gave him this opportunity in a way The Flash did not. The Flash‘s Cage scene was controversial for many reasons, making it even more interesting that this 2018 movie also caused some division.

That said, Cage’s involvement in it was not one of the aspects that proved controversial. In the movie in question, Cage’s Superman was better depicted than it was five years later in The Flash.

The Flash’s Nicolas Cage Cameo Is Beaten By Teen тιтans Go! To The Movies

Five years before The Flash‘s release, DC released Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies. The film was an animated adventure based on the Teen тιтans GO! TV series and contained many different superheroes from across the DC Comics world. One such hero was Superman, voiced by none other than Nicolas Cage.

Overall, Cage’s role in Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies is largely considered a better one than his cameo in The Flash. As alluded to, The Flash‘s multiversal elements caused division, primarily due to the glaring use of CGI. Cage’s appearance, as well as that of Christopher Reeve and Helen Slater as Superman and Supergirl, was blatantly a CGI construction.

Without even mentioning the controversial topic of bringing a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ actor back to life, like Christopher Reeve, the CGI was incredibly noticeable. Cage’s Superman had a very airbrushed face before flying off to fight a giant spider, which only made the CGI aspects worse. In Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies, none of this was found.

Of course, the reason for this is that Cage only appeared as the voice for Superman. Still, his brief scenes served as much more of an effective cameo due to its sense of genuineness from hearing Cage speak as Kal-El. The Flash had none of that, given Superman’s lack of voice lines and the CGI aspects in question.

Teen тιтans GO! Shows Nicolas Cage’s Potential As Superman Surprisingly Well

Even in Cage’s small scenes in Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies, his potential as Superman was shown. Although I will admit that The Flash depicted the potential of Cage’s Superman from an epic, action-packed standpoint, the character is about much more than fighting giant monsters with his laser beams.

Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies showcases this via Cage’s performance, even if the character is a somewhat less nice version than, say, David Corenswet’s Kal-El from 2025’s Superman. One scene in particular highlights this, in which Superman explains to the Teen тιтans that they need to act more as heroes.

Despite having some silly one-liners that appeal to the film’s target audience, it is Superman who imparts some wisdom about being heroes to the young crimefighters. Superman tells the тιтans that they need to save people and stop acting like fools to be taken seriously as real heroes.

While, again, this is a little more mean than Superman tends to be, it is still in the name of helping them. Cage delivers the lines with earnestness, providing gravitas with his iconic voice. All of this, as well as Superman having actual speaking lines, renders Cage’s cameo in Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies as one that showcases his potential as the Man of Steel.

Teen тιтans GO! Avoids One Major Complaint With The Flash

As alluded to above, the actual use of Cage as Superman, with speaking lines and as a mentor, allows Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies to avoid The Flash‘s biggest complaint. Cage has even outlined this complaint himself in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment by explaining the process he went through when filming the 2023 cameo scene.

Cage explained how his time on set involved his character looking at his universe ending in the aftermath of Barry Allen’s mistakes in the Speed Force. As it turned out, Cage’s Superman flew around fighting a giant spider with a CGI overlay. Cage admitted that it was unexpected, linking back to the complaint that the scene was not really a cameo.

After all, that scene could have been completed without Cage on set, given the CGI aspects and the drastic differences from what he actually filmed. In this sense, arguments and complaints over whether The Flash‘s surprise appearances can even be labeled cameos were raised. This was never the case with Teen тιтans GO! To the Movies, which gave Cage an actual role as Superman.