One especially niche Spider-Man villain will make his small-screen debut as part of Prime Video's Spider-Noir series. Nicolas Cage's Spider-Noir show is set to use a few of the web-slinger's most iconic villains, but it will also include characters never seen before in Marvel lore. The use of characters like this should help set this series apart from anything in the web-slinger's history, some of it pulling from source material that has never been touched.
A new teaser for Prime Video's Spider-Noir (shared by IGN) confirmed that Andrew Lewis Caldwell will join this series as Dirk Leydon, also known as Megawatt. This will be the villain's first-ever appearance in any Spider-Man movie or TV show, live-action or animated.
Originally, this character was believed to be a new version of Electro, one of Spider-Man's most notable adversaries (previously played in live-action by Jamie Foxx in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home).
Megawatt has only appeared in one single issue of Marvel Comics — Spider-Man Unlimited Vol. 1 #2, published in 1993. In this issue, he is a former Australian convict and struggling actor who gains his powers after an encounter with Jonas Harrow, who is known for turning criminals into supervillains through scientific experimentation. After this encounter, Dirk Leydon gains the ability to absorb, store, and release electricity, which is highlighted in this trailer.
Leydon will be only one of a few villains appearing in this series alongside Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly. That group includes Brendan Gleeson's ultimate antagonist Silvermane, Li Jun Li's Cat Hardy (a new interpretation of the Black Cat), Jack Huston's Flint Marko/Sandman, Abraham Popoola's Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone, and Jack Mikesell's James "Jimmy" Addison (a brand-new character created specifically for this series).
Spider-Noir is the newest live-action Spider-Man series, which is set in a new universe outside both the MCU and Sony's long-running Spider-Man story. Starring Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly, the Oscar-winner will bring a live-action version of his animated Spider-Verse character to life, embarking on a 1930s-set noir-style drama in which he will have to jump back into action years after stopping his run as a hero called the Spider. Spider-Noir will debut on MGM+ on May 25 and on Prime Video on May 27.
Megawatt's Impact on Spider-Noir Series
Considering this will be Megawatt's debut in any Spider-Man property, the slate is wide open for what he will be able to do in a live-action setting opposite Nic Cage. At the very least, he will be able to set himself apart from Electro, who was last seen as an electrical engineer in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and No Way Home before he fell into a vat of electric eels and was granted his powers.
Early footage from the series has shown him powering up outside of a 1930s theater, likely setting up his love of movies and acting as part of the plot. He has been teased as somebody desperate to get his moment in the spotlight at any cost, setting him up as quite a dangerous enemy in a city already infested with scary antagonists.
Considering the drama Leyton is sure to bring, he will quickly become a thorn in Spider-Man's side as he works to get to the bottom of everything happening under Silvermane's watch. Where the newcomer goes from here is still unknown, but he will add something fresh and new to a franchise that has already brought countless heroes and villains to life in movies and TV shows over the decades.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
