Summary

• Sony is developing a live action series focused on Spider-Man Noir for the SSU, with Nicolas Cage set to portray the aging wall-crawler.
• Nicolas Cage previously voiced Spider-Man Noir in 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
• Spider-Man Noir was introduced in Marvel Comics' Noir imprint in 2009 as a darker and more hardened version of Spider-Man.

Sony's MCU, in an alternate world adjacent to Sony's Spider-Man Universe, was officially ordered and titled Noir in May 2024, with production now well underway.

Noir will focus on an aging, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York City, grappling with his past life as the superhero Spider-Man Noir. This will mark Spider-Man Noir's debut in live-action, inspired by the Marvel Comics hero who helms from an alternate reality's version of New York during the Great Depression. Spider-Man Noir will be an exciting addition to Sony's Spider-Man Universe, though his debut has raised questions about the whereabouts of Peter Parker's Spider-Man, or a live-action adaptation of Miles Morales. Nevertheless, Spider-Man Noir will be an interesting version of the iconic wall-crawler to explore in live-action.

Nicolas Cage Has Been Cast As Spider-Man Noir In Sony’s New Live-Action Series

On May 14, 2024, 2018's animated smash-hit, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Nicolas Cage is one of the most recognized and acclaimed actors in history, having appeared in over 100 movies since his big-screen debut in 1982's Fast Times at Ridgemont High, so this is a huge draw for Noir.

In Marvel Comics, Spider-Man Noir is an alternate version of Peter Parker. Nicolas Cage's live-action iteration of Spider-Man Noir has not been confirmed to be Peter Parker, however, so it's possible he could be separated completely from the more-traditional wall-crawler in Sony's Noir series. At 60 years old, Nicolas Cage will be the oldest actor to ever portray Spider-Man in live-action, a record previously held by Tobey Maguire, who was 46 years old at the time of Spider-Man: No Way Home's​​​​​​​ release. It's unclear when Noir​​​​​​​ will premiere, but Nicolas Cage will be an impressive addition to the SSU.

Spider-Man Noir’s Marvel Comics History Explained

Spider-Man Noir made his first Marvel Comics appearance in 2009's Spider-Man: Noir #1, as part of Marvel's new Marvel Noir imprint. These stories take place in an alternate reality to the main Marvel Comics continuity, known as Earth-90214, a.k.a. Earth-Noir, in which notable heroes were reinvented for the hardboiled, crime noir world of the Great Depression. In the winter of 1932 in this world, the young Peter Parker begins working for photojournalist Ben Urich shortly after the murder of his Uncle Ben by the cannibal Adrian Toomes, working for Norman Osborn, the crime lord known as the Goblin.

Venturing into a warehouse housing stolen antiques, Peter Parker comes across a spider idol, which breaks open and releases a horde of spiders. One of these spiders bites Parker, causing him to out and dream of a spider god who promises him great power. When he wakes and breaks free from a strange cocoon, Parker realizes he now has spider-like abilities similar to those of his mainstream Marvel Comics counterpart. After Norman Osborn kills Ben Urich, Peter Parker dons a costume inspired by his Uncle Ben's WWI-era uniforrm, and becomes the Spider-Man, aiming to take down Osborn's criminal syndicate.

Aided by Felicia Hardy, the owner of the Black Cat club, Spider-Man Noir takes on twisted alternate Noir versions of villains including the Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, the Crime Master, Dr. Otto Octavius, Wilson Fisk, Mysterio, and Morlun. He also fights against the Nazis during World War II, often using brutal and lethal force against his enemies, unlike his mainstream Marvel Comics counterpart, though he later struggles with the moral implications of these actions. Spider-Man Noir also plays a huge role in Marvel Comics' Spider-Verse and Spider-Geddon storylines, coming into with many other Spider-Man variants from across the multiverse.

The Marvel Noir imprint introduced darker versions of other iconic Marvel heroes, including Daredevil, Wolverine, Iron Man, Luke Cage, the Punisher, and the X-Men.

How Spider-Man Noir Differs From Other Versions Of The Character

Spider-Man Noir is one of the most interesting versions of the wall-crawler introduced to Marvel Comics, and will deliver a vastly different iteration of Spider-Man into live-action in Sony's Noir series. Traditionally, Peter Parker's Spider-Man is depicted as a young student who is bitten by a radioactive, or sometimes genetically-modified spider, which grants him spider-like powers. Spider-Man Noir's origin story is similar, but with a more mysterious twist, as his conversation with a spider god in his dream is what grants him his abilities, though he ends up with powers very similar to Peter Parker's original web-slinger.

Unlike his mainstream Marvel Comics counterpart, Spider-Man Noir is also initially much more brutal in his methods, using extreme violence and an arsenal of weapons to take on the criminal underworld of 1930s New York City. Spider-Man Noir is a skilled marksman, but while he is willing to kill his enemies in some circumstances, he usually prefers to simply injure his adversaries. This is a dramatic change from the traditional Spider-Man, who tries to avoid violence by any means necessary, but is sometimes pushed to the limits by some of his hardest-hitting villains.

Nicolas Cage Previously Voiced Spider-Man Noir In Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

While Sony's Noir series will debut Spider-Man Noir in live-action for the first time ever, the character has been depicted in animation throughout the years. Notably, Nicolas Cage himself voiced Spider-Man Noir in 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which saw him pulled into Miles Morales' world after the incident at the Alchemax collider. This brought Spider-Man Noir into with Miles Morales, Peter B. Parker's Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy's Spider-Woman, Peter Porker's Spider-Ham, and Peni Parker and SP//dr. Spider-Man Noir made a non-speaking cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, teasing his return in the much-anticipated sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse​​​​​​​.

Spider-Man Noir has also appeared in other animated projects, voiced by other stars. In the Avengers Assemble animated series, elements of Spider-Man Noir were integrated into Slinger, voiced by Drake Bell, while Gilmore Girls and Heroes star Milo Ventimiglia voiced Spider-Man Noir in four episodes of the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series in 2015 and 2016. Despite these other iterations, Nicolas Cage's version of Spider-Man Noir is by far the most well-known thanks to his inclusion in Sony's Spider-Verse franchise, and Cage's debut as the live-action Spider-Man Noir will only increase the character's popularity.

What Role Will Spider-Man Noir Have In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?

While Sony's Noir series will be released as part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe, it seems likely that the series will take place in an alternate world set adjacent to the theatrical film series. This means that Noir will likely have no connection to the overarching narrative presented in Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius, and Madame Web, while Venom: The Last Dance and Kraven the Hunter will expand this universe in 2024. Spider-Man Noir debuted in an alternate reality in Marvel Comics, so it's very likely this will be the case in live-action.

This is true despite the fact that Sony hasn't yet introduced its own version of Peter Parker's Spider-Man, aside from the newborn baby whose birth was featured in 2024's Madame Web. Since Sony hasn't debuted its own Spider-Man, it's possible that Spider-Man Noir could be introduced as a historical Spider-Man in the world of Sony's Spider-Man Universe, perhaps having emerged in the 1930s, decades before Peter Parker's birth. Madame Web saw Ezekiel Sims wear a Spider-Man-like costume before Peter Parker's emergence as Spider-Man, so Noir could introduce Spider-Man Noir as the original wall-crawler of this gradually-growing universe.