Spider-Man Noir has a very different origin story than the Spidey you know

As Spider-Man’s cinematic future remains mysterious, there’s a long-awaited version of it the character who goes to TV. That would be Spider-Man Noir, the fan-favorite, 1930s-inspired hero from Earth 90214, and it’s played live by the one and only Nicolas Cage. Fans are starting to get a glimpse of what that will look like, and if you’re not familiar with the character, there are several big differences between Spider-Man Noir and the main universe’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, including their respective origins.

While Spider-Man calls the current universe his home, Spider-Man Noir is set in the midst of the Great Depression, set in 1930s New York. This Peter Parker is also raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben, and also loses his Uncle Ben tragically, although the causes and how it happened differ drastically.

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In this version of events, Peter’s Uncle Ben is gruesomely murdered by The Goblin (aka Norman Osborne) in retaliation for orchestrating an attack on Goblin businesses. Although there is no proof, Peter knows that it was Goblin who killed Uncle Ben, and he tries to figure out how to prove it. That leads to an encounter where they are rescued by Ben Urich of The Daily Bugle, who takes Peter on as a protégé.

The spider bite

This sets the stage for Peter to gain his powers, but again, things are much darker in tone than in the main universe. In this story, Peter discovers that Ben is a drug addict after discovering that he has passed out, and thus intercepts a tip about one of Goblin’s shipments. Peter goes to the pier and thanks to a fallen Spider Idol, a large number of spiders are freed, and one of them bites Peter.

Of course, this turns out to be no ordinary spider, and the divine entity imbues Peter with the powers of a spider we’ve all come to know. He has enhanced strength, speed, reflexes and his signature spider sense, and he can also create webs with his wrists. This prompts Peter to go back to Ben and confront him, learning that he has been blackmailed by Osborn to feed his drug habit.

After this encounter, Peter creates his Spider-Man costume, based on Uncle Ben’s pilot uniform, and becomes determined to take down the Goblin. Unfortunately, he no longer has Urich to count on, as Urich is dead when he next finds him, and then he becomes embroiled in the death of Jonah Jameson, but we learn that there is much more to the story than what initially appears .

That’s the origins of Spider-Man Noir, and you can see how it keeps the core elements of Spider-Man while making big changes in a grittier tone. We’ll have to see what the live action film does with the material, but it’s without a doubt one of the most exciting Spider projects on the horizon.

Are you excited about Spider-Man Noir? You can talk about all the wonders and comics with me on Threads and Twitter @mattaguilarcb!