Should Ben Reilly become a member of Guardians of the Galaxy?

[Adset]

I support any Ben Reilly appearance that isn’t that awful PAD book that wrapped up about a year ago.

[Shinglepants]

No thank you. There’s plenty of cosmic characters that are collecting dust that could use a spot on a book like GotG.

[Orbus]

I think that the problem with Ben is having essentially another Spider-Man running around seems kinda dull. That's why you need a distinct hook like Kaine being a dark brooding anti-hero version of Spider-Man or Superior being an arrogant douche but still trying to do the right thing version of a Spider-Man and Miles being a throwback to high school Spidey etc.

He's just like Peter but in a hoodie isn't really going to cut it. Hence why PAD tried to do something unique and different with him...it wasn't actually good but I get the reasoning behind it.

So I suppose Spider-Man in space would be an interesting route to go down. I mean they already kinda tried it when Flash Thompsan/Venom joined the Guardians.

[Triniking1234]

Isn't Ben a corpse in Anor Londo now?

[classicgmer]

I think that the problem with Ben is having essentially another Spider-Man running around seems kinda dull. That's why you need a distinct hook like Kaine being a dark brooding anti-hero version of Spider-Man or Superior being an arrogant douche but still trying to do the right thing version of a Spider-Man and Miles being a throwback to high school Spidey etc.

He's just like Peter but in a hoodie isn't really going to cut it. Hence why PAD tried to do something unique and different with him...it wasn't actually good but I get the reasoning behind it.

So I suppose Spider-Man in space would be an interesting route to go down. I mean they already kinda tried it when Flash Thompsan/Venom joined the Guardians.

DC has found a way to differentiate 4 different Robins over the years so i'm not sure why Marvel has found it so difficult with Ben and Peter. And yes i'm aware they're not Clones but they damn sure could pass for em with all jet black hair, not all that disimilar fighting styles, domino masks etc.

[Huntsman Spider]

Oh I know the genesis of the symbiotes.
But Venom used to be unique, and that sir, is out the window and has been for years now. Watering down a good idea and milking it for all it’s worth isn’t unique to comics, and there will always be fans of the derivative stuff, but some ppl won’t want to see these things shoe horned into every possible concept.

Ben Reilly in space is a good idea on its own. It doesn’t need a frikking symbiote. Just mho.

I can respect that.

I support any Ben Reilly appearance that isn’t that awful PAD book that wrapped up about a year ago.

Same, and I stuck with that one for all 25 issues.

I think that the problem with Ben is having essentially another Spider-Man running around seems kinda dull. That's why you need a distinct hook like Kaine being a dark brooding anti-hero version of Spider-Man or Superior being an arrogant douche but still trying to do the right thing version of a Spider-Man and Miles being a throwback to high school Spidey etc.

He's just like Peter but in a hoodie isn't really going to cut it. Hence why PAD tried to do something unique and different with him...it wasn't actually good but I get the reasoning behind it.

So I suppose Spider-Man in space would be an interesting route to go down. I mean they already kinda tried it when Flash Thompsan/Venom joined the Guardians.

Funny enough, when Ben was starting out as his own character, he was supposed to be more of a throwback to Peter as he was before certain events in the 90s dragged him down into a mire of angst, rage, and despair. Even so, having checked out his backstory, there's still a good amount of difference between Ben and Peter, in that Ben spent the first five years of his existence traveling the country, never able to settle down in one place because he had no legitimate record of his identity, taking relatively low-paying jobs to feed himself, and constantly dogged by a damaged counterpart, Kaine, who had made it his mission in life to deny Ben any semblance of happiness as payback for crimes he believed Ben had committed against him.

Even when Ben found love, it ended in heartbreak because the woman he loved was also running from her past, and when she finally chose to face it head-on, that included going to prison for having killed her abusive father. Not to mention that his earlier crimefighting ventures, before he became the Scarlet Spider (and later Spider-Man), were more along the lines of taking on organized crime and dirty cops in the pocket of organized crime, generally stuff closer to the underside of the streets than what Peter would usually confront. All that, I think, could have been a good base to help distinguish Ben from Peter.

DC has found a way to differentiate 4 different Robins over the years so i'm not sure why Marvel has found it so difficult with Ben and Peter. And yes i'm aware they're not Clones but they damn sure could pass for em with all jet black hair, not all that disimilar fighting styles, domino masks etc.

Hmm, yeah. I'd say the best way to differentiate Ben and Peter would be to make Ben far less likely to wallow in angst and regret than Peter despite his existential issues and having seen even more of the worst of humanity up close and personal in his past travels. He's seen and experienced all that, but refuses to let himself be brought down emotionally or psychologically by it, always maintaining a spirit of optimism and striving to move forward for the sake of those who need him.

[Draegwolf]

Honestly Scarlet Spider becoming a cosmic character could probably work provided it's handled properly and he isn't needlessly shoehorned into the Guardians without a credible reason like they tried with Captain Marvel, Iron Man, The Thing, Venom, and Kitty Pryde. As a clone he'd fit pretty well up in the space opera-esque setting that the Guardians typically operate in, and personality wise I think that he could bounce off the current team pretty well for the most part.

However I think that Kaine would be fit to transition over into the cosmic scene as him looking for a way to reverse his cellular degeneration would make for a more credible reason for leaving the planet, plus his costume is already rife for sci-fi and wouldn't need all that much tweaking to make it work or adapt to rolling with a group like the Guardians. As far as Ben, if they would go back to him being less broody and more of a confident/outgoing version Peter I think he would work best as a street level character working from some place other than New York.

[Huntsman Spider]

Honestly Scarlet Spider becoming a cosmic character could probably work provided it's handled properly and he isn't needlessly shoehorned into the Guardians without a credible reason like they tried with Captain Marvel, Iron Man, The Thing, Venom, and Kitty Pryde. As a clone he'd fit pretty well up in the space opera-esque setting that the Guardians typically operate in, and personality wise I think that he could bounce off the current team pretty well for the most part.

However I think that Kaine would be fit to transition over into the cosmic scene as him looking for a way to reverse his cellular degeneration would make for a more credible reason for leaving the planet, plus his costume is already rife for sci-fi and wouldn't need all that much tweaking to make it work or adapt to rolling with a group like the Guardians. As far as Ben, if they would go back to him being less broody and more of a confident/outgoing version Peter I think he would work best as a street level character working from some place other than New York.

He was set up in Las Vegas during his last solo, and he was still there when he made his cameo in the recent/current Conan series, "Battle for the Serpent Crown." Got beaten by Conan, though with a caveat since Conan's partner used a flashbang to blind and disorient him in the middle of the fight, enabling Conan to gain the upper hand. (I still wish he'd bring back the impact webbing and stingers.)

[pageturner]

I would need a reason more than just a place to dump him

[Draegwolf]

I would need a reason more than just a place to dump him

This should be applied pretty much whenever any character goes through a drastic relocation. At least when Jack Flagg relocated to the Guardians it felt like the natural progression for his arc considering what was going on with him at the time, pretty much everyone else I mentioned joined the Guardians just because they felt like they had nothing better to do.

Like I said before, given what's going on with them physically I could see Ben and/or Kaine relocating to space to try to find a way to stabilize their degenerating bodies. Kaine's been falling apart ever since he got separated from the Other back in Spider-Verse and because of how he was making clones during the Clone Conspiracy Ben's body needs to constantly monitor his body and make/consume drugs to keep himself alive. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch that either of them might decide that the technology on earth isn't advanced enough to stabilize them and reverse the damage constantly being done, could easily come to the conclusion that they might have better luck in space using more advanced technology that they already know exist from all the different alien races/invasions they know about. From there it would just be a matter of actually getting a ride off earth but given that we're talking about clones of Peter who are arguably just as resourceful as the original I don't really see that being much of a problem for them to overcome, the hardest part would probably be deciding how they actually hook up with the Guardians and even then I'm sure I could think of a few ways to do it.

[Darthfury78]

I think that the problem with Ben is having essentially another Spider-Man running around seems kinda dull. That's why you need a distinct hook like Kaine being a dark brooding anti-hero version of Spider-Man or Superior being an arrogant douche but still trying to do the right thing version of a Spider-Man and Miles being a throwback to high school Spidey etc.

He's just like Peter but in a hoodie isn't really going to cut it. Hence why PAD tried to do something unique and different with him...it wasn't actually good but I get the reasoning behind it.

So I suppose Spider-Man in space would be an interesting route to go down. I mean they already kinda tried it when Flash Thompson/Venom joined the Guardians.

Ben Reilly would not appear as Spider-Man. More like a character who can make a contribution towards the plot of the story. Imagine if X-Men members Doug Ramsey and Warlock where part of team as well. Doug had the gift for translating languages and Warlock can transform into anything. The dynamics would be amazing between Ben, Doug and Warlock...

[Darthfury78]

This should be applied pretty much whenever any character goes through a drastic relocation. At least when Jack Flagg relocated to the Guardians it felt like the natural progression for his arc considering what was going on with him at the time, pretty much everyone else I mentioned joined the Guardians just because they felt like they had nothing better to do.

Like I said before, given what's going on with them physically I could see Ben and/or Kaine relocating to space to try to find a way to stabilize their degenerating bodies. Kaine's been falling apart ever since he got separated from the Other back in Spider-Verse and because of how he was making clones during the Clone Conspiracy Ben's body needs to constantly monitor his body and make/consume drugs to keep himself alive. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch that either of them might decide that the technology on earth isn't advanced enough to stabilize them and reverse the damage constantly being done, could easily come to the conclusion that they might have better luck in space using more advanced technology that they already know exist from all the different alien races/invasions they know about. From there it would just be a matter of actually getting a ride off earth but given that we're talking about clones of Peter who are arguably just as resourceful as the original I don't really see that being much of a problem for them to overcome, the hardest part would probably be deciding how they actually hook up with the Guardians and even then I'm sure I could think of a few ways to do it.

Regarding Kaine Parker, I would love to see him go to the X-Office to join X-Force or X-Factor. That's where he would fit in. Imagine Kaine as part of the X-Verse...

[LordMikel]

To throw this idea out there, but what if it were the 31st Century Guardians? Ben Reilly awakens in a time that isn't now.

[Huntsman Spider]

To throw this idea out there, but what if it were the 31st Century Guardians? Ben Reilly awakens in a time that isn't now.

That could be interesting, and it could be somewhat like Superboy (Clark Kent/Kal-El, Conner Kent/Kon-El, or even Jonathan Samuel Kent) with the Legion of Super-Heroes over at DC.

[Draegwolf]

Pretty sure that's just Spider-Man Unlimited