In Review: Spider-Noir Season One

Synopsis: Ben Reilly, a seasoned but down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero, The Spider, following a deeply personal tragedy.

The Story

Spider-Noir focuses on Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck private investigator in a grim alternate 1930s New York. Ben once operated as the city’s sole masked hero, The Spider, but after his girlfriend was killed and he was unable to save her, he hung up the mask.

A few years later, a fire linked to Silvermane leads Ben into a new case, where he uncovers a conspiracy involving experimental treatments that are giving criminals dangerous superhuman abilities. Along the way, he becomes entangled with the mysterious Cat Hardy, builds a reluctant partnership with reporter Robbie Robertson, and is forced to confront the guilt and losses that drove him away from heroism.

As Silvermane’s plans spiral out of control, three enhanced villains find themselves working alongside him. One is a troubled young man whom Cat Hardy desperately wants to save, another is Lonnie Lincoln, a man driven to crime out of desperation, while Dirk Leyden, who has the ability to control electricity, harbours ambitions that go far beyond anything Silvermane is offering.

These competing agendas eventually come to a head in a violent confrontation that brings an end to Silvermane and leaves Ben with a difficult choice: cure himself or use the antidote to save one, if not all, of the supervillains. Ultimately, he embraces the mantle of The Spider once again, while Robbie leaves the Bugle and joins Ben in launching a new investigative agency.

Acting

Nicolas Cage is fantastic in the role of Ben Reilly, who, when we first meet him, is a man down on his luck and trapped by the ghosts of his past. However, after being hired by Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), his life begins to change as he is forced to confront the guilt and grief that have defined him for years and ultimately rise above them.

Li Jun Li is equally brilliant as Cat Hardy, delivering a performance that embodies the classic femme fatale in the truest sense of the term. Her scenes with Cage crackle with chemistry, particularly the moment when she discovers that Ben is The Spider.

Also deserving of praise is Andrew Lewis Caldwell as Dirk Leyden, aka Megawatt. Caldwell fully embraces the role, creating a larger-than-life villain whose volatile personality and complete lack of impulse control make him a constant threat. In truth, there isn’t a weak performance to be found, with every member of the cast delivering top-notch work throughout the season.

Overall

This first season of Spider-Noir does a great job of establishing the world and its characters, while also providing a solid origin story for Ben and how he acquired his powers. Around the midway point of the season, the various story threads begin to come together as the bigger picture gradually falls into place.

I watched the series primarily in colour, though I did switch to the black-and-white version for one episode. To be honest, both formats work equally well, with each bringing something different to the viewing experience.

Hopefully, we’ll get a second season. Given that the series is set roughly fifteen years after the First World War, there are plenty of interesting storytelling opportunities to explore, particularly with the political tensions of the era and the rise of Nazism in Germany as Hitler began his ascent to power.