Prime Video's Spider-Noir: Nicolas Cage's Marvel Character Ben Reilly, Explained

Spider-Man (or a version of him, anyway) is making his way to TV in the flesh. Amazon recently revealed the trailer for the live-action "Spider-Noir" series for Prime Video, starring Nicolas Cage. It features a riff on the character Cage voiced in the animated hit "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," albeit with a twist: This isn't Peter Parker. Cage is playing a character called Ben Reilly, a name that has a great deal of importance in the pages of Marvel Comics, in addition to shouldering a complicated legacy.

Cage's character in "Spider-Noir" won't actually be called Spider-Man. Rather, the show will refer to him as The Spider, which is meant to honor the show's noir roots. As for why he's Ben Reilly and not Peter Parker? That's where things get interesting. In an interview with Esquire, the show's producers explained that they're leaving that a mystery for now, as the show itself will explain it.

"I have to be coy about the reasons, because you'll find out," said Phil Lord, one of the masterminds behind the "Spider-Verse" movies. "The reason he's named Ben Reilly is explained. We'll leave it at that," added Chris Miller, Lord's creative partner and collaborator.

There is much to be said and much speculation to be done. For the time being though, it's worth digging into the history of Ben Reilly in the comics: Where he comes from, how his story differs from what we've seen so far, and what parts of that story might be adapted to serve Cage's new twist on the character.

It's worth mentioning that one could write a large book on Ben Reilly's history, so this article can't be totally comprehensive. But we can certainly offer context and look at what it might mean for "Spider-Noir." Let's dig in.

The character of Ben Reilly technically made his debut in the pages of Marvel Comics in "The Amazing Spider-Man" #149 in 1975, though he was only identified at that time as a clone of Peter Parker. It wasn't until 1994 in "Web of Spider-Man" #114 that he returned. He was identified by name later that year in "Spider-Man" #51 at a time when Spidey was at something of a peak, in no small part thanks to "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," one of the best "Spider-Man" cartoons of all time.

Very basically, Ben Reilly is a genetic clone of Peter Parker. Reilly was created by Miles Warren, aka the villain known as the Jackal, who was teased in "Kraven the Hunter" via an Easter egg but has yet to make it to screen in live-action. The Jackal was created to cause Spider-Man anguish but seemingly died during their first squabble in the '70s. Hence, his long absence from publication.

Reilly survived though and exiled himself for years, returning to New York much later. At that time, he made amends with Peter, even fighting alongside him as the Scarlet Spider. In 1994 the issue "Web of Spider-Man" #118 identified him as Scarlet Spider for the first time. This became the superhero alter ego used by Reilly. Andy Samberg voiced a version of Scarlet Spider in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

This is where things get complicated. For a time, Reilly and Parker were tricked by Norman Osborn to believe Ben was the real Peter. So, Parker flees New York with Mary Jane Watson while Reilly takes up the mantle of Spider-Man. He later has a confrontation with Osborn's Green Goblin that ends with him being impaled and dying, in Parker's arms no less.

Things get even more wonky when Peter discovers that him being the clone was an elaborate lie. There is much more to the whole thing but it was all chronicled in an infamous '90s Marvel Comics event known as the "Clone Saga." While many Spider-Man fans have come to appreciate Ben Reilly and Scarlet Spider, the story itself is far less beloved. It's convoluted, messy, and took a long time for Marvel to truly move on from.

"The whole arc was supposed to end in Amazing Spider-Man #400, and leave 'Ben Reilly' as the one and only 'original Peter Parker' and forge a new beginning," said then-"Spider-Man" editor Mark Bernardo in a blog series entitled "The Life of Reilly" in 2008. "Ironically, the whole storyline, which was supposed to simplify Spider-Man's mythos and ultimately bring him 'back to basics' ended up complicating everything beyond what anyone imagined!"

Even without a comprehensive history, it's easy to see how this differs wildly from what we know of "Spider-Noir." The show, so far as we know, doesn't involve clones. It doesn't feature Reilly at odds with Peter Parker. It's a period piece set in the 1930s. Nicolas Cage based his "Into the Spider-Verse" performance on Humphrey Bogart. That's far from the Reilly anyone knows from the comics.

What benefit to the show is it to use the Ben Reilly identity? More than anything, it's going to allow them to have Cage's character form his own identity. Showrunners Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot may have other reasons more closely connected to the source material, but those won't become apparent until the show airs.

"Spider-Noir" premieres May 25, 2026, on MGM+, before arriving on Prime Video on May 27.