That playfulness will be seen within the choice to have Cage play Ben Reilly as a substitute of Peter Parker… which isn’t fairly the large distinction some may anticipate. Ben Reilly first appeared in 1974’s Superb Spider-Man #149, as a clone of Peter Parker created by mad scientist Miles Warren. Though the clone appears to die on the finish of the difficulty, he resurfaced a long time later in an notorious storyline often called The Clone Saga. We are able to’t get into the small print right here, however The Clone Saga was a convoluted mess that originally instructed that the Peter Parker we knew and beloved was in reality the clone, and the actual Peter had been dwelling on the West Coast below the identify Ben Reilly.
Many, many, many points and twists and editorial about-faces later, Marvel determined that our Peter was the actual Peter, and Ben died making an attempt to save lots of our hero. But, Ben has since returned, often below the identify Scarlet Spider and changing into a fan favourite. Through the use of that identify for its hero, Spider-Noir hopes to hold the nice emotions that Ben has constructed up within the comics, whereas additionally exhibiting viewers that its brooding, black and white Spider-Man isn’t fully totally different from the man we’ve been following.
The Black Cat Strikes.. Kind Of
Spider-Noir‘s extra daring revision includes one other key member of Spider-Man’s universe, Felicia Hardy a.ok.a. the Black Cat. First launched 5 years after Ben Reilly in Superb Spider-Man #194, Felicia Hardy was a wealthy lady who adopted within the footsteps of her father to change into a grasp cat burglar. Just like the Batman villain she resembles, Black Cat has a flirtatious, antagonistic relationship to Spider-Man, which typically will get him to comply with her into bother.
It’s that final function that Spider-Noir retains for its model of Black Cat, even when different points have modified. Performed by Li Jun Li, Cat Hardy is a lounge singer who works in a membership owned by Silvermane, the gangster portrayed by Brendan Gleeson. Judging by her image in Esquire, Cat Hardy gained’t be donning the comedian ebook character’s skin-tight outfit, however she shall be a basic femme fatale, one who Ben Reilly will discover onerous to withstand.
The Rise of Robbie Robertson
Whereas Ben Reilly and Cat Hardy deviate from their comedian ebook counterparts, the third character revealed by Esquire feels fairly devoted to the unique, and that’s factor. Lamorne Morris performs Robbie Robertson, a hardscrabble reporter who’s on the path of each Silvermane and Spider-Man.
Since his introduction in 1967’s Superb Spider-Man #51, Robbie has been some of the vital folks in Spider-Man’s supporting forged. A high editor on the Day by day Bugle, Robbie serves as a counter-point to the blustering J. Jonah Jameson. His kindness to Peter, and skill to carry out the perfect in Jonah, has been the lynchpin of many nice Spidey tales.
