Nicolas Cage played a small role as Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and while the role wasn't expected to go anywhere, it was announced earlier this year that a live-action Spider-Man Noir spinoff would be coming to Amazon Prime Video.
While no official visuals have been released for the show, it has been revealed that this Spider-Man variant is Ben Reilly and NOT Peter Parker. It could be a while before Sony makes some more official reveals, but an insider has possibly leaked a breakdown of the series’ characters.
Possible Character Breakdown in Spider-Noir Series
Though Nicolas Cage is expected to reprise his version of Spider-Man Noir, it does look like his show is going to be populated by a lot of other Spider-Man character variants. According to insider Daniel Richtman (via ComicBookMovie), here is a breakdown of the characters fans should expect to appear in the series:
Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage) – Ben is said to be a washed-out Spider-Man who is ‘too old and broken’ to return to his old superhero antics. Now, he just takes on low-level PI cases and stays out of the way of the Mayor, who is said to be a corrupt figure.
The character is described as ‘charming but weathered,’ and his arc will be explored through flashbacks.
Yuri Watanabe (Li Jun Li) – A stage singer who is said to have some kind of mysterious connection to the crime organizations of New York City. Her character is purely explored through Ben’s eyes, but it’s hinted that there’s more to her than just a stage performer.
In the mainline comics, Yuri was a cop that used to help Spider-Man, but after certain events, she ends up being the vigilante Wraith. It’s unclear what her role in this story is going to be, but it’s possible she could be an undercover cop, or she could be a victim of the mob looking to exact justice on her terms.
Flint Marko/Sandman – One of Yuri’s hired goons. This thug suffers from an unknown condition where he can turn into the Sandman. What’s different about this variant is that he actually has two personalities within him and he has memory of what happens when one alter ego takes control.
Though he’s a side character, the source does hint that Marko could end up being a fan-favorite.
Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris) – Robertson is said to be a reporter who is good friends with Ben Reilly. Not much is revealed about his character, but it’s possible that he could be Ben Reilly’s source for anything that’s happening around the beat.
Robertson is also an established reporter in the comic who has also worked for J. Jonah Jameson.
It’s also teased that he could be a fan-favorite.
Mayor Delgado – Described as a ‘corrupt politician whose motivations and past are entirely unknown,’ Mayor Delgado is rumored to be the main villain of the series.
It’s possible that he could be an established character in the comics, but the only Delgado who has ties to a Spider-Man is Aaron Delgato who was essential to the origin of Miguel O’Hara. Delgato doesn’t have that many appearances in the comics, but that does open the door for this Mayor Delgado to have whatever kind of backstory the writers come up with.
Silvermane (possibly played by Brendan Gleeson) – Rumored to be one of the major antagonists of the series, Silvermane was said to be a crime boss on his way out who had to delay his retirement after his mansion was burned down.
Janet – Described as Ben Reilly’s secretary/second-in-command. Not much is said about this character, but she has been compared to Joan (Christina Hendricks) from Mad Men
Edward Addison – Another seemingly original character that can ‘catch himself on fire with no harm to his body.’ He is described as a Macguffin for the plot.
Though Addison may not be a character from the comics, he does sound like Marvel’s first Human Torch, an android who can also have his body engulfed in fire. It’s worth noting that this character was created in the 1940s, which was also the time that the detective noir genre was at its peak.
Delgado – Another PI character who is said to have a good working relationship with Ben Reilly. It’s not specified if he has any relation to the mayor or not.
No other characters have been revealed for the series, but it does seem that the list is that of recurring faces. It’s possible that the show could have some one-off guest stars that are also variants of classic Spider-Man villains.
Noir: A Spider-Man Series
While there still aren’t any official images of teases for Noir, Variety has revealed some things about the series. Here’s the official logline for Noir:
“Noir” will tell the story “of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.”
The show is being produced by Spider-Verse’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller with the help of longtime Spidey producer Amy Pascal. The show will also have two co-showrunners in the form of Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot.
Amazon MGM Studios’ head of television Vernon Sanders had this to say about the series:
“Expanding the Marvel universe with ‘Noir’ is a uniquely special opportunity and we are honored to bring this series to our global Prime Video customers… The extremely talented Nicolas Cage is an ideal choice for our new superhero and the accomplished producing team with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, and the incredible team at Sony is dedicated to expanding this franchise in the most authentic way.”
Though fans could get skeptical about a Nicolas Cage Spider-Man series, the story is written in a way that Cage isn’t expected to jump around and be nimble. Besides, it looks like most of the flashbacks where Spider-Man Noir is in his prime could just be played by a younger person with Cage providing the voice.
With Noir being mostly a source of comic relief in Into the Spider-Verse, it’s possible that this show could also just be chasing that angle, but with all the very campy Spider-Man spinoffs like Venom and Madame Web, it’s possible that Noir could actually embrace the serious grittiness of the genre.
So far, the only things fans can do is guess.
No release date has been announced for Noir.