Did DC Just Reference Nicolas Cage’s Superman (Again)?

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Supergirl (2026)

The DC Universe’s new Supergirl movie may feature a pretty unexpected reference to one of the most infamous chapters in DC movie history (again). Although the new DCU movie directed by Craig Gillespie is largely inspired by Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic series, there are several deviations and changes. As such, one of them feels to me like a nod to Nicolas Cage and the infamous movie Superman Lives, one of the most well-known DC movies that never was.

Developed during the mid-to-late 90s, Superman Lives is one of the biggest “what ifs” in comic book movie history. Meant to be directed by Tim Burton and starring Nicolas Cage, the movie’s ill-fated production has some pretty bizarre concept art, behind-the-scenes stories, and infamous demands from producers. As such, there have been several references and tributes featured in various DC projects that were released, and the new Supergirl movie may be the latest to continue the tradition.

Whether intentional or not, there is a key moment in the new DCU movie that may very well be an homage to Nicolas Cage’s Superman and the bizarre threats he was meant to fight, while also being a much better tribute than the last one we saw in 2023’s The Flash.

The DCU’s Supergirl Movie Features Robot Spiders (Seriously)

One of Supergirl’s first action sequences features Sklarian Raiders, an all-female band of space pirates known for stealing advanced technologies across the galaxy. They first appeared in the comics back in 1977 (though not in Woman of Tomorrow). Likewise, the new DCU movie gives the Raiders a new weapon not seen on the page: a horde of robotic spiders who crawl through the space-faring bus Kara and Ruthye were on, seeking valuables from passengers and taking apart the vessel piece by piece.

Keeping that in mind, the spiders’ inclusion feels like a pretty deliberate creative decision, especially considering one of the most infamous behind-the-scenes stories about Tim Burton’s Superman Lives.

Superman Lives’ screenwriter Kevin Smith has repeatedly recounted how an overzealous studio executive insisted that Nicolas Cage’s Superman fight a giant robotic spider, making the bizarre demand one of the most memorable parts of the unmade movie’s production. This same executive is responsible for the giant robot spider featured in 1999’s Wild Wild West. Although Supergirl features much smaller robot spiders rather than one giant one, the parallel with the DCU’s Supergirl taking them all on feels more than mere coincidence.

Was This Another Homage To Nicolas Cage’s Superman Lives?

Nicolas Cage's Superman fighting a giant spider in The Flash — Nicolas Cage’s Superman fighting a giant spider in The Flash

It’s entirely possible it could just be a coincidence, though the similarities are definitely enough to raise my eyebrows. After all, when it comes to Superman lore, robot spiders really are best known for the battle they were meant to have with Nicolas Cage’s Man of Steel, especially after 2023.

Likewise, Supergirl’s robot spiders are certainly a more natural homage than DC’s previous Nicolas Cage Superman callback in 2023’s The Flash. In the third act of one of the DCEU’s final movies, audiences briefly saw Cage’s Superman battling a giant robot spider during The Flash’s major multiverse sequence, which included all kinds of alternate realities. However, the sequence received significant controversy with its poorly done and CGI-heavy execution, so much so that Cage himself claimed what was in the movie was nothing like what was filmed when he came to set.

However, there’s another fun connection between Supergirl and robotic spiders as well. In the second season of the Arrowverse’s Supergirl series starring Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El, Kevin Smith directed its mid-season premiere titled “Supergirl Lives.” Beyond the title as a fun homage to his past work writing the unmade Superman movie, the episode also featured a brief reference to a “Thanagarian Snarebeast”, the original name Smith had given to the giant robot spider he was forced to include in Superman Lives’ story.

All things considered, I’d certainly bet good money that the new Supergirl movie’s robot spiders were an intentional tribute. Even if not, I feel like it just makes sense to consider it a solid tribute to Nicolage Cage’s Superman all the same.

Supergirl is now playing in theaters from DC Studios.