You Won't Believe Why Nic Cage Changed His Legal Name!

In 2025, the actor known as Nicolas Cage officially changed his legal name to Nic Cage. This decision was shared by the actor while discussing his new project, the Spider-Noir TV series on Prime Video.

What did Nicolas Cage say about his name change?

During an interview with Variety, Cage revealed that his birth name was Nicolas Kim Coppola. He explained that adopting the name Nic Cage aligned with his personal identity and professional image. “I’m Nic Cage in life, and I’m Nic Cage on camera,” he said. He added, “’Tis better to be the patriarch of my own little family than the clown cousin on the margins of someone else’s, so I decided I’m going to bring it on and be Cage.”

The actor noted that the surname Cage was inspired partly by the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage. He remarked, “Cage is a name that I liked coming across in the comics — I just thought he had a cool name — and I grew up in a very avant-garde, artsy family and there was talk about John Cage and the experimental compositions that he did.”

Cage also mentioned his preference for a concise and memorable name, comparing it to James Dean. He explained, “I was looking for something like James Dean; I was looking for something short and sweet. I thought, well, I’ll keep the name Nicolas because my father named me Nicolas — with French spelling, which has always frustrated me, because everyone adds an h. I don’t know why he gave me the French spelling! But he did.”

Regarding his role in Spider-Noir, this is not Cage’s first time portraying a Marvel character. He previously played Ghost Rider in the 2007 film and its 2011 sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Additionally, he portrayed Big Daddy in the 2010 film Kick-Ass and provided the voice for Spider-Noir’s character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse before starring in Prime Video’s live-action adaptation.

The Spider-Noir TV series premiered on Prime Video on May 27, 2026. The show offers a unique viewing experience, allowing audiences to watch it in either Black & White or Color formats.