MARVEL MARATHON DEEP DIVE
SPIDER-NOIR
Spider-Noir arrived on MGM+ in the US on 25 May 2026, and on Prime Video worldwide two days later. Nicolas Cage plays Ben Reilly, an ageing private investigator in 1930s New York who was once the city’s only superhero, the Spider.
A NOIR SPIDER FOR TELEVISION
HOW SPIDER-NOIR WAS MADE
Sony Pictures Television was reported in February 2023 to be developing the series for MGM+ and Prime Video. Oren Uziel developed the series, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are among its executive producers. The writers’ room was paused during the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Steve Lightfoot was hired as co-showrunner, and Nicolas Cage was in talks for the role by February 2024. The series was ordered in May 2024 under the title Noir, with Harry Bradbeer directing the first two episodes, and was retitled Spider-Noir that July to highlight its links to the Spider-Man universe.
Filming had begun by August 2024 in Los Angeles under the working title Old Fashioned, was suspended during the January 2025 Southern California wildfires and had concluded by mid-March. The production used black-and-white cameras and filters to evoke early 1930s noir films, and footage was captured digitally and processed separately to make both a black-and-white and a colour version. Kris Bowers and Michael Dean Parsons composed the score.
“70 percent Humphrey Bogart, and 30 percent Bugs Bunny”
Nicolas Cage on his performance
A PRIVATE EYE AND A GANGLAND
WHO IS IN THE CAST
Nicolas Cage plays Ben Reilly, with Lamorne Morris as Joe “Robbie” Robertson, Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy, Karen Rodriguez as Janet Ruiz, Abraham Popoola as Lonnie Lincoln, also known as Tombstone, Jack Huston as Flint Marko, also known as Sandman, and Brendan Gleeson as Silvermane.
This version of the character comes from a different universe than the one in the Spider-Verse animated films, in which Cage voiced a version of him, and the series is set in an alternate universe within Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
TWO PLATFORMS AND TWO VERSIONS
HOW THE SERIES WAS RECEIVED
The series had its world premiere at the Regal Times Square in New York on 13 May 2026. All eight episodes were released on MGM+ in the US on 25 May and on Prime Video worldwide on 27 May, in versions marketed as “Authentic Black & White” and “True-Hue Full Color.” The episodes run from “Step into My Office” to “The Man in the Mask”, with runtimes from 41 to 48 minutes. Nielsen recorded 851 million minutes of viewing in its first week, the second-highest for an original series that week, and 2.6 billion minutes over its first six weeks.
Rotten Tomatoes lists a 92% critics’ score from 115 reviews and a 90% audience score, and its consensus says Cage “delivers a gloriously pulpy performance.” Metacritic gives it 72 from 28 critics and a user score of 7.3.
THE REWATCH
FIVE EMMYS AND A CANCELLATION
The series won five Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, for cinematography on “Step into My Office”, title design, sound editing, special visual effects on “Nightmare on a Gurney” and stunt coordination. It also won a Critics’ Choice Super Award for best superhero series, shared with The Boys, and a Harvey Award for best adaptation. The series was cancelled after one season in September 2026, and that Uziel had hoped to explore a World War II setting in a second season.
In the Marvel Marathon it sits in the Marvel TV shows in order guide between Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 and VisionQuest. In the Spider-Man movies in order guide it comes between Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
QUICK ANSWERS
SPIDER-NOIR SEASON 1 WATCH QUESTIONS
Do I need to watch the Spider-Verse films first?
No. This version of the character comes from a different universe than the one in the Spider-Verse animated films, though Cage voiced a version of him in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Is Spider-Noir in black and white or colour?
Both. The series was made in two versions, marketed as “Authentic Black & White” and “True-Hue Full Color.”
How many episodes are there, and is there a second season?
Eight, all released at once. The series was cancelled after one season in September 2026.
Which Marvel Marathon guides include Spider-Noir?
It appears in the Marvel TV shows in order and Spider-Man movies in order guides.
EDITORIAL NOTES
SOURCES AND UPDATES
Development, production, release, reception and awards details are checked against a series reference, episode data and aggregator scores, cited individually below.