Sony's Spider-Man Noir Series Could Be Weirder Than It Seems

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced the world to the concept of alternate Spider-People. Comic fans have seen hundreds of unique takes on their favorite heroes occupying infinite parallel universes. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is slowly rolling out the idea as a potential new world of content for endless installments. Each of the newcomers gets a brief window to show off, but every new Spider-Person has a ton going on. Spider-Man Noir, for example, has more going on than his 30s aesthetic.

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Spider-Man Noir is getting a live-action series

Title	Noir
Showrunners	Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot
Director	Harry Bradbeer
Star	Nicolas Cage
Streaming Service	MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video

Noir received its official series order from MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video this month. The idea entered development last February, but the writer’s strike delayed its construction for several months. Nicolas Cage, who provided the character’s voice in Into the Spider-Verse, signed on this February. While most fans know the character for his animated portrayal, complete with a monochromatic color scheme and several excellent lines, the series will be live-action. The series will follow Peter Parker, a washed-up private detective who has set aside his old double life as a superhero. It’s still 1933 in his home universe, and his hard-boiled inspirations will likely create a fascinating new look at the character. While there’s little to say about Noir, it’s safe to assume that the series wouldn’t exist without Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Verse

Spider-Man Noir emerged as one of the five extradimensional Spider-People working together to help Miles Morales achieve his destiny in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Nic Cage’s old-timey Spider-Man hangs out with Penni Parker and Peter Porker as second-string characters. While Gwen Stacy and Peter B. Parker played more central roles, Spider-Ham, SP//dr, and Noir offer comic relief, sage wisdom, and excellent action scenes. That likely contributed to the sequel’s roster, which only brought the three of them back in a brief cameo. Despite his downplayed presence in the narrative, Spider-Man Noir was a breakout character among the cast. His striking visual design stood out against the other Spider-People. His voice, inspired by several classic film performers, struck the perfect balance between anachronistic and entertaining. The film didn’t dip too deeply into his backstory. It mentions the tragic loss of his Uncle Benjamin, his history fighting Nazis, and his habit of letting matches burn his fingertips to feel something. He opens a slight window into his world when he asks Miles whether he can emotionally deaden himself to the ambiguity of his violent actions, but then it’s right back to Rubik’s Cube jokes.

Spider-Man Noir is different in the comics

Peter Parker of Earth-90214 experienced many of the usual canon events one would expect from a Spider-Person. He grew up in the Great Depression, raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Ben and May were activists who instilled a strong sense of justice in young Peter. His life changed when criminals killed Ben for organizing a labor strike. Norman “Goblin” Osborn and Adrian “Vulture” Toomes assassinated Ben. The strange elements emerge when fans realize that Norman and Adrian are both circus freaks in this reality and that this Vulture ate Uncle Ben. Peter got his powers from a spider bite, but its explanation is a little different. He found the spider in an ancient artifact. Its venom placed Peter in contact with Ereshkigal, a Mesopotamian spider god. The Noir universe isn’t just darker than most Spider-Man stories. It’s also considerably weirder. Villains tend to be carnival performers, back alley assassins, or outright Nazis. His version of Otto Octavius was a South African racist working with Nazis and KKK members to experiment on disenfranchised black Americans. The hard-boiled universe takes massive swings, and they could be fascinating to see in live-action.

Noir is a strange project for Sony to pursue. Their connection to the Spider-Man license remains annoyingly strained. Many still wonder whether they’re legally allowed to use Peter Parker or Spider-Man in any of their projects. Their live-action work has consistently disappointed fans, critics, and everyone who sees it. Into the Spider-Verse and its recent sequel remain the lone standouts in Sony’s Spider-Man franchise. Noir‘s place in the world remains to be seen, but the comic book source material lays the groundwork for something truly unique in modern superhero cinema. Noir might feel like a novelty, but its background could allow it to become something as special as a Rubik’s Cube in a black-and-white world.