Why Spider-Man’s New Prime Video Series Radically Changes A Major Marvel Villain’s Backstory

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The Prime Video series featuring Spider-Noir has introduced the classic Marvel villain Silvermane into live-action, though his origin story has been altered from the comics.

Brendan Gleeson, nominated for an Academy Award, stars as Finbar “Finn” Byrne, also known as Silvermane, in the new Spider-Man series. Set in 1933 New York City, Silvermane is a dangerous mob boss whose power is starting to weaken as a new mayoral election approaches. He hires Nicolas Cage’s character, Ben Reilly, to find a traitor in his organization, unaware that Reilly is secretly The Spider, a heroic figure.

Ahead of the show’s release, Grant Hermanns from ScreenRant spoke with Brendan Gleeson about his character, Spider-Noir. Gleeson admitted he hadn’t revisited the original comics when developing his portrayal of Silvermane, explaining that he and show creator Oren Uziel intentionally wanted to create a different version of the villain, who had previously been depicted as Italian in Marvel stories.

Gleeson chuckled, adding that he doesn’t speak Italian well at all. Because of this, he suggested portraying Silvermane as an Irish mob boss from that era. He envisioned a backstory where the character grew up in Dublin, and mentioned Robert Shaw’s performance in The Sting as a key influence on how he imagined the role.

Brendan Gleeson aimed to portray a character with a strong sense of his background. He envisioned the character as coming from the very poor, dangerous neighborhoods of Dublin around the turn of the 20th century. Researching this historical context and Irish gang members of that era allowed Gleeson to build a unique and culturally rich personality from the ground up.

Gleeson explained they were waiting to hear if Oren approved of the idea, but emphasized it wasn’t an ultimatum. If the creator didn’t want to incorporate the backstory change for Spider-Noir’s villain, that was fine. Luckily, Uziel was very open to suggestions throughout the production process. Gleeson praised Uziel for being receptive to all creative ideas and genuinely wanting to see how far the team could push their concepts.

Brendan Gleeson is fantastic to work with because he surrounds himself with talented people and genuinely welcomes their input. He’s incredibly freeing, allowing for a lot of back-and-forth during the writing process. I could suggest alternative phrasing – like offering a more natural Dublin expression – and he’d be open to it. I’d also run lines by him if they felt too direct, asking for his take, and he’d consistently come up with brilliant, subtle dialogue that perfectly captured the meaning. It was a truly collaborative and inspiring experience.

Silvermane first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #73 in 1969, created by Stan Lee and John Buscema. He began his criminal career in Corleone, Sicily, Italy, as a member of the Maggia crime syndicate before forming his own family. Known for his naturally white hair, Silvermane is often an enemy of Spider-Man, though he’s also fought against organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. and Daredevil, and has even worked with Hydra at times.

A key part of the Silvermane character from the comics—a youth serum created by Curt Connors—wasn’t included in Spider-Noir. The ’90s Spider-Man animated series altered this backstory, showing Silvermane working with Connors to use an ancient tablet to restore his youth. Later animated versions moved away from this idea, focusing instead on his role as a mob boss or his transformation into a cyborg, as depicted in more recent comics.

As a film buff, I actually think changing Silvermane’s background from Italian to Irish in Spider-Noir really works. As Gleeson pointed out, Dublin in the early 1900s was often a city in turmoil – with conflicts like the Irish Civil War and the Troubles – and that kind of environment breeds ruthless characters like Silvermane. We’ve seen this explored in other shows and movies too; Peaky Blinders on Netflix is a great example, with its many Irish and Romani characters and depiction of that era’s struggles.

The first season of the show featured Silvermane as a stand-in for Irish organized crime. It would be compelling to see if the second season introduces villains connected to the classic Italian mafia, like Hammerhead, Joseph Manfredi, and Count Nefaria, to oppose Silvermane. Considering the show’s noir style and the creator’s hint to ScreenRant about a potential setting shift to New York City during World War II, we might see a wave of new villains appear.

Be sure to dive into some of our other Spider-Noir content with:

  • Oren Uziel on why the Prime Video series pulled some deep-cut Marvel villains for its roster
  • Li Jun Li & Jack Huson on how Spider-Noir offers a tragic reinvention of 3 classic Marvel villains
  • Lamorne Morris on giving Robbie Robertson his biggest live-action role to date
  • Uziel on his ideas for Spider-Noir season 2

Spider-Noir is available to stream in its entirety on Prime Video.

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2026-05-29 19:59