Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Spider-Noir.
Spider-Noir has dropped all eight episodes of its first season, meaning some Marvel fans will have already binged the entire series – and discovered the fate of hard-boiled hero Ben Reilly aka The Spider (Nicolas Cage).
When the series begins, Ben is still reeling from a devastating loss years earlier, but finds himself reluctantly drawn back into crime-fighting by the emergence of a group of super-powered thugs.
Viewers based outside of the US will have spent the last 72 hours avoiding spoilers online, after the series debuted a few days early in the US (via MGM+) before debuting internationally (on Prime Video).
The unconventional Marvel adaptation is available in “authentic” black and white or a “true-hue” colourisation – be sure to check out our advice on which Spider-Noir version is best, if you’re struggling to decide.
Whether you’ve already finished viewing, or you’re just a fiend for spoilers, read on for your guide to the Spider-Noir ending – including where it leaves Ben Reilly, and whether there’s any link with the Spider-Verse films.
Spider-Noir ending explained: Does Ben Reilly retire as The Spider?
Spider-Noir sees Ben Reilly consider retiring his vigilante persona for good by taking a serum that would ‘cure’ him of his superhuman abilities. However, he ultimately decides against such a radical move.
Ben had salvaged the last vial of Dr Faber’s cure from her laboratory, where he was subjected to horrific experimentation, as she sought to understand the mutations that her son’s platoon developed while prisoners of war (POWs).
Those same ex-soldiers, who had become powered thugs for Silvermane, proceeded to kill her and destroy her facility, either not realising or not caring that she had finally made a breakthrough.
Alas, Ben’s attempt to ‘cure’ (read: neutralise) his two main adversaries – Flint (aka Sandman, played by Jack Huston) and Dirk (aka Megawatt, played by Andrew Lewis Caldwell) – doesn’t go very smoothly.
In an early interruption, the private investigator is summoned to an audience with Silvermane, where he briefly manages to keep his superhero alter-ego under wraps thanks to a daring imitation by Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris).
Not long after, Dirk finally recognises Ben from the day he liberated his platoon from a POW camp, putting together that he must have abilities too and, therefore, be the real Spider.
The realisation triggers a brawl that spills out onto the streets of New York City, with the unstable and egomaniacal Megawatt going into a full rampage, prompting even Sandman to stand against him to protect his love, Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li).
While Ben is knocked out, Sandman and Megawatt fight and the latter very nearly triumphs, using his electrical abilities to heat the former into easily shattered glass.
The Spider regains consciousness just in time to intervene, ending the scrap with a rather glaring deus ex machina: swinging his powerful foe into an oncoming train.
Side note: while all this was going on, Cat had a similarly anticlimactic showdown with her abuser Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson), locating him in a hall of mirrors and fatally shooting him before he had the chance to strike.
Despite all the ways in which they betrayed and targeted him, Ben decides that Cat and Flint deserve a chance to turn over a new leaf, gifting them the last dose of cure – and thus, saving the life of the rapidly deteriorating Sandman.
Still, we shouldn’t expect the trio to be firm friends from here on out, as a flash-forward scene demonstrates that bygones are not exactly bygones as far as Ben is concerned.
Nevertheless, his victory does seem to help him move on from the crushing loss of his late girlfriend, Ruby, which had left him languishing in a pit of despair for several years.
Ending on a hopeful note, we see that Ben has promoted his former secretary Janet (Karen Rodriguez) to a co-partner in their business, having more than proven her own investigative skills over the course of the season.
Robbie also bounces back from a scare at Silvermane’s place and is sure to remain a key ally to Ben and Janet, in his capacity as editor-in-chief of the self-founded Harlem Herald.
Does the Spider-Noir ending connect to the Spider-Verse films?
No, it doesn’t! Sony and Prime Video have been eager to point out that this is not technically a spin-off from the Spider-Verse films, where Cage voices an alternate version of Peter Parker.
Although Ben Reilly and his world bear a striking resemblance to Spider-Verse’s resident noir hero (as well as sharing the same star and producers), Spider-Noir actually follows an entirely separate character and continuity.
All this to say, if you were hoping that Spider-Noir might offer any teases about the long-awaited Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, you’re out of luck. All signs suggest that these two projects will remain completely disconnected.
Is Ben’s secret identity exposed in Spider-Noir’s finale?
Although Ben’s face is partially revealed during the fight in the Spider-Noir finale, roughly half remains covered and there’s no indication that this will come back to haunt him.
Fortunately, due to the more primitive technology of the 1930s era, there’s a relatively slim chance that any identifiable images of him were taken on the scene.
That said, the untrustworthy Flint and Cat are in on the secret, and remain at large, with identity-related crises being a regular feature of Spider-Man stories.
Therefore, it could certainly be an optional route for future stories if Spider-Noir returns for a second season.
Spider-Noir is available to stream on Prime Video (UK) or MGM+ (US). Sign up for Amazon Prime for £8.99 a month.
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