The topic Prime Video’s Spider-Noir is the bold superhero show that the Spider-Man franchise… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
For several years now, every Spider-Man show and film has struggled to exist without Peter Parker. Some have explored the Multiverse and followed new web-slingers, while others have tried and failed to build their own cinematic universe with films like Venom and Morbius. Though the Spider-Verse films have achieved great success, few spin-offs have justified their existence by advancing the franchise with new stories.
That has changed with Prime Video’s new show, Spider-Noir. In this Nicolas Cage-led series, web-slinging private investigator Ben Reilly takes on a case involving super-powered people like him in 1930s New York. Instead of a traditional superhero series, the show offers a hard-boiled detective story very different from the many other Spider-Man films and shows we’ve seen so far.
Spider-Noir starts off strong by steering away from the web-slinger’s traditional origin story. Many audiences are already familiar with Spider-Man’s backstory as a teenager who gains great power and responsibility. Spider-Noir breaks from this web of stories by introducing Reilly long after he had gained his powers and tragedy had struck his loved ones.
By centering on a Spider-Man long after he has failed and given up on crimefighting, Spider-Noir presents the web-slinger’s story from a dramatic, new angle. Instead of a young, awkward, and wide-eyed Peter Parker, Spider-Noir gives us an old, angry, and depressed Ben Reilly reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart’s characters in Casablanca or The Maltese Falcon.
Reilly isn’t turning into a superhero. He’s figuring out whether he wants to be one again.
Cage gave a good first impression voicing Spider-Noir in Into the Spider-Verse, but was mostly a source of comic relief. Spider-Noir gives Cage a lot more room to flex his acting muscles, and the show makes full use of his strengths.
In the show, Reilly is cynical, scornful, and occasionally silly. One minute, he’s roughing up gangsters at a bar. The next, he’s undercover as a plumber or an Eddie G.-esque police officer. Though Cage doesn’t give another ridiculous, over-the-top performance, it’s clear he is having the time of his life bringing the weathered, witty, web-slinger to life.
All this makes Ben Reilly one of Cage’s most engaging and fleshed-out characters rather than a glorified cameo or parody.
This series doesn’t present 1930s New York through rose-colored glasses. It depicts this era in both black and white with a city rocked by racism, sexism, political corruption, and post-war trauma. We gaze at such serious issues through the eyes of supporting characters who lend greater weight and realism to the story.
Robbie Robertson (played to perfection by New Girl actor and Emmy Award-winner Lamorne Morris) works alongside Reilly as a journalist who tries to get his job back and share the stories that a corrupt city tries to keep buried.
Meanwhile, Li Jun Li (Sinners) brings depth and emotion to Cat Hardy, the femme fatale who plays with the Spider’s heartstrings. She’s not the cat burglar comics fans had been dying to see in live action, but the writers give her enough care and complexity to make her a standout character.
Even classic villains like Sandman get the same treatment. While they’re presented as old-timey gangsters, they are more like tragic creatures from a Universal Monster Movie. Like Reilly, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and are trying to make the most out of what life has given them.
The same can’t be said for the crime boss Silvermane. Though he doesn’t turn into a cyborg like in the comics, Silvermane rules the city with an iron fist and a heart as cold as steel. Emmy-winning actor Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) evokes quiet terror with his performance as Silvermane, delivering a grounded yet monstrous noir villain.
Many modern superhero films and shows feature visual styles that seem to blend together, making them feel less fresh in recent years. This has also made it hard for individual filmmakers to stand out within the genre. However, the visuals in Spider-Noir ooze with artistic originality.
Spider-Noir doesn’t just stand out with its black-and-white imagery. From superimposed to diopter to Dutch angle shots, the series presents a varied visual style that stands out from most comic book adaptations. Some shots actually look like comic book panels brought to life on-screen.
The Spider-Verse films proved audiences would watch Spider-Man stories that explore new genres and visual styles. Spider-Noir has experimented with that in live-action and achieved outstanding results.
Though Sony has dialed back on its Spider-Man spin-offs, the franchise doesn’t need a single shared universe to succeed. It needs bold stories that can stand alone and go beyond traditional superhero fare. If Spider-Noir could make his own detective series work, there’s no reason why web-slingers like the cyberpunk Spider-Man 2099 or the anime-inspired Peni Parker can’t do the same.
The Multiverse has been used by studios to rehash old stories and stay close to what’s familiar. Spider-Noir proves the franchise can have a bright future away from Peter Parker.