Spider-Noir: should you watch the Nicolas Cage series in black and white or in colour?

Since 27 May 2026, Spider-Noir has been available on Prime Video, and the series led by Nicolas Cage has already won its bet: excellent reviews, word of mouth that keeps building, and above all something nobody had ever tried for a Marvel series. Every episode exists in two distinct versions: one in black and white, faithful to the soul of 1930s noir, and one in colour, more accessible. The upshot is that thousands of viewers ask exactly the same question when they press play on the first episode: which one should I pick? Here is the full answer — the critics’ verdict, the twist nobody saw coming, and the precise instructions for not getting caught out by Prime Video.

One series, two versions: a first for Marvel

That is the great originality of Spider-Noir. The series was shot in 4K with modern cameras, filters and old-school lighting effects, then the footage was graded twice to produce two complete versions: ‘Authentic Black & White’, the full monochrome, and ‘True-Hue Full Color’, the colour version. These are not two different edits — the story is identical — but two radically opposed visual experiences, released simultaneously in more than 240 countries.

This is no gimmick. The world of Spider-Man Noir was born in the Marvel Noir comics in 2009, a full-blown tribute to film noir and Great Depression pulp, as told in our complete portrait of Spider-Man Noir, the 1930s detective. Presenting the series in carefully crafted black and white honours the character’s DNA; offering colour alongside it opens the door to a wider audience. Amazon settled the debate by not settling it — and it is now up to the viewer to decide.

The critics’ verdict: the TV surprise of the year

Plenty of people were curious about Spider-Noir, some sceptical. The result silenced the doubts: the series holds around 91% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average of 7.5/10 — an excellent showing for a superhero production in 2026. The eight episodes, 40 to 50 minutes each, plunge into an alternate Great Depression New York riddled with mobsters, mysteries and the macabre, where an ageing vigilante goes back to work.

As for Nicolas Cage, he delivers exactly what he promised before release: a character who is ‘70% Humphrey Bogart, 30% Bugs Bunny’. His jaded detective, soaked in whisky and cutting one-liners, moves between straight noir and full-blown absurdity. That mixture is precisely what divides the handful of unconvinced critics and delights everyone else. For his very first leading role in a television series, the actor makes a spectacular entrance into the line of actors who have played the web-slinger, which we trace in our overview of every actor who has played Spider-Man. And the wink from history is delicious: nearly fifty years after the very first live-action adaptation of 1977, it is once again the small screen that gives Spider-Man one of his boldest moments.

If you want to brush up on all the production background — the role of Spider-Verse architects Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, how the project came together at Sony and Amazon — our feature everything you need to know about the Spider-Man Noir series remains the ideal companion to this guide.

The twist nobody saw coming: Cage is not playing Peter Parker

This is THE revelation that got every fan talking the moment it went live: the hero played by Nicolas Cage is not called Peter Parker. The series makes the cheeky choice of handing the mask to Ben Reilly, a name that immediately strikes a chord with comics readers. In the classic universe, Ben Reilly is Spider-Man’s most famous clone, the tragic hero of the notorious Clone Saga of the 1990s. If that character means nothing to you, our portrait of who Ben Reilly is, Spider-Man’s clone will bring you up to speed, and our feature on the Clone Saga that still divides fans explains why that single name is a love letter to the comics. In Spider-Noir, the choice frees the story completely: no continuity to protect, no Peter Parker to handle with care — anything can happen.

Facing him, the series lines up a gallery of crooks that will delight those in the know. Brendan Gleeson plays a magnetic Silvermane as crime boss, alongside reworked takes on familiar figures: a period Sandman played by Jack Huston — whose classic version is unpicked in our analysis of Sandman, a villain more complex than he looks —, a 1930s Tombstone played by Abraham Popoola, to compare with the Tombstone who rules the New York underworld in the comics, plus the electric Megawatt. Add Li Jun Li as Cat Hardy, a reporter with the venomous charm of the finest femmes fatales, and you have the tastiest cast a Spider-Man production has offered in a long time.

The hero of the series

Articulated Spider-Man Noir Figure

The trench-coated vigilante of the 1930s, as an articulated figure. The piece every fan of the series will want standing next to the screen before starting the next episode.

€54.90 View the figure

Black and white or colour: which version should you choose?

Let us get to the question that brought you here. Both versions have real arguments in their favour, and the choice mostly depends on what you want from the series.

The case for black and white: the experience the genre calls for

Let us be blunt: it is in its ‘Authentic Black & White’ version that Spider-Noir shines brightest, and most critics agree on that. Black and white gives every alleyway a smoky, grimy texture that fits the world perfectly, turns the play of shadows into characters in their own right and brings the series closer to the great films noirs it draws on. The backlighting, the cigarette smoke, the sickly neon: everything was lit for this look. If you like the idea of a 1930s crime story with the web-slinger in it, this is the definitive version — the one that fully embraces the character’s visual heritage, in the direct line of his cult animated appearance, which we cover in our feature on Into the Spider-Verse, Marvel’s animated stroke of genius — where Nicolas Cage was already voicing Spider-Man Noir, which brings things full circle.

The case for colour: comfort and detail

The ‘True-Hue Full Color’ version is not a fallback colourisation. It reveals details that black and white swallows: the fabrics of the period costumes, the shop signs of 1930s New York, the patina of the sets. It is also the more comfortable version for family viewing, or for viewers who instinctively shy away from monochrome. Our advice for enjoying both worlds: watch the first episode in black and white to taste the experience as its creators intend it, then switch to colour if the look tires you out. Twenty minutes will tell you which camp you are in.

How it works on Prime Video — and the autoplay trap

You still have to know where the choice is hidden, because Prime Video does not put it front and centre. On the series page, the episode list shows only the colour version by default, which makes many viewers think it is the only one available. In fact, it is when you start each episode that the platform offers you the choice between ‘True-Hue Full Color’ and ‘Authentic Black and White’. On the TV app, watch out: you have about ten seconds to make your choice, after which playback starts automatically in a default version.

You can also change your mind along the way: during playback, open the settings and look for the ‘Alternate Versions’ option to switch from one to the other without losing your progress. One last trap, and not a small one: if you let autoplay run on its own, Prime Video can alternate versions from one episode to the next — black and white, then colour, then black and white. For a consistent experience, select your version manually for every episode. And if you want to round off the evening with a web-slinger film, our guide to where to stream the Spider-Man films lists the platforms for every feature film.

The Spider-Noir spirit

Spider-Man Noir Mask

The dark mask of the vigilante in the shadows, for cosplay, for the collection or for a series night in keeping with the mood. The accessory that turns a viewing into an immersion.

€34.90 View the mask

From cult comics to worldwide recognition

It is worth measuring how far this has come. Spider-Man Noir was born in 2009 in a low-profile mini-series, a hard-boiled rereading of the spider myth. The character could have stayed a curiosity for collectors; instead he became a cult figure thanks to animation, and then to this live-action series broadcast around the world. His popularity owes a great deal to his design — trench coat, fedora, aviator goggles — which makes him one of the most instantly recognisable silhouettes in the whole multiverse, alongside the variants we explore in our analysis of Across the Spider-Verse. One thing is certain: this success only heightens expectations for the animated conclusion of the multiverse, whose stakes we recap in our feature on what fans really want from Beyond the Spider-Verse.

The triumph of Spider-Noir also confirms a lesson Marvel is learning film after film: the web-slinger’s alternative outfits and moods fascinate audiences, from high-tech suits to the darkest costumes, an evolution traced in our retrospective on the symbolic evolution of Spider-Man’s costumes. The hero’s dark aesthetic has never been more fashionable, and today it reaches well beyond the screen, from collectible Spider-Man figures to Spider-Man t-shirts inspired by his most stylish outfits.

The web-slinger’s summer of 2026 is only getting started

Spider-Noir is only the first act of a historic summer for Spider-Man. On 29 July 2026, Tom Holland returns to cinemas in Brand New Day, whose every reveal we follow in our feature on the release date and cast of Spider-Man 4 — not forgetting the most talked-about mystery of the moment, Sadie Sink’s secret role. On the television side, animation is not standing still either, with the series we cover in our article on Spider-Man: Freshman Year. The character has never occupied so many screens at the same time.

To live this summer in the web-slinger’s colours — or rather, in black and white — take a look at the Spider-Man masks and the fancy dress and costumes for themed nights, the Spider-Man posters to put the noir mood on your walls, or the Spider-Man gift selection if a fan of the series has something to celebrate soon. Anyone who likes understated style will also find something among the Spider-Man clothing, where black is the dominant shade this season — the Spider-Noir effect, already.

The noir mood on your wall

Spider-Man Noir Watercolour Poster

At under €17, the print that extends the atmosphere of the series: a dark Spider-Man rendered in watercolour, perfect above the sofa where you binge-watch.

€16.90 View the poster

Our final verdict

So, black and white or colour? If you take away only one thing: start in ‘Authentic Black & White’. That is the version the series was designed for, the one that turns a good superhero crime story into a genuine cinema experience — and you can always switch to colour through the alternate versions if you feel like it. With its possessed Nicolas Cage, its unexpected Ben Reilly, its period gangsters and its soot-black New York, Spider-Noir proves there are still fascinating blind spots to explore in the web-slinger’s world.

And if the series makes you want to dig into the mythology, carry on with our complete guide to the Spider-Man films, from viewing order to the different universes, then with the portrait of Peter Parker — the one the series, for once, had the nerve to leave in the shadows.