Spider-Noir was a daring experiment for Sony’s Spider-Man brand. In his first TV leading role, Nicolas Cage reprised his Into the Spider-Verse character of Ben Reilly, aka the Spider, the masked hero of a world based on the 1930s. After a tragedy, Ben becomes a private eye and is soon involved in a case involving super-powered people.
The story ended with Ben taking down crime boss Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) while letting his love, Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), leave town with her own true love, Flint (Jack Huston). This came after Ben gave up his chance at a normal life to let Flint have the cure for their superpowers.
Speaking to Variety, Cage discussed the show and the ending, including how Ben letting Cat go mirrored the finale of the classic film Casablanca.
“I think Ben Reilly knows it’s useless. Cat doesn’t love him, it’s as simple as that. Am I gonna be the guy who keeps pursuing someone that’s not interested? No. Is it being selfless or is it just being real and letting her go? He wanted to forget about it and to put it away because he feels he failed the love of his life. Here he is, this person with powers, and he couldn’t save his favorite person, Ruby, so what’s the use? He has great remorse. But he has a higher calling, and he’s owning it.”
The show ended with Ben altering the agency so his long-loyal secretary Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez) was now his partner with her name on the door, and reporter ally Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris) was ready to help out.
That clearly sets up a sequel with the question of whether it can happen. Cage’s answer seems promising, but it’s hard to tell now.
“I do not know. But I would say that whether it happens or not, all of us achieved what we set out to do, and it works on its own. We’ll see what happens.”
So far, we don’t know the exact viewing numbers for Spider-Noir, but Variety reported it debuted #1 on all platforms. It also holds a very strong 91% at Rotten Tomatoes with 93% audience approval and excellent reviews. That could lead to another year, yet there are stumbling blocks.
The most obvious would be Cage, as the actor is one of the busiest guys in Hollywood. Working around his schedule for another year would be a challenge. There’s also the budget, with unconfirmed reports claiming this season alone may have cost Amazon a whopping $400 million. A second season would no doubt be bigger and far more expensive.
Still, the fan adoration and how much Cage loved the show could be factors, so here’s hoping Spider-Noir swings into a second season.
Spider-Noir is streaming on Prime Video.
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