It's never too late to become a hero.
Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Prime Video has released one last trailer for its upcoming live action series, Spider-Noir , starring Nicolas Cage, and once again it’s been released in two formats: one in black and white (below) and another in color (above), which the showrunners are calling “True Hue.” Seriously, the more footage we see of this series, the more eager we are to find out if the series lives up to its marketing. And the final trailer—which really plays up the deadpan humor and is set to Amy Winehouse’s “ Back to Black ”—is very promising.
As previously reported , Marvel Comics created its “noir” line in 2009, reinterpreting familiar Marvel characters in an alternate universe, usually set during the Great Depression in the US. A version of the Spider-Noir character, voiced by Cage, briefly appeared in the animated masterpieces Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Across the Spider-Verse (2023). (He is set to reprise that role in the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse .) Cage is playing Ben Reilly, a hard-boiled PI with a secret superhero identity, The Spider. Per the official premise: “ Spider-Noir tells the story of Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.” In addition to Cage’s Ben Reilly/The Spider, the cast includes Lamorne Morris as Reilly’s friend Robbie Robertson, a freelance journalist who clings to optimism in the face of his buddy’s cynicism; Li Jun Li as nightclub singer Cat Hardy, the classic underworld femme fatale (Li based her portrayal on Anna May Wong, Rita Hayworth, and Lauren Bacall); Karen Rodriguez as Reilly’s secretary, Janet; Abraham Popoola as a World War I veteran; Jack Huston as a bodyguard named Flint Marko who becomes (as we see in the new trailer) the classic villain Sandman; Brendan Gleeson as New York mob boss Silvermane, who is being targeted for assassination; Lukas Haas as one of Silvermane’s subordinates; Richard Robichaux as the editor of the Daily Bugle; and Kai Caster.
“Have you seen it out there? The city’s a mess,” Robbie tells Reilly, reminding his friend of the hero he used to be. But the disillusioned Reilly knows that’s just not who he is now and he wants to start over—as a PI. But then Cat Hardy walks into his office and hires him to investigate a friend’s disappearance (killing an errant spider with a newspaper, which probably won’t endear her to Spidey).
That friend is Jack Huston, who has “turned into some kind of sand monster.” And others also seem to be coming down with mysterious illnesses that worsen until “their sicknesses eat them alive.” Meanwhile, Silvermane has pretty much taken over the city. Will Reilly stick to his resolve and stay out of it? Or will he resurrect his superhero alter ego one last time? I think we all know it’s gonna be the latter. “I was never a hero,” Reilly insists. But it’s not too late for him to become one.
Spider-Noir premieres on May 25, 2026, on MGM+, with all episodes becoming available on Prime Video on May 27, 2026. Viewers can choose to watch in black and white or True Hue—or both, if one wants to compare.
Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer Ouellette Senior Writer Jennifer is a senior writer at Ars Technica with a particular focus on where science meets culture, covering everything from physics and related interdisciplinary topics to her favorite films and TV series. Jennifer lives in Baltimore with her spouse, physicist Sean M. Carroll, and their two cats, Ariel and Caliban.
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