Even if you’ve never read a Spider-Man comic, you probably know the eighth page of Amazing Spider-Man #50. That splash page features a trash can in the foreground with the Spider-Man costume stuffed on top. In the background, Peter Parker sulks away in his civilian clothes. The page, recreated in all manner of media, including 2004’s Spider-Man 2, pays off the promise of the story’s title: “Spider-Man, no more!”
The new series Spider-Noir takes place in a different universe than that of Amazing Spider-Man #50, a 1930s New York populated by gangsters and super-people. And instead of Peter Parker, the show is about Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), a man who once fought crime as a web-slinger called the Spider. But as the final trailer for Spider-Noir makes clear, Ben Reilly crumbles under the weight of great power and great responsibility, just like every other Spider-Man in every other reality.
In the trailer, we learn that Ben used to be the wall-crawling hero. But for reasons not yet clear, Ben set his costume aside and has been making a living as a private detective. But when the gangster Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) starts gaining strength via his super-powered henchmen, Ben feels the call to become the Spider once again.
Whether Ben Reilly or Peter Parker, whether in comics or films, whether in animation or live action, every Spider-Person entertains the thought of chucking it all into the garbage and living their lives. The tension is implied in the most famous line from the Spider-Man franchise, with great power comes great responsibility.