Spider-Noir Series Review: A Web of Old School Fun!

Originally published June 1, 2026. This article gives a review of performances, plot, and other details from the complete first season of Prime Video and Marvel’s Spider-Noir live-action series, as viewed in Authentic Black & White picture.

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Spider-Noir is finally on Prime Video for all to see, and folks, the Nicolas Cage-led series is one not to miss. Cage stars as Ben Reilly, also known as The Spider, the web-slinging hero of 1930s New York City, who also works as a private investigator by day. In typical murder-mystery/noir fashion, Ben takes on a compelling new case that sends him down a dangerous rabbit hole while grappling with his own tragic past. It’s superheroes-meets-mobsters and gun fights.

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With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Right in the first episode, the spider-powered PI recites the iconic proverb we know too well: “With great power comes great responsibility.” Usually, Uncle Ben dispenses this advice to Peter Parker, reminding him that we all have a moral obligation to wield our influence wisely. In Spider-Noir, Ben Reilly is the one this aphorism is aimed at. The burdens of being his city’s savior weigh heavily on his shoulders.

He grapples with the responsibility that comes with being The Spider all season long, oscillating between a desire to save New York from Silvermane and washing his hands clean of it all. His inner turmoil is well conveyed in the story and beautifully performed by Nicolas Cage.

Spider-Noir deftly addresses the narrative’s moral crux as Ben eventually embraces his Spider hero persona. Human characters like Robbie Robertson and Cat Hardy remind us that you don’t have to be bitten by a spider to be a hero.

The show does a wonderful job of blending classic 1930s film noir tropes with a modern “comic book” story, taking a character we know and love and adding new facets to him.

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Something Old, Something New

I watched this series in Authentic Black & White (although no shame if you love True-Hue Full Color) as the film noir gods intended, and it’s a thing of beauty. While the color shots are pleasing to the eye, a story like this begs for the black-and-white treatment. After all, Spider-Noir is an homage to ‘30s-’40s noir, Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon-type movies. Black and white just works for this show. It’s perfect for Cat’s introduction as the sultry, guarded lounge singer in the first episode.

Episode 3 even leans into the noir tropes with gusto in the hospital montage, when Ben pretends to be a reporter with a stereotypical, exaggerated Transatlantic accent (Ya see?). And Ben’s brooding wouldn’t be nearly as effective in color. Spider-Noir doesn’t shy away from having fun with the aforementioned tropes. It’s not afraid to get silly with it. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, and you can tell that everyone is having a blast.

Following New Threads

Cage, in particular, gets to be, well, Nic Cage. Kooky. Marvel took a big creative swing for the fences with Spider-Noir, and they knocked it over those fences and out of the park. This series keeps the franchise fresh and subverts the usual comic-book formula by relying on the Hollywood storytelling format of old. It’s a marriage of something old and something new.

And the advances we’ve made in cinematography, for example, add significantly to the film noir vibe. Flint following Ben in that alley, shown as an aerial shot, is one of many examples of how the cinematography elevates the story. Really, black and white works well for the superhero genre – it beautifully captures the pain, grit, and trauma that come with great power.

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High-Stakes Action

It’s fun watching the action sequences in Spider-Noir, especially in black and white. The fights in that explosive finale keep you on the edge of your seat. Season 1 effectively builds on the story’s stakes throughout, rising to a fever pitch in Episode 8.

I also love Ben and Flint/Sandman’s first scuffle in the premiere on top of that skyscraper. The way it’s shot cleverly captures the towering height of that building and the life-or-death stakes at play, especially since here Ben tries desperately not to rely on his powers.

It’s also a delight to watch Dirk Leyden, aka Megawatt, in action later in season 1. His showdown with Ben is well-choreographed and exciting – notably when he goes out in a literal shower of sparks. There’s even a vintage feel to the way the fight sequences play out, but without them looking as fake as they did in the 1930s.

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Enthralling Performances

Nic Cage steers this ship as only Nic Cage can: unabashed fervor and at 110%. He embraces all the silliness but never comes across as dishonest or too over-the-top on screen. You can tell he’s enjoying this act of his career, and Spider-Noir makes perfect sense for the actor he is today.

Lamorne Morris will always be Winston from New Girl to me, and he gets to have fun, too, but it’s also nice to see him in a more serious role. He’s fantastic as Robbie, and he still gets to flex his comedic chops from time to time. Li Jun Li shines as the femme fatale-type character. Her chemistry with Cage is good old-fashioned, smoldering fun, and it leaps off the screen. Their exchanges always have you reading between the lines and digging beneath the surface to find their meaning.

Brendan Gleeson is a legend, and it’s as surprising as it is delightful to have him in a Marvel project. Silvermane cuts an imposing figure, and Gleeson brings gravitas to the role. Karen Rodriguez is a blast to watch as Janet. She’s a bona fide treasure. Janet emerged as one of my favorites, and her repartee with Ben brought some levity to the narrative.

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Could We Get a Second Season of Spider-Noir?

Silvermane is dead, as is Megawatt. Flint and Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone are now human. Cat is free of Silvermane’s grasp since, you know, dead. Robbie is starting his own newspaper, the Harlem Herald. Ben’s PI business is now called “Reilly and Ruiz,” with Janet now an equal in their partnership. He still has his powers and is perhaps the only superpowered person in NYC. The finale does an excellent job tying narrative loose ends while leaving the door open for a potential second season.

After all, Ben uses his spiderweb abilities in the end, so he seems less averse to relying on them than he was in the beginning. With Ben and Janet as partners in PI, perhaps Ben will continue to investigate for his clients while moonlighting as The Spider. “With great power comes great responsibility,” and all that.

He’s certainly in a better place mentally and emotionally to handle more Spider shenanigans. And who knows? We could see more obscure (or well-known) Spider-Man villains in future seasons. Spider-Noir is an entertaining watch from start to finish, and we could always use more comic book shows like this that take fun, creative risks, even in black and white.

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Get on the Web!

What was your favorite part of Spider-Noir season 1? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!