Spider-Noir character breakdowns offer a preview of several characters we’ll be seeing on the Nicolas Cage series
Longlegs star Nicolas Cage voiced the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir in the animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and now he’s set to play the character in live-action for an upcoming MGM+ and Prime Video series that’s going by the title Spider-Noir. We’ve been hearing casting updates on this one here and there in recent weeks, learning that Cage is joined in the cast by Brendan Gleeson as the villain, Li Jun Li as a singer at a high-end nightclub, and Lamorne Morris as journalist Robbie Robertson. Now industry scooper Daniel Richtman has shared several character breakdowns, giving a preview of the characters we’ll be seeing on this show.
We already know that Spider-Noir will see Cage taking on the role of an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero. Now here’s some more information:
Ben Reilly: A retired superhero with the powers of Spider-Man who is too old and broken, both figuratively and literally, to suit up the way he used to. Instead, he takes low-level PI cases and stays out of the ones that involve high-profile names, like that of the Mayor. Through flashbacks, we find out about his past heroics, and past failures, that led him to this point. He is charming, but weathered, and the pilot does an excellent job of setting him up for a good character arc moving forward.
Yuri Watanabe: A stage singer with unknown ties to crime organizations in New York City, including that of the mayor. Her character exists entirely through the eyes of Ben Reilly in the pilot, but there is an interesting larger story set up for her in the pages. In the comics, Yuri Watanabe is also known as the vigilante Wraith.
Flint Marko, aka Sandman: A hired goon working for Yuri, but he has an unknown condition that causes him to turn into the Sandman. When he switches between identities, he has no memories of what the alter ego did while in control. It seems a decent amount of the story will revolve around him, and there is a lot of potential for this character to be a fan-favorite.
Robbie Robertson: A reporter and friend of Ben Reilly’s. Not a lot of depth to the character in the pilot but has fan-favorite potential written all over him.
Mayor Delgado: A corrupt politician whose motivations and past are entirely unknown. The character exists as a setup for future episodes, likely as the main villain.
Silvermane: An ageing crime boss whose plans to retire are thrown out the window after his mansion is burned down. It appears that he will be one of the other major antagonists of the series.
Janet: Ben Reilly’s secretary/second-in-command. Think Joan from Mad Men.
Edward Addison: A man who can catch himself on fire with no harm to his body, and one of the Macguffins for the plot.
Delgado: Another PI that has a good working relationship with Ben Reilly.
Spider-Noir is expected to consist of eight 45 minute episodes. Cage has said, “One of the things that I like about this potential show is that it’s fantasy. It’s not really people beating people up. Monsters are involved.“
Spider-Noir comes to us from Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher), who will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. Harry Bradbeer (Killing Eve) will direct and executive produce the first two episodes. Uziel and Lightfoot developed the series alongside Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal, the team behind the Spider-Verse movies. Lord, Miller, and Pascal will also serve as executive producers on Spider-Noir.
Are you looking forward to Spider-Noir? What do you think of these character breakdowns? Let us know by leaving a comment below.