The new Prime Video series Spider-Noir dropped on May 27, 2026, and fans quickly noticed a major change to one of Marvel’s older villains. Brendan Gleeson plays the crime boss Silvermane, but this version is not Italian like the comic books. Instead, Gleeson’s character is an Irish mobster from the slums of Dublin.
The show stars Nicolas Cage as Ben Reilly, a private investigator in 1930s New York who used to be the city’s only superhero called The Spider. The series is available on Prime Video in more than 240 countries. Viewers can watch all eight episodes in either “Authentic Black & White” or “True-Hue Full Color”.
Gleeson Pitched the Irish Backstory Himself
Brendan Gleeson did not want to copy the comics. When the Oscar nominee joined Spider-Noir, he talked with the show’s creator Oren Uziel about changing the character’s roots. Gleeson admitted he did not look at the old comic books for inspiration. He said the original Silvermane “came as an Italian,” and he joked that “my Italian is not good visually, or any other way”.
So Gleeson suggested making Silvermane an Irish mob boss. He wanted the character to come from Dublin’s slums, which were very tough places to live at the turn of the century. The actor did a lot of reading about Irish gangsters from that time period to give his performance a real flavor.
“There was a kind of rural vibe to him. I wanted him to be specifically from the slums of Dublin, which were horrific at the turn of the century. So, giving him a historical context and making him into that guy meant that I could access a lot of stuff culturally that I wouldn’t have otherwise.” – Brendan Gleeson
Gleeson was not sure if Uziel would go along with the idea. He waited to see if the showrunner was “up for that or not.” Luckily, Uziel liked the pitch. Gleeson said Uziel was “really embracing of people’s ideas” throughout the production and wanted “to see how far they would go” with their creative choices.
How Comics Silvermane Differs From the Show
The original Silvermane first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 73 back in 1969. Comic writers Stan Lee and John Buscema created the character as an Italian mobster from Corleone, Sicily. He started as a racketeer in a crime group called The Maggia before building his own criminal family.
In the comics, Silvermane is known for having pale white hair. He has fought Spider-Man many times, but also clashed with S.H.I.E.L.D., Daredevil, and even worked with Hydra. One of his biggest comic book traits involves a special serum made by Curt Connors (the Lizard) that helps him stay young. The mob boss wants to live forever and stops at nothing to find a way.
Spider-Noir leaves out the youth serum story completely. The show focuses only on Silvermane as a crime boss whose power is slipping away. People keep trying to kill him, and he hires Ben Reilly to find a mole inside his organization. He does not know that Reilly is actually The Spider.
Earlier animated shows changed Silvermane too. The 1990s Spider-Man cartoon had him working with Connors to use an ancient tablet for reversing old age. Later cartoon versions also ignored the youth serum and just showed him as a mob boss or a cyborg.
The Irish Mob Change Fits the Show’s Time Period
The Spider-Noir team did not change Silvermane’s background just for fun. The decision makes sense for the show’s setting. The series takes place in 1933 New York, a time when Irish crime groups had real power in the city.
Gleeson pointed out that Dublin was in bad shape in the early 1900s. The Irish Civil War and other conflicts left the city in ruins. Hard times create hard people. A man like Silvermane could easily come from that background and rise to power in America.
Other movies and shows have explored this idea before. Netflix’s Peaky Blinders features many Irish and Romani characters involved in crime. The show’s dark, gritty style matches what Spider-Noir is trying to do.
Lamorne Morris, who plays reporter Robbie Robertson in the series, said the black and white format helps bring out this old-school crime feel. He told the BBC that the team made specific choices on set because of the black and white presentation. “There are moments when you’re doing a scene and they might stop because your pocket square looks a lot better in black and white”.
Working With Showrunner Oren Uziel
Gleeson had nothing but good things to say about working with Oren Uziel. The actor said the showrunner gets talented people around him and then actually listens to their ideas. Uziel allowed Gleeson to go back and forth on the script to make the dialogue sound more authentic to someone from Dublin.
Gleeson explained that he would tell Uziel when a line did not sound right coming from an Irish character. “Look, that wouldn’t be, there’s a better way of saying that from Dublin,” Gleeson would say. Then Uziel would come back with rewritten lines that did what the scene needed without being too obvious.
“He gets really good people around him to bring ideas, and he embraces them. He’s very liberating that way. It was a great creative collaboration, really.” – Brendan Gleeson on working with showrunner Oren Uziel
The actor praised Uziel for being open to changes from all the creative people working on Spider-Noir. This approach helped the team build a version of Silvermane that feels fresh while still fitting inside the Marvel world.
Also Read:
What the Change Means for the Series
Making Silvermane Irish instead of Italian sets Spider-Noir apart from other Marvel shows and movies. The series does not need to follow the comics exactly. The change gives Gleeson a chance to use his own background and experiences to create something new.
The Silvermane in Spider-Noir is not looking for immortality or magic tablets. He is just an old gangster trying to stay alive in a city that wants him dead. This simpler, more grounded version of the character fits the film noir style of the show. No super serums or weird science. Just a man, his gun, and his fear of losing everything.
Spider-Noir premiered on MGM+ on May 25, 2026, before landing on Prime Video worldwide on May 27. All eight episodes are available for streaming now.
Also Read: Dutton Ranch Episode 4 Cast Guide: Who Plays Dwight and Other New Faces in the Latest Episode
For more updates on Marvel series and streaming news, keep following VvipTimes.
