Spider-Man Noir

While Peter Parker still becomes the titular Spider-Man in the comic book starring his name, the initial focus of the story is upon Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich, an experienced and respected reporter who has a network of informants under the alias of the Spider. The Goblin is a crime lord named Osborn whose henchmen consist of the Enforcers (consisting of Ox, Fancy Dan, Montana), Kraven, the Chameleon (a master of disguise) and the Vulture (a sideshow freak who had developed a taste for human flesh). Urich does not use the information he has to expose the Goblin but rather to blackmail him, in order to get enough money to feed his secret drug habit.[1]

Urich encounters Peter Parker during an oration by Peter's Aunt May Parker in Central Park. The socialist slant of Aunt May's words does not sit well with the Enforcers, and Urich is forced to intervene in order to prevent serious injury to either Peter or May. Urich subsequently takes Peter under his wing,[1] and after Peter mistakenly receives a tip-off meant for the Spider, the young man ventures to a warehouse where the Goblin's men are unloading a shipment of stolen antiques. A particular antique — a spider statue — breaks open and releases a horde of spiders. One of the spiders bites Peter, causing him to pass out and dream of a spider god. When he awakes, he is upside-down in a black web.[2]

After waking up, Peter discovers he possesses arachnid superpowers. Donning a mask, Peter confronts Norman Osborn in his home in order to get him to give up his hold over the city. However, Peter is shocked to discover Urich, who is revealed to have been blackmailing Osborn with his information on the mob boss in exchange for fueling his drug habit. Angered, Peter leaves Urich. Upon returning home, Peter creates a costume based on his uncle's World War I-era airman uniform and becomes the vigilante Spider-Man.[2] Peter later returns to Urich's apartment to force him to help him to bring down the Goblin, only to find the reporter dead. Strengthened with resolve from his aunt and Urich's lover, Felicia Hardy — owner of the Black Cat club — Peter thwarts the Goblin's criminal operations.[3]

In order to censor the Daily Bugle, Osborn kidnaps the editor J. Jonah Jameson and has the Chameleon assume his place. The Chameleon-as-Jameson goes to Urich's apartment and shoots him, unaware that Felicia witnessed the murder. Hardy goes to the Daily Bugle offices and kills the Chameleon, leaving his body to be discovered by Spider-Man shortly before the arrival of the police.[3] Spider-Man escapes the attentions of the police and goes to his home, where he kills the Vulture, in order to stop him from murdering Aunt Parker. Despite saving his aunt, May criticizes him for killing the Vulture, as he could have stopped him with his powers. She tells Peter that killing people would make him less of what makes him human.[4]

Spider-Man later tracks down and confronts Osborn, having dispatched all of his henchmen in turn. During their fight, it is revealed that Osborn is a former circus freak himself who hides his goblin-like visage behind one of the Chameleon's masks. After Spider-Man refuses to kill Osborn, the spider-infested and barely still alive body of Kraven appears and attacks the Goblin, killing him.[4]

Later, Spider-Man visits Felicia, who reveals that she had once had a relationship with The Goblin. Spider-Man reveals himself to be Peter in front of her, and she asks why he is there. Peter hands her a photo Urich had in his files earlier of him and Felicia. Spider-Man then jumps out the window, and swings away, leaving Felicia behind.[4]

Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face is a sequel to Spider-Man Noir, which takes place a few months after the Goblin's death. In 1934, Peter Parker, Spider-Man, has a new problem: The Crime Master is a masked criminal who has taken over as the city's crime boss. As he investigates, his relationship with Felicia Hardy, owner of The Black Cat speakeasy, develops. He returns home to find Joe and Robbie Robertson talking with Aunt May. As a struggling black reporter, Robbie asks Peter to set up a meeting with Doctor Otto Octavius who is experimenting on Ellis Island. A few days later they meet with him and learn that he is experimenting on monkeys to understand more about the human mind. Octavius himself is wheelchair bound but employs controlled robotic arms, attached to the back of his chair, to help him. After they leave, Robbie suggests the story is deeper. That night a delivery of kidnapped black people are delivered to Ellis Island.[5]

Spider-Man takes the fight to The Crime Master and busts up an operation of drinking, girls and drugs. In a back room he discovers a soundproof torture chamber. He goes to visit Felicia, but she is with someone else. Returning home, he is told that Robbie has disappeared. On Ellis Island, Octavius inspects the new test subjects, and Robbie is among them. Octavius, working for The Friends of New Germany (TFONG), intends to use them to prove that inferior races can be controlled by removing their willpower surgically. Spider-Man revisits the chamber for more information, but he is ambushed by The Crime Master and his men. With them is The Sandman who slams Spider-Man to the ground with ease.[6]

The police, led by Jean DeWolff, arrive too late to save Spider-Man from a massive beating but in time to kill Sandman. The Crime Master escapes, but Spider-Man has managed to link him with TFONG. A severely injured Spider-Man goes to Felicia to recover. The following day she forces him to leave before the arrival of her other man — the unmasked Crime Master. Felicia questions him too much, and he determines that she has been seeing Spider-Man. In fury, he attacks her with a shard of mirror. He gets a call from the leader of TFONG, telling him to shut Ellis Island down before they all get caught. Spider-Man goes to Ellis Island himself and finds Robbie, but was too late as Octavius had already drilled into his frontal lobe, leaving him motionless.[7]

The Crime Master arrives and starts destroying Octavius’ work. Spider-Man drives most of Crime Master's gang away as Octavius gets his robotic arms on The Crime Master. He slices him apart with scalpels, desperate to save his work. Spider-Man then sets on Octavius for what he has done, crushing his robotic arms. DeWolff arrives before Spider-Man kills him and tells him to thank his girlfriend for calling them in. Spider-Man sees Robbie safe and swings to see Felicia. Her guard tells him that she does not ever want to see him again after she was hurt because of him.[8]

A month later, Robbie is receiving care by his parents at home, but seeing him like this makes Peter feel guilty and upset. Mary Jane Watson tries to comfort him outside, but he still feels he is losing everybody he cares for. Octavius is deported to Germany, where the Nazis think that his disability renders him useless, and Felicia has recovered but wears a cat mask to cover the scars on her face.[8]

During the Spider-Verse storyline which featured Spider-Men from various alternate realities, Spider-Man Noir starred in one-shot comic Edge of Spider-Verse #1, at the end of which he was recruited by The Superior Spider-Man into his army of Spiders.[9] He was also featured prominently in Spider-Verse Team-Up #1, alongside a six-armed Spider-Man.[10] In Spider-Woman Vol. 5 #1, Spider-Man Noir found himself defending the lives of Silk and Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) and got wounded in the process, after which he was returned to his home reality to heal and recuperate.[11]

In the second volume of Spider-Verse set during the Secret Wars event, Spider-Man Noir found himself in the domain of the Battleworld called Arachnia, where he found and observed Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man: India, Spider-UK, and Anya Corazon (neither of them remembering their previous encounter during the original Spider-Verse), though he chose not to reveal himself to them until they crashed into one of his operations.[12]

Following the conclusion of Secret Wars the team of six Spiders that formed during the event renamed itself and were featured in a new ongoing series called Web Warriors, a name that was coined by Peter Parker from the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series during the original Spider-Verse, in which they aided each other in combating the threats of their respective dimensions.[13]

One night, Spider-Man and Felicia, now known as "White Widow", meet up on a rooftop to confront Herman Schultz, who was negotiating with a Nazi general to sell his Shocker suits for the Third Reich to use in the war. Spider-Man defeats him by exposing him to a water tower before Spider-UK comes in requesting his assistance. He joins him in the portal as Felicia stays behind to take out the Nazis.[14]

After gathering a few alternate Spider-Men and Women, the Web Warriors confront Superior Octopus at his lair in San Francisco after discovering that he has the Inheritor Cloning Engine in his lab. Spider-Man Noir tries to take it out before it resurrects the Inheritors, but it's too late and he is killed by Morlun who drains his life-force.[15] After the alternate Spider-Men eventually defeat the Inheritors once more, Spider-Gwen travels to the Noir dimension to inform May, Mary Jane, and Felicia of his death. May lashes out at Gwen upon finding out about her nephew's vigilante activities while Felicia tearfully thanks her for giving them closure.[16]

It's later revealed that the Spider-God that granted Peter his powers resurrected him and brought him back to his home world after his death in Spider-Geddon. Shortly after he is brought back to life, he is approached by Miles Morales from the Ultimate universe, who came to the Noir universe seeking his help in finding the Spider-God statue in hopes of repairing the Web of Life and Destiny. They learn from the Enforcers that the statue was taken by Nazi scientist Madame Sturm, who now calls herself Madame Swarm after using the idol to mutate herself and give her control over bees. The two defeat her by luring her towards a Nazi blimp that they blow up using Miles' Venom Sting. Peter gives Miles the idol to take back to the Web of Destiny. Miles warns Peter that doing so might mean his next death is permanent, but Peter is fine with it as he doesn't want anymore special treatment from death like everyone else.[17]

One night, Peter is informed by J. Jonah Jameson that the Black Cat club was attacked. The two investigate the scene and come across the body of Holly Babson, a waitress who was secretly a police informant. Peter finds a cicada-shaped brooch in her hand and discovers she has a sister named Huma Bergmann, who was a byzantinist overseeing a Babylonian exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She informs Peter that the brooch is an ancient artifact known as the Cicada Stone that was supposed to be carried by the curator, Dr. Heinrich Hellstrom, whom Holly supposedly never knew. She offers Peter the chance to fly with her to Europe to investigate the case further. Peter initially refuses to leave New York, but changes his mind after May convinces him that Holly deserves justice.[18]

The costume and the equipment are different from the original, especially the costume that is made up of a normal dress of the era matched with a coat; The basic aspect of the costume is the mask made with the headgear and the aviator glasses used by his uncle during the Great War and the costume made in kevlar can withstand bullets and explosions.[2] He is shown to be a skilled marksman, being adept in the use of firearms and also uses a variety of such weapons including a revolver and a tommy gun to severely injure or even kill criminals.[3]

• In the Avengers Assemble episode "Planet Doom", Slinger's costume almost flawlessly resembles Spider-Man Noir's costume. This version of Spider-Man is a member of the Defenders, a resistance group of vigilantes who are against Doctor Doom, who has altered history and conquered the world. Slinger works alongside Bullseye (Clint Barton) and Snap (Sam Wilson), who are awaiting their foretold savior, the God of Thunder Thor's, arrival. After Doom's defeat, reality is restored to normal, and Slinger reverts to Spider-Man. In this alternate reality it's shown that Slinger doesn't actually have any superpowers (implying that after Doom changed the past and altered reality, the Peter Parker of this alternate timeline was never bitten by the spider that lead to him receiving his spider powers) and instead uses training, his instincts and advanced technology to mimic the powers of his main timeline counterpart, such as mechanical spider legs to climb buildings and gauntlets that shoot cables to grapple things to mimic Spider-Man's web shooters. Although one thing in common with Spider-Man Noir and Slinger is that they both carry firearms.
• Spider-Man Noir appears in Ultimate Spider-Man, voiced by Milo Ventimiglia.[19] He first appears in the third season, titled Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors. In the episode "The Spider-Verse: Part 2", after Green Goblin appears in the Noir reality to collect the DNA of that universe's Spider-Man, he is confronted by both the "Noir" and the "Ultimate" Spider-Man, who had followed the Goblin to this universe. Noir is shocked to learn Ultimate Spider-Man is a younger version of him while he is a much older version of Peter. He is depicted as brooding and melancholy of his fate as hero, which resulted in him severing ties with his Aunt May and Mary Jane. He is forced to work together with his counterpart after the Green Goblin hijacks an airship, taking a group of civilians hostage, including Mary Jane. While the Ultimate Spider-Man saves the hostages, Spider-Man Noir fights the Goblin on his own, but the Goblin manage to take the DNA of a distracted Spider-Man Noir and then departs. Spider-Man Noir admits to both Ultimate Spider-Man and Mary Jane that he should drop the "lone wolf" act. In the Spider-Verse finale, he teams up with the other alternate versions of Spider-Man to defeat Spider-Goblin and Electro. Afterwards, he returns to his own universe but not before thanking his counterpart for letting him regain his spirit. The character returns for the fourth season, titled Ultimate Spider-Man vs The Sinister 6. In the episode "Return to the Spider-Verse: Part 3", he finds the Ultimate Spider-Man and Kid Arachnid fighting with Mr. Fixit (a Noir version of the Hulk) and his minions, Thunderbolt and A-Bombardier, who are in a gang war with Hammerhead. He reveals that he lost Mary Jane in an accident caused by Hammerhead's gang, for which he blames Mr. Fixit. Spider-Man finds the Siege Perilous fragment in the new machine gun that was provided by Hammerhead's minion, Martin Li. Upon touching the Siege Perilous, Martin Li gains the ability to transmute anything to stone and becomes Mister Negative. Li overthrows Hammerhead to become the new crime lord of the city. After Mister Negative fends off Wolf Spider, Spider-Man and Kid Arachnid persuade Spider-Man Noir and Mr. Fixit to work together to help to stop Mister Negative. During the final fight, Noir Peter sacrifices himself by turning to stone after taking a blast meant for Fixit, but Fixit manages to restore everyone back to normal after taking the shard from Mr. Negative, which also restores the world to color. Noir Peter thanks Ultimate Peter and Miles before they leave and begins a partnership with Fixit. In the "Return to Spider-Verse" finale, Noir is shown captured by Wolf Spider and along with other Spider-Men has his life force drained by him before being saved by Ultimate Peter.

• Peter Parker / Spider-Man Noir appears in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, voiced by Nicolas Cage.[20] He arrives in Miles Morales' universe along with Spider-Ham and Peni Parker. This version talks in a stereotypical 1930s dialect similar to Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson (which is what Cage based the character on). Due to his universe being entirely in black, white and grey, he is unfamiliar with colors and is seen playing with a Rubik's Cube which he takes a liking to. He is also a bit insensitive, as he calls Miles' story of a villainous uncle trying to kill him a "hardcore origin story". However, he later shows compassion by relating to Miles after his uncle is killed by describing his own loss. He faces and defeats Tombstone in the final battle before aiding Spider-Ham and Peni in defeating Scorpion. After Miles takes control of the particle accelerator that brought the heroes to his universe, Noir bids farewell to his counterparts and voices his love for them before returning to his dimension; taking the cube home with him and managing to solve it. In the credits, he is shown selling it to the people of his world.
• The Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Far From Home features a tactical stealth suit given to Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) by Nick Fury, which is inspired by the Spider-Man Noir suit.[21] After Peter wears the suit in a battle against the Fire Elemental in Prague, he becomes known to the public as "Night Monkey", a name made up by his friend Ned.[22]

• Spider-Man Noir appears as a playable character in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes. His reality is one of four alternate dimensions that is seeded by pieces of the Tablet of Order and Chaos.[23] Spider-Man Noir can blend into the shadows to perform sneak attacks on enemies. After defeating his versions of Hammerhead, Vulture and Green Goblin, and claiming the tablet fragments in his world, he, together with the other three Spider-Men, are teleported to the 616 universe by Madame Web to fight Mysterio, who had absorbed the Tablet and effectively became a god. After defeating Mysterio, Noir and the other Spider-Men return to their own realities.
• Spider-Man Noir appeared as an unlockable playable character in Marvel Super Hero Squad Online, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.
• Spider-Man Noir's suit was available as a Gamestop pre-order bonus alternate costume for Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.[24]
• Spider-Man Noir suit was available as an alternate costume for Spider-Man in Marvel Heroes.
• Spider-Man Noir appears as an unlockable playable character in Spider-Man Unlimited. Doctor Octopus Noir and Sandman Noir appears as boss villains.
• Spider-Man Noir appeared as an unlockable playable character in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.
• Spider-Man Noir appears as an unlockable playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.
• Spider-Man Noir suit is available as an alternate costume for Spider-Man in Spider-Man.