Spider-Noir ending explained: Does Nicolas Cage’s weary hero retire?

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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Spider-Noir.

All eight episodes of Spider-Noir’s first season are now available, so many Marvel fans have likely already watched the whole series and found out what happens to its main character, Ben Reilly, also known as The Spider (played by Nicolas Cage).

At the start of the series, Ben is still struggling with a painful loss from the past. However, when a new gang of criminals with superpowers appears, he’s hesitantly pulled back into fighting crime.

People outside the US have likely been trying to avoid spoilers for the past three days, as the show premiered in the US on MGM+ a few days before its international release on Prime Video.

Okay, so I just finished watching the Spider-Noir arc and I’m diving into what happened at the end – and trust me, if you haven’t seen it yet, be warned, spoilers ahead! I’m going to break down what the ending means for Ben Reilly, and whether it connects at all to those awesome Spider-Verse movies we all love.

Spider-Noir ending explained: Does Ben Reilly retire as The Spider?

In Spider-Noir, Ben Reilly contemplates giving up being a vigilante by taking a serum to remove his superpowers. Ultimately, though, he decides against it.

Ben managed to rescue the final dose of Dr. Faber’s treatment from her lab. He had been a test subject there, as she desperately tried to figure out what caused the strange changes in soldiers from her son’s unit after they were captured as prisoners of war.

The former soldiers, now working as Silvermane’s enforcers, killed her and demolished her lab, seemingly unaware or unconcerned that she had just achieved a major discovery.

I have to say, watching Ben try to deal with his enemies, Flint and Dirk, didn’t exactly go as planned! He was aiming to neutralize them – Flint, who’s also known as Sandman and brilliantly played by Jack Huston, and Dirk, or Megawatt as he’s called, portrayed by Andrew Lewis Caldwell – but things quickly got messy.

The investigator is unexpectedly called to meet with Silvermane, and he almost manages to hide his secret identity as a superhero. Luckily, Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris) cleverly pretends to be him, saving the day.

It didn’t take long for Dirk to realize Ben was the same man who had rescued his platoon from the prisoner-of-war camp. He figured Ben must have special abilities, making him the true Spider.

When this truth comes to light, a fight breaks out, quickly moving from inside to the streets of New York City. Megawatt, already unstable and obsessed with himself, completely loses control, and even Sandman steps in to defend the woman he loves, Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li).

With Ben unconscious, Sandman battles Megawatt, who almost wins by using his powers to superheat Sandman until he’s brittle enough to break.

Just as the fight was reaching its peak, the Spider suddenly woke up and stopped it in a very convenient, and somewhat unbelievable, way – by swinging his opponent directly into the path of an approaching train.

Interestingly, at the same time, Cat confronted and killed her abuser, Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson). She found him in a room filled with mirrors and shot him before he could attack, but the encounter lacked the dramatic tension one might expect.

Even after being betrayed and targeted, Ben chooses to give Cat and Flint another chance. He provides them with the final dose of the cure, ultimately saving Sandman’s life as he was quickly getting worse.

However, it’s unlikely Ben, and the others will become close friends. A later scene shows he still hasn’t fully moved past their issues.

Despite everything, winning appears to be helping him heal from the deep sadness he felt after his girlfriend, Ruby, passed away. He had been struggling with her loss for years.

The season ends with good news: Ben has made his former secretary, Janet (Karen Rodriguez), a co-partner in the business. She’s earned the promotion by consistently demonstrating her talent for investigation throughout the season.

Robbie quickly recovers from a dangerous situation at Silvermane’s headquarters and will continue to be a vital friend to Ben and Janet, especially with his position as the editor-in-chief of the Harlem Herald, a newspaper he created himself.

Does the Spider-Noir ending connect to the Spider-Verse films?

Look, let’s clear something up right away. Sony and Amazon are keen to emphasize that this isn’t really a spin-off of those amazing Spider-Verse movies, even though I’m familiar with the voice actor, Shameik Moore, who played an alternate Peter Parker in those films.

Even though Ben Reilly’s story feels very similar to the Spider-Noir character from Spider-Verse – they even have the same lead actor and creative team – Spider-Noir tells a completely different story with its own unique timeline and character.

Unfortunately, don’t expect Spider-Noir to reveal anything about the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. It looks like these two projects won’t be connected at all.

Is Ben’s secret identity exposed in Spider-Noir’s finale?

Even though we see part of Ben’s face during the final fight in Spider-Noir, about half of it stays hidden, and it doesn’t seem like this will cause any problems for him later on.

As a real film buff, I was relieved to learn that because cameras weren’t as advanced back in the 1930s, it’s unlikely any clear pictures of him were actually taken at the time.

However, the deceitful Flint and Cat know the secret and are still out there, continuing a pattern of identity problems that often appears in Spider-Man’s adventures.

If Spider-Noir comes back for another season, this storyline could definitely be explored as an extra option.

Don’t miss Spider-Noir! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app today for daily TV suggestions, articles, and more.

Authors

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig writes about television and streaming dramas and comedies for TopMob. Before joining TopMob, he worked at Starburst Magazine, hosted the podcast ‘The Winter King’ for ITVX, and earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Sheffield.

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2026-05-27 19:38