Superhero fans have experienced no shortage of dark and violent stories over the last few months. Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 kicked things off with eight gripping, tense, and action-packed episodes that pulled no punches (quite literally). After justice was served and Matt Murdock paid the ultimate price, Frank Castle took the spotlight with a profound yet vicious special presentation featuring high-octane Punisher action like we've never seen before. So, to keep the streak going, it's time for another hero to have a dark and grim live-action portrayal.
Spider-Man is usually a light-hearted hero who consciously tries to hold back his punches to avoid doing any serious harm. Peter Parker is as good as Marvel characters get... but he won't be the one to star in the upcoming MGM+ and Prime Video series. Instead, Ben Reilly will take his place, and we're about to meet a more violent version of the wall-crawler, as suggested by Spider-Noir's official rating.
Spider-Noir has been rated TV-14
A new Spider-Noir TV spot revealed the upcoming show's official TV-14 rating. This is a first for any Spider-Man series ever made across animation and live-action. According to a description by the FCC, this means the show may have intense violence or strong language, among others:
"This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age. Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This program contains one or more of the following: intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely suggestive dialogue (D)."
In the comic book pages, Spider-Man Noir isn't afraid to use guns and take lives to deal with his problems. While that doesn't necessarily mean we're about to witness the exact same scenario on the small screen, the source material does suggest Nicolas Cage's portrayal of the character will be darker than usual. Besides, the series' setting and genre also lend themselves to mature themes.
Spider-Noir will follow Ben Reilly, a weary and seasoned private investigator whose days as a vigilante were seemingly over, until a new twisted case pulls him right back into the action. Following Flint Marko's disappearance and the burning of mob boss Silvermane's mansion, Ben Reilly will find himself in the middle of a convoluted web of crime that will lead him to face off against villains like Tombstone and Megawatt. Furthermore, we'll also watch this violent version of the vigilante punching Nazis.
Spider-Noir's rating makes sense considering the noir style, the more violent version of the wall-crawler, and the series of crimes involving notorious crime families. Besides, it's very likely that we'll see Ben Reilly take a life if Spider-Man Noir's comic book story is anything to go by. While the series will likely be notoriously toned down compared to the likes of The Punisher: One Last Kill, this is new ground for the friendly neighborhood hero.
With the confirmation that more Spider-Man spin-off series are on the way, this is the perfect opportunity for Sony to experiment with new styles and different Spidey variants to see which resonate better among fans. Maybe projects like Spider-Noir could prove to be a big success and lead to more seasons down the line. But regardless of the case, Peter Parker will still get to be the star of the theatrical movies, which are bound to have a more familiar and friendly tone.
It won't be long before we get to discover what MGM+ and Prime Video have in store for us. However, by the looks of it, we'll witness a mature and dark Spider-Man adventure, and we can't wait to see how it all pans out.
All eight episodes of Spider-Noir will be released on Prime Video on May 27, 2026.
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