Spider-Noir Axes Its Deadliest Character — Don’t Count Them Out Yet

Here's one for fans of oddball comic adaptations: 'Spider-Noir' only just landed on Prime Video with Nicolas Cage playing Ben Reilly, and we're already talking about what could have been — and what still might be — in Season 2. And, trust me, it's a bit of a mad one.

A Very Lethal 'What If'

The show's head writer and showrunner, Oren Uziel, has been talking openly about a scrapped plot point that was too dangerous even for this series. In a revealing chat with Slash Film, Uziel admitted that he'd originally wanted to bring in a character called Sticks. Now, this bloke isn't your typical Spider-Man villain. He's got a power that's absurdly straightforward and, frankly, makes him a massive headache to write around: touch anyone, they drop dead. That's it. You can see why Uziel fell for that idea — sounds like the perfect anti-noir superpower — and why the producers quickly saw trouble ahead.

Who Exactly Is Sticks?

• Name: Sticks
• Power: If he touches you, you die. Instantly. No antidote, no take-backs.
• Original Arc: Sticks, thanks to those lethal hands, kills his boss entirely by accident — then unexpectedly ends up a hero of a workers' rights revolution.
• Why He Was Cut: The creative team felt Sticks was 'overpowering' the rest of the villains. Basically, he was playing on a different level to everyone else and the story risked spiralling out of control.

Could He Still Turn Up?

Here's where it gets a bit juicy for anyone who likes the wilder corners of a superhero show. Uziel hasn't ruled Sticks out for good. In his own words:

'It was cool, but it was just kind of its own story. And also I think, it’s kind of a pain in the a**, as a guy who can just touch people and you die. I’m not sure how to … that might be a challenge for the next season.'

In other words, don't expect Sticks to pop up next week, but the door isn't shut — mainly because the idea is just too odd and too dangerous to ignore forever. And if 'Spider-Noir' does get a second series, it could be a chance to revisit the idea with a different approach. Uziel teased to The Hollywood Reporter that with private detective stories, there's always room for another case (and another client). So, by the sounds of it, Sticks could easily stroll in at any time, deadly handshake and all.

'Spider-Noir' dropped on Prime Video back on 27 May, with no proper confirmation yet on a second series. But as anyone who’s watched a detective show knows, all you need is someone new knocking at the door and the whole thing can start all over again.