Line #34 ComicBook/MarvelNoir


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spider_man_noir_vol_2_2_textless.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Marvel Noir -- Where ComicBook/SpiderMan has a gun.]]
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4	''Marvel Noir'' is an 2009/2010 Creator/MarvelComics alternative continuity combining elements of film noir and pulp fiction with the Marvel Universe. The central premise of the mini-series replaces superpowers with driven, noir-flavored characterization. The reality of ''Marvel Noir'' is Earth-90214.
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6	A universe where local counterparts of Earth-616 superhumans debuted in the 1920s and 1930s. Most superpowers are mainly unknown or nonexistent at this point, though with the certain exceptions of a few, such as Spider-Man (who received his powers from a mystical "Spider God"), Black Cat, and Daredevil.
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8	!!Comics in the setting:
9	[[index]]
10	* ''Daredevil Noir'' (2009)
11	* ''Iron Man Noir'' (2010)
12	* ''ComicBook/LukeCageNoir'' (2009-2010)
13	* ''ComicBook/PunisherNoir'' (2009-2010)
14	* ''ComicBook/SpiderManNoir'' (2009)
15	** ''Spider-Man Noir: Eyes Without a Face'' (2010)
16	** ''Spider-Man Noir'' (2020)
17	* ''Weapon X Noir'' (2010)
18	* ''Wolverine Noir'' (2009)
19	* ''ComicBook/XMenNoir'' (2009)
20	** ''X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain'' (2010)
21	[[/index]]
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23	''Deadpool Pulp'' is commonly considered part of the series as it uses a similar premise, placing Deadpool in the 50s instead of the 30s, and created by authors who worked on other ''Noir'' series. However, it is officially non-canon to ''Marvel Noir''.
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25	----
26	!!These comics provide examples of:
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28	* AdaptationNameChange: Surprisingly common for some characters, from minor examples like Peter Parker being called ''The'' Spider-Man while Luke Cage is the character's legal name instead of Carl Lucas.
29	* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In ''X-Men Noir'', the ComicBook/XMen are not mutants, but human criminals who, thanks to discredited psychiatrist Charles Xavier, believe sociopathy is "the next stage in human behavioral evolution". In the same universe, [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]] is a normal man who cut his ears into the shape of a shark's fins and [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] wasn't a PhysicalGod but an unnamed Norwegian man who ferociously protected a castle he found from the Nazis with a hammer, "as if he were some Norse God on Earth".
30	* AdaptationalVillainy: A few cases, most notably ''X-Men Noir'', who, in this timeline, aren't mutants, but sociopaths -- and [[spoiler:Jean Grey killed Rogue]]. [[spoiler:Professor X himself]] is the BigBad of the sequel miniseries.
31	** In ''Wolverine Noir'', the BigBad is [[spoiler:Rose, from Wolvie's mini ''Origin'']].
32	** In ''Iron Man Noir'', it turns out in this universe [[Characters/CaptainAmericaCentralRoguesGallery Baron Zemo]] is [[spoiler:Tony's father Howard Stark]]. Now, mainstream comics [[spoiler:Howard]] isn't the [[ParentalNeglect nicest guy]] to begin with, but he certainly isn't an agent of Hydra, though it's ultimately revealed he was brainwashed. There's also Madame Masque, who is a TragicVillain in the mainstream comics thanks to her scarred face and emotional abuse from [[DaddysLittleVillain her father Count Nefaria]], but in ''Iron Man Noir'' she lacks that FreudianExcuse and is just a cruel BitchInSheepsClothing before even getting disfigured.
33	* BigApplesauce: Poverty and crime are at an all-time peak -- Aunt May mentions in one of her speeches that there are 13,000,000 unemployed people (it's unclear if she was talking about the U.S.A. or just New York), crimes such as arson, murder, and the drug trade are an everyday fact, police and authorities are corrupt, and several people are DrivenToSuicide. It says something when the last stand of moral integrity is ''The Daily Bugle''.
34	* ConsummateLiar: In ''Daredevil Noir'', Matt's senses never detect dishonesty from Eliza, and even when he's spying on her, she reads as being uniquely devoid of internal conflict, which turns out to be because [[spoiler:as this continuity's version of Bullseye, she's a [[TheSociopath sociopath]]]].
35	* CrapsackWorld: The authorities are corrupt all the way to the mayor of New York.
36	* DarkerAndEdgier: Pretty much all of the stories in the series, though this is obviously {{downplayed\|Trope}} in regards to characters like the Punisher and Wolverine.
37	* DecompositeCharacter: There are two versions of Wolverine running around, Captain Logan in ''ComicBook/XMenNoir'' and Jim Howlett in ''Wolverine Noir''
38	* DieselPunk:
39	** ''Iron Man Noir'' is unique among the ''Noir'' stories for not even trying to be realistic, featuring Tony Stark's "repulsor pump" pacemaker, the ComicBook/IronMan armor itself, and Baron Stucker's lightning-hurling PowerFist -- not to mention background stuff like the sleek super zeppelins.
40	** ''X-Men Noir'' is the least fantastic of the settings, but introduces one dieselpunk element in the story ''Mark of Cain'': the Office of National Emergency's [[ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld Dirigi]]-[[ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} Carrier]].
41	* FantasticNoir: The entire line has this feel, especially for Spider-Man. ''Iron Man Noir'' is a bit misnamed, since it's more of a [[TwoFistedTales pulp action story]].
42	* FilmNoir: The entire setting. Changes to Wolverine, for example, include his signature claws actually being handheld Japanese weapons. Naturally, there's a different version of Logan on the X-Men. In normal Marvel continuity, such street-level heroes as Daredevil, Moon Knight, and the Punisher have all had runs or story arcs that followed many noir conventions.
43	* TheGreatDepression[=/=]TheRoaringTwenties: Most of the stories are set around those periods.
44	* JungleOpera: The beginning of ''Iron Man Noir'' features this.
45	* LegacyImmortality: In ''Iron Man Noir'', Baron Strucker reveals that Baron Zemo isn't one person, but a series of chemically brainwashed men. Zemo wears a hood in case anyone recognizes him; the current Zemo is [[spoiler:Howard Stark]]. Strucker hopes to turn Tony Stark into the next Zemo, since the one they have now has "[[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness outlived his resourcefulness]]."
46	* LighterAndSofter: ''Iron Man Noir'' is this compared to the rest of the comics in the ''ComicBook/MarvelNoir'' universe. While ''Spider-Man Noir'', ''X-Men Noir'', ''Daredevil Noir'', ''Luke Cage Noir'' and ''Wolverine Noir'' deal out loads of AdaptationalVillainy to characters, have ThouShallNotKill characters use guns and kill people and generally have the DarkerAndEdgier-ness dialed up; ''Iron Man Noir'' in comparison is considerably more lighthearted being tonally closer to ''Film/TheRocketeer''. Instead of being stuck in the WretchedHive that is New York like other ''Noir'' universe comics, ''Iron Man Noir'' has globe trotting adventures filled with much more optimism, though this makes the comic [[NeverTrustATitle more]] [[TwoFistedTales Pulp]] than FilmNoir. It's especially lampshaded when Baron Strucker is [[HopeCrusher deriding]] a [[DamselInDistress captured Pepper]] for clinging to the hope that Tony will save her, saying while holding the skull of Thor that "[[TemptingFate they don't live in a world of Marvels]]" and no knight in shining armor is coming to save her - just as [[InstantlyProvenWrong Tony and Rhodey fly into the Nazi castle]] in PoweredArmour [[BigDamnHeroes to rescue Pepper]].
47	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Most of the powers in the setting. Peter refuses to believe that there's no scientific explanation for his newfound powers. That said, all evidence points to magic.
48	* NotQuiteFlight: In ''Iron Man Noir'', the Iron Man and War Machine suits aren't truly capable of flight given their size and weight. Instead, the jet turbines on their backs have jets that slow their descent after jumping out of an airship, allowing them to land safely. Basically, rather than actually flying, they fall with style.
49	* {{Orichalcum}}: In ''Iron Man Noir'', Orichalcum is retrieved from {{Atlantis}} and serves as a MacGuffin power source.
50	* PointyEars: This is the mark of Captain Namor's pirate crew in ''Iron Man Noir''; they slice their ears to resemble shark fins.
51	* RaceLift: The Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} villain Lady Bullseye is depicted as Caucasian in ''Daredevil Noir'''s ComicBook/MarvelNoir universe. She's Japanese in the mainstream universe.
52	* RedBaron: ''Iron Man Noir'' has the infamous pirate [[ComicBook/SubMariner Captain Namor]], also known as the Beast of the Blue and the Blood Mariner.
53	* TwoFistedTales: Many of the stories, especially the ones that involve powers like Spider-Man. ''Iron Man Noir'' is particularly notable, being a globe-trotting action-adventure story whereas the other titles are more FilmNoir.
54	* VigilanteMan: Most of the characters in the setting, Spider-Man more so than usual, given that he is both willing to use a gun and kill.
55	* WolverineClaws: Interestingly, both the ''X-Men Noir'' and ''Wolverine Noir'' versions of Wolverine keep the claws but manage to change them into something appropriate for the 1930s time period -- a pair of Japanese ''neko de'' in the former and a set of special knives in the latter.
56	* WretchedHive: New York is a giant slum, where Prohibition has fueled the dominance of organized crime and mass corruption, whilst the economic crash has flooded it with impoverished and desperate people who will do anything to feed themselves or forget their troubles. Whilst the economy is back on track, crime is down, and corruption is leeching out by the time of ''Eyes Without a Face'', to the point a reporter even wonders if New York needs the Spider-Man now that his "gang busting glory-days" are seemingly behind him, World War II is on the horizon, the UsefulNotes/KuKluxKlan is embedding itself into politics, and Nazi sympathizers are openly running around in the streets.
57	* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: One of the few fantastic things to be found in any of the stories is the ONE Dirigicarrier seen in ''X-Men Noir: Mark of Cain''. And boy is it ever fantastic: it's a colossal battleship kept airborne by having several [[UsefulNotes/TheHindenburg Hindenburg]]-like zeppelins strapped to its underside.
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Context ComicBook / MarvelNoir