Spider-Man: 10 Alternate Spider-Verse Stories Fans Must Read
2. Spider-Man Noir
The runner up to the most famous elseworld from the Marvel 616 universe, behind the ultimate and 2099 universes, is the Noir universe. This is by far the easiest to describe out of the three: it's the Marvel Universe, but everything is set in the 1930s and 40s.
Everything is bleaker, more violent, and punching Nazis is the most in demand job skill on the market. Good times.
Except, of course, if you're Peter Parker. Because a happy Peter Parker is a Peter Parker about to be murdered in the first act.
The Noir universe was jammed packed with interesting re-imaginings of different Marvel heroes, but the Spider-Man of this universe has a particularly grim life. Par for the course in Noir fiction, but few Noir stories opened with the main character's uncle getting eaten alive by a cannibal. Side bar, if you're squeamish, avoid this entire imprint.
Spider-Man Noir is a gritty, dirty, sordid detective series, that just happens to star a man who can climb up walls. This doesn't mean he has any qualms about putting a bullet in you. What starts as a vengeance fuelled hunt for his uncle's murderer, soon lands Peter in a sprawling tale of deception and intrigue.
It being a mystery, we can't say much more than that. But rest assured, this series is worth your time. But if you want a truly fascinating reinvention of Spider-Man, stick around for just one more entry.