Why Nicolas Cage's Ben Reilly Isn't Called Spider-Man In Spider-Noir

Contains spoilers for "Spider-Noir" Season 1, Episode 1 – "Step Into My Office"

He says it right in his opening monologue: Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage) is The Spider in "Spider-Noir," not Spider-Man or any other version of that character. Why does that crucial difference exist? To separate a youthful, dewy, and usually teenaged Peter Parker from the well-seasoned Ben — and because it harkens back to Golden Age comic book and radio characters like "The Shadow."

"Peter Parker feels very synonymous with a high school kid. Boyish. On his way up," "Spider-Noir" showrunner Oren Uziel explained to Esquire. Uziel explains that they picked the named Ben to differentiate the character from Parker because he's grizzled and middle-aged. Producer Chris Miller confirmed this decision, adding, "[t]his character's very different from the Peter Parker from the movies. He's older and jaded, and not afraid to punch a guy in the face drunkenly."

It turns out there's a reason that the creative team named The Spider Ben Reilly, and they're not telling why. "I have to be coy about the reasons, because you'll find out," producer Phil Lord told Esquire. "The reason he's named Ben [Reilly] is explained," Chris Miller said. "We'll leave it at that."

The name Ben, naturally, has several connotations to Spider-Man fans: after all, the death of Peter's oft-murdered Uncle Ben Parker was the catalyst toward Spider-Man becoming the great superhero he is. But more specific to "Spider-Noir," there are multiple versions of Ben Reilly in the Marvel Comics universe, where Ben is known as the Scarlet Spider, and he's a clone of Peter Parker. 

While it remains to be seen whether this Ben Reilly evolves into the Scarlet Spider, there may be another reason why he's not simply an alternate Peter Parker: Marvel has certain rules about the way Peter must be portrayed — he must be heterosexual, white, and male, and must not be seen using alcohol or doing and selling drugs, among other things. Since Ben in the "Spider-Noir" series is already breaking one of those rules — he likes his drink — using him for this version of the character is a way to further distance Spider-Noir from the more clean-cut Spider-Man that we all know.

Will this version of Ben have a connection to Peter Parker? Or are the producers tossing out red herrings to bedazzle their viewers? Fans will have to watch "Spider-Noir" to find out.