A recent update indicated that Amazon Prime Video's Spider-Noir might not be exactly what fans are expecting. Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage will return as Spider-Man Noir this May in an eight-episode live-action series that is completely disconnected from the Variant of the 1930s detective wall-crawler that he voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Amazon Prime Video previously confirmed a historic TV-14 age rating for Spider-Noir, the highest-ever for the web-slinger as he makes his live-action TV debut.
According to an exclusive report from Gold Derby, Spider-Noir is being submitted by Sony and Amazon Prime Video in the "Comedy" award categories. The series' comedy categorization comes as a surprise, as Amazon Prime Video's official listing for Spider-Noir places it in action, drama, and suspense genres.
As this year's 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will recognize TV released between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026, Spider-Noir will only just make the cut with its May 27 eight-episode binge release on Amazon Prime Video. The Marvel series will now face off against Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, Wonder Man, and Peacemaker for the Emmys' comedy prizes.
Spider-Noir's first trailer very much portrayed the series as the suspenseful drama that Amazon Prime Video has thus far described it as. In fact, the series comes across as rather serious and, at times, sinister, with Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly portrayed far creepier than Tom Holland's Peter Parker.
Previously, Daniel Richtman hinted that Spider-Noir is "huge" in scale and "way bigger than people would expect." The insider notably hyped up an "epic" clash between Nicolas Cage's Spider and Jack Huston's Sandman, indicating that there is far more to Spider-Noir than the first trailer let on:
"Yeah I hear the show is HUGE way bigger than people would expect. Apparently the fight between him and Sandman is supposed to be EPIC."
Spider-Noir's Comedy Genre Is a Strange Decision
Spider-Noir will introduce Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly in a gritty, 1930s New York setting as an aging, cynical private investigator and a former superhero. The series will be centered on the criminal underworld of this twisted noir reality, with Brendan Gleeson's mob boss Silvermane serving as Spider-Noir's big bad.
That description certainly doesn't paint a picture of a comedy series, nor does the generally tense tone portrayed across the first trailer. That said, fans still have almost two months to wait until the series premieres and there has only been one trailer released so far, meaning that Spider-Noir may be hiding its jokes for now.
If Spider-Noir is, secretly, a much funnier outing than has been depicted in its early marketing, there's no doubt that the reactions from audiences would be mixed. Granted, a fair share of quips and jokes are tradition for a Spider-Man tale, although those are traditionally absent from the detective noir Variant.
There is every chance that Sony and Amazon simply decided that, as a superhero tale, Spider-Noir will stand a better chance at the Emmys in comedy categories, even if that doesn't best describe the tone of the show. Regardless, fans won't have to wait long to find out the series' true identity.
Still, Spider-Noir will have its fair share of more comic-booky elements, as Ben Reilly has been confirmed to face two recast Spider-Man: No Way Home villains, Sandman and Electro, who are equipped with their iconic superpowers.
