Well, after plenty of fights, a spot of illegal experimentation and a whole bunch of booze, we’ve finally reached the end of the crazy adventures of Spider-Noir. It’s been a hell of a run that’s delivered all the Spider-Man action and Nicolas Cage overacting you’re ever likely to want; but now we’re at the finale, it’s worth taking a step back and really giving yourself a moment to appreciate just how well everyone involved did merging such disparate genres into one cohesive -if frequently nutzoid – whole.
It’s pretty easy to take it for granted now that we know such a bizarre experiment worked, but if you were to truly weigh up all the elements involved, I’m sure you’d agree that the fact that Spider-Noir was even watchable, let alone a slice of must-see television is nothing short of a freaking miracle. Still, all that’s left is to stick that landing – and while genuine surprises seem to be in short supply for a show that’s been consistently innovative, action – and a spirited ending – proves to be our reward.
It seems that all the players in the crazy world of Spider-Noir have all reached the end of their respective journeys and they’ve all led them to the exact same place – the club owned by power hungry mob boss, Silvermane. Summoned by the gangster, Ben Reilly has barely had time to recover his spluttering spider-powers from his grueling brawl with Lonnie Lincoln, so he has to use his wits when it turns out that Silvermane wants him to contact the Spider to hammer out a truce. Also in the room are vengeful gangster’s moll, Cat Hardy who is desperate to get out from under Silvermane’s thumb and start a new life with metahuman Sandman, Flint Marko, and has repeatedly betrayed both the crime boss and Reilly in order to make that happen. Using the remaining cures as leverage, Ben hopes to lure Silvermane in by playing along and even maybe get some money out of the old psycho, but as the ordeal continues, things get progressively messier.
For a start, Dirk “Megawatt” Leyden recognises Ben as the man who saved them all when they were POWs during the war, which clues Silvermane into the fact that Ben actually is the Spider. However, to counter that, ace reporter Robbie Robertson shows up in the Spider’s costume and does a passable impersonation to keep the con alive – but when Karen is found lurking outside and Megawatt decides to make a play against Silvermane, things rapidly start to break down.
Cat confesses that it was her who repeatedly tried to have Silvermane killed or at least set him up to the cops and after Flint finally breaks ranks to protect her, all Hell breaks loose. The results are a 2 on 1, metahuman brawl in the streets with the public looking on, but with Cat finally getting to face off with Silvermane, Flint’s allegiances hanging in the balance and Megawatt’s powers well and truly going to his head, Ben’s got quite a to-do list if he’s going to get through this.
If I’m being honest, I thought a show as fiercely original (tonally speaking at least) as Spider-Noir might have more climatic surprises up it’s web-slinging sleeve than it actually does, but even though things pretty much end exactly where you’d think they would, you can’t argue that it’s a disappointment either. But even when the episode is going exactly as you’d expect, and all the characters get a predictable end to their respective tales, Spider-Noir’s last hurrah manages to keep things moving at a breakneck pace and still be just as fun as it’s always been. For a start, the second you discover there was finite supply of the antidote left, you already knew that the exact amount would be smashed in order to leave our hero just short of being able to cure both his enemies and himself of their pesky, extra-normal abilities. Aaaand that’s pretty much how it all plays out too. Vials break, souls are searched and Ben unsurprisingly does the decent thing and gives a normal life to the character that needs it more than he does.
That character is obviously Flint Marko, whose potential to not be as villainous as his powers drove him to be has been advertised with a metaphorical neon sign since the first episode. It’s great to see him finally turn on both Silvermane and Megawatt when Cat is in trouble, but again, it’s not exactly a plot twist that comes utterly out of the blue. Elsewhere, business is finally settled between Li Jun Li’s Cat and Brendon Gleeson’s gleefully evil Silvermane, but again, the road for this plot has been ploughed so clearly, the final destination is never truly in doubt.
It’s a damn good job that getting there is so much fun then, because while “The Man In The Mask” may not be as big on shocks as some of the preceeding episodes, it certainly ensures that all the colourful energy (metaphorically speaking if you’re watching the black and white version) and exuberance that’s powered the show up until now is still well and truly in effect. For a start, the battle of wits and nerve that occurs when Ben and his motley crew try to put one over on their enemy gets more fun the more out of control it gets. Not only to we have Cage once again enthusiastically chowing down on every eccentric line reading that bursts from his face, but we also have Lamorne Morris in full Spider getup doing his best Nic Cage-as-Humphrey Borgart impression. What’s even funnier is that you just know that Morris (and everybody else on-set) were probably doing these impersonations of Cage’s performance for the entire period of filming for their own, personal amusement, so it’s an extra silly bonus for us. Similarly, the final showdown between Cat and Silvermane could have been a run of the mill affair that could have sidelined both their character arcs in favour of the big, superhero blowout, but instead, the episode gives the villain the flamboyant send-off he deserves by having Cat stalk him in a very Noir-esque room of mirrors. In fact, it there is an overriding surprise to be had from this final episode, it’s that rather than just letting the superhero stuff overwhelm the story (and the budget), that balance of modern, comic book heroics and 30s cinema aesthetics are still doled out in refreshingly equal measure, even if the plot is ultimately wrapped up by costumed guys whaling on each other.
However, for all of its quirks, Spider-Noir proves to be a Spider-Man outing through and through. Tobey Maguire’s torn mask from the original, 2002 movie is dutifully referenced when Reilly has his own face covering battle damaged, and watching a guy with webs outwit and subdue guys with electrical and sand powers will always stir up the inner Spidey fan in anyone.
While light on seismic shocks, Spider-Noir still manages to bring the season home with verve, style and that out of control gonzo streak that’s made the season such a gem to experience.
We’ll next see some form of Nic Cage’s character once more in the next Spider-Verse movie in 2027, but if Marvel, Sony and Amazon want to continue breaking the infamous curse of Spider-Man related spin-offs, a second season would be very much appreciated. After all, going deeper into a Spider-Noir rogues gallery carries a certain sense of anticipation. After all, who wouldn’t want to watch The Maltese Vulture, Scorpion On A Train or Night Of (Kraven) The Hunter? I know I would.
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