10 Superhero Period Pieces To Scratch That Spider-Noir Itch, Ranked

Spider-Noir has been a major triumph for Prime Video, marking yet another success for the streamer in the superhero genre after The Boys. Nicolas Cage and company have delivered a fun, offbeat series that stands on its own without needing to tie into a larger universe. It has also strengthened the case that superhero stories can work exceptionally well as period pieces.

Between Batman: Caped Crusader, Spider-Noir, and the upcoming The Boys spin-off, Vought Rising, superhero period pieces seem to be having a moment. Fortunately, for viewers interested in this niche, there is no shortage of great options from DC and Marvel, along with a few indie properties that have been exploring the genre since the early days of superheroes.

Here are 10 shows and films to check out if you’re craving something like Spider-Noir and simply can’t wait for Vought Rising next year.

10 Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018)

Based on the Elseworlds comic of the same name, Gotham by Gaslight is a DC animated film released in 2018. Set in the Victorian era, the film is a murder mystery in which Batman investigates the killings of several women, bringing him face-to-face with the infamous Jack the Ripper. The original comic was illustrated by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and written by the late Brian Augustyn, known for his work on X-O Manowar. Like Spider-Noir, the story reimagines Batman’s mythology within a richly stylized historical setting.

9 Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)

One of the most well-regarded entries in the post-Endgame MCU, First Steps was an important film for several reasons. After previous unsuccessful attempts, Marvel finally had the opportunity to do justice to the First Family. Setting the film in the 1960s was a brilliant choice, especially since that was the decade in which the Fantastic Four debuted in comics. Blending a 1960s aesthetic with retro-futuristic superhero design resulted in a visually striking final product. While its stakes are much larger than those of Spider-Noir, it explores similar territory through its overall design philosophy.

8 Justice Society: World War II (2021)

A time-travel story that takes the narrative back to the Second World War, it introduces fans to the Justice Society battling Nazis. With classic DC characters like Hawkman, Wonder Woman, and Jay Garrick thrown into the mix, the film explores stories that closely resemble the adventures these characters had when they were originally contemporaries of such events. The inclusion of a modern-day Flash as an audience stand-in both adds to and detracts from the story at times, but the characters are likable and fit seamlessly into the time period.

7 Agent Carter (2015)

Following Peggy Carter in the wake of the events of Captain America: The First Avenger, the story traces the transformation of the SSR into S.H.I.E.L.D. Showcasing a slew of proto-heroic characters whose legacies would go on to shape the MCU in future installments, Agent Carter scratches the exact itch that Spider-Noir left behind. Set in a world steeped in the loss of its greatest hero, it depicts the people he left behind rising to the occasion, battling evil and protecting the innocent as the fallout from HYDRA and World War II spills over into the rest of the world.

6 The Shadow (1994)

The Shadow is an interesting case in the superhero genre, as it is one of the few entries on the list that did not originate in comic books. The character began as a radio drama before being adapted for the big screen. In the process, the character was given additional powers to better suit a visual medium, since much more had to be conveyed on screen than in audio form alone.

One of the earliest entries on the list, with a production date of 1991, the story is set during the First World War, placing it around the same era that Spider-Noir draws from. Although it was not as well reviewed as Spider-Noir, it has since become a cult classic and is definitely worth watching for fans of this niche genre.

5 The Rocketeer (1991)

The 1991 version of The Rocketeer is the oldest entry on the list and is aesthetically the most period-focused piece among them. The Rocketeer’s costume remains one of the most iconic in indie superhero history. The film itself is very similar to the story of Spider-Noir. Set at the onset of the Second World War, The Rocketeer is a story of wonder unfolding during one of the grimmest moments in human history. It is absolutely worth watching, as it still holds up remarkably well nearly forty years later.

4 Batman: Caped Crusader (2024)

The most recent entry behind The Fantastic Four, fan response to the character was markedly different from how critics perceived the show. Set in the 1940s and stripping Batman of all his gadgets, the animated series, which is due for a second season, is filled with references to and stories inspired by the first twenty years of Batman comics. Released only two years before Spider-Noir, the series serves as a contemporary reimagining of one of the most popular characters its company has to offer. While Caped Crusader is not for everyone, it shares essentially the same premise as Spider-Noir: a private detective navigating a city full of criminals during a liminal period in United States history.

3 Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman was one of the first critical and mainstream triumphs of the Snyder era of the DCEU. After a string of critically divisive and commercially mixed mainline entries in the franchise, Wonder Woman, under the direction of Patty Jenkins, received widespread praise from fans, critics, and general audiences. Its World War I setting added a distinct period flavor to the film, allowing Wonder Woman to engage directly with the prejudices of the era. More epic in scope than Spider-Noir, the film occupies a similar intersection of superhero spectacle and period drama.

2 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Kevin Feige’s genius shone through when he decided to greenlight films that merged the superhero genre with others. Whether it was the alien-invasion spectacle of The Avengers or the spy thriller elements of The Winter Soldier, one film that clearly embodied this philosophy was Captain America: The First Avenger. Part superhero movie and part war film, the first Captain America installment explores classic themes of patriotism during one of humanity’s most trying periods. While it neatly sidesteps some of the darker implications of its historical setting, Captain America still manages to engage with ideas that are echoed effectively in Spider-Noir.

1 X-Men: First Class (2011)

Perhaps the pinnacle of the superhero period piece, X-Men: First Class was the soft reboot the franchise needed after mishandling the Dark Phoenix saga it had hoped to explore. Examining the friendship and eventual enmity that would come to define the relationship between Charles Xavier and Magneto, the film’s cast was a triumph that Fox only managed to replicate with X-Men: Days of Future Past. It is a real shame that the franchise was not able to build adequately on the film’s success, given what a brilliant piece of cinema it was.

Do you wish for superhero films to explore other time periods more? Let us know in the comments!

Spider-Noir is currently streaming on Prime Video