Spider-Noir is coming sooner than we expected, just a few months away at the end of May. The first trailer for Spider-Noir is now here, and it shows off a whole gang of Spider-Man characters along with Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly/The Spider.
We've combed the trailer frame by frame – literally – picking up on every single villain and ally we could spot, from Robbie Robertson, to Electro, and more.
Ben Reilly/The Spider
Nicolas Cage plays Ben Reilly, a private investigator who once led a double life as the vigilante known as the Spider. Though he retired after a personal tragedy that has yet to be revealed, his past will come back to haunt him, calling him back into action.
In comics, Ben Reilly is a clone of Peter Parker who has his own career as both a hero and villain. Originally appearing in the '70s, Reilly was assumed dead until his surprise return in the mid-'90s as the Scarlet Spider. He's taken over as Spider-Man a few times over the years, though he was later transformed into the villainous Chasm.
We're not expecting Cage's Ben Reilly to be a clone, as the creators of the Spider-Noir show have explained that they used the name to separate the character from Peter Parker, with Cage's Ben being older and more jaded than the ever-optimistic Peter.
Robbie Robertson
Lamorne Morris plays Robbie Robertson, one of Peter Parker/Spider-Man's closest allies in comics. An employee of the Daily Bugle, Robbie often stands up for both Peter as a photographer at the paper, and for Spider-Man against J. Jonah Jameson's slander against the wall-crawler.
The Spider-Noir take seems more or less just like Robbie's comic incarnation, just transplanted slightly to the show's period setting. We know he's a journalist, just like the classic version, and he's got a close relationship with Ben Reilly - possibly even aware of his secret identity as The Spider.
Interestingly enough, in mainstream comics, Robbie's son Randy Robertson is a friend of Peter Parker, and he's also the former fiancé of Janice Lincoln, AKA The Beetle, who also just so happens to be the daughter of the nigh-impervious crime boss Tombstone.
Cat Hardy
Li Jun Li's lounge singer Cat Hardy seems to have a vested interest in Ben Reilly's history as The Spider, though we don't yet know exactly how she fits in, as friend or foe to Cage's vigilante. That said, it could be a bit of both, given the morally grey history of the Black Cat, who seems to be the inspiration for Cat Hardy.
Named Felicia Hardy in comics, the Black Cat is the Marvel Universe's premiere cat burglar, who has stolen everything from Iron Man armor to Infinity Stones. She's one of Spidey's most confounding foes, though their relationship is hardly that simple.
While Black Cat has often been at odds with Spider-Man, they've also had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship over the years, a plot point that could be a factor in Cat Hardy's relationship with Ben Reilly in the show.
Silvermane
Spider-Noir's big villain, Brendan Gleeson's Silvermane, is seen only in a quick distorted image in the Spider-Noir trailer, but from the look of things, he'll stick closer to his original comic concept as a powerful crime boss rather than his evolution into a full on sci-fi villain.
The comic version of Silvermane is obsessed with obtaining immortality, using magical and technological means to achieve it, leading to strange, unintended consequences as his body is transformed multiple times.
First, his quest for youth de-ages him into a baby before causing him to blink out of existence entirely. When he returns, his mind is transferred into a nigh-invincible robotic cyborg body. We're guessing Spider-Noir probably won't be going there, but you never know.
Flint Marko/Sandman
Sandman is one of Spider-Man's longest running enemies in comics, having debuted all the way back in 1963's Amazing Spider-Man #4. As most Spider-fans know, Sandman has the power to transform his entire body into sand, allowing him to create all kinds of traps and weapons to defeat Spidey.
Jack Huston portrays Sandman in Spider-Noir, under his comic alias Flint Marko. We have yet to see his powers at work, but the Spider-Noir trailer does offer a couple of split-second, blink-and-you'll-miss-it glimpses at Huston in character.
As seen above, Huston's Flint Marko does indeed seem to have some kind of sand powers, with his skin taking on a sandy texture. And it appears he won't be the only super-powered villain who shows up in Spider-Noir.
Molten Man
The identity of the flaming villain in the Spider-Noir trailer isn't clear, but we know that The Spider will have to face him as he burns down a mansion (via Esquire). There are a couple possible comic characters this could be, but we're betting it's Molten Man.
The boiling hot Spidey villain Molten Man is the wall-crawler's most prominent fire-powered enemy in comics. Real name Mark Raxton, he becomes Molten Man after being doused in an experimental liquid metal that changes his body, giving him fire and heat abilities.
There's another potential character who could fit the bill, as unlikely as it may be. Given the '30s-ish setting of Spider-Noir, it's not impossible that he's a version of the original Human Torch, Jim Hammond, one of the first Marvel Comics characters ever. That might be quite a stretch though.
Electro
We haven't seen his face yet, but we have seen Electro's powers in an all too brief cameo in the Spider-Noir trailer. There's a quick shot of The Spider facing off with someone who can summon electricity from their hands.
It's not technically confirmed yet that this is Electro, but when it comes to Spider-Man, there's really no other arch-enemy who fits the bill. Electro is another old school Spidey villain, who dates back to 1964's Amazing Spider-Man #9.
Electro is a founding member of the Sinister Six, the Doctor Octopus-led villain team composed of some of Spidey's deadliest foes. Along with Electro and Doc Ock, the original Sinister Six also counts Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Vulture, and Sandman, who also appears in Spider-Noir.
Spider-Noir premieres on May 25 on MGM+, followed by May 27 on Prime Video. While we wait, look into everything we know about Spider-Noir, and stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.
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