Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider Appreciation 2021

[Spiderfan001]

In the first Spider-Man comics after the debacle that was Maximum Clonage, Ben revealed that he'd had a past encounter with D'Spayre, a demonic foe of Doctor Strange who --- like his name would suggest --- specialized in driving people to despair so he could feed off it and had come after Peter specifically in that issue. However, there was sadly no flashback story that elaborated on said encounter, just Ben revealing that he knew who D'Spayre was and helping Peter beat him. Oh, and for what it's worth, my personal canon is that D'Spayre was f***ing with Ben the whole time Miles Warren was torturously murdering and resurrecting him over and over and that was why Ben came out so f***ed-up and twisted that he ended up going as bad as he did in The Clone Conspiracy, D'Spayre's revenge for Ben beating him before. Plus, he did appear as the main villain in the second season of the Cloak & Dagger TV series, albeit as a human empowered by the same accident that gave Ty Johnson and Tandy Bowen their powers who later ascended to a form of godhood.

P.S. I like Land's rendition of Ben's Spider-Man Beyond costume.

Thanks a lot

[Spiderfan001]

"As far as the Beyond Corporation is concerned you ARE the REAL Spider-man."
Oooookkay. How do the Avengers look at it? What is the Bugle's take? Peter's take? There are more concerns than just Beyond Corp to consider.

Yeah, I hope they do a better job than superior.
Does Ben have a secret identity.We saw him swing maskless, maybe he just doesn't wear one.Not like people know he's Peter's clones, and he doesn't have family of his own.But his Ex GF might get in trouble.

[Huntsman Spider]

Thanks a lot

Yeah, I hope they do a better job than superior.
Does Ben have a secret identity.We saw him swing maskless, maybe he just doesn't wear one.Not like people know he's Peter's clones, and he doesn't have family of his own.But his Ex GF might get in trouble.

You're welcome, and do you mean Elizabeth Tyne/Janine Godbe from The Lost Years and Redemption miniseries, by any chance?

[Blanks]

You're welcome, and do you mean Elizabeth Tyne/Janine Godbe from The Lost Years and Redemption miniseries, by any chance?

I personally hope they bring back Jessica again, to reunite somehow with Ben. Being the daughter of the guy that killed Uncle Ben and all. I’ll have to go back and re-check my back issues, but it would be something to see if Peter interacted with her. Could you imagine even Aunt May? Buuuuuuuuut, first things first, Ben needs to have a real “reunion” with Aunt May first, since he got robbed of that with her “fake death” years ago.

[HypnoHustler]

I personally hope they bring back Jessica again, to reunite somehow with Ben. Being the daughter of the guy that killed Uncle Ben and all. I’ll have to go back and re-check my back issues, but it would be something to see if Peter interacted with her. Could you imagine even Aunt May? Buuuuuuuuut, first things first, Ben needs to have a real “reunion” with Aunt May first, since he got robbed of that with her “fake death” years ago.

I’d like to see Jessica too. And Jimmy Six, and Devon and Shirley, even Desiree. But my guess is they probably won’t bring back his supporting cast members from the 90s (besides Kaine) as they’ll deem them too obscure or forgotten. The most we might get is a couple flashback panels of ‘The Daily Grind.’ I’d love to be wrong though. I really don’t want this completely disconnected from his 90s roots like PAD’s mediocre series was.

There’s a ton of interesting storyline possibilities they could go in if they’re daring enough, and I’d like to see them. Just please… let Peter, Ben and Kaine all end on friendly terms with each other. I can’t deal with this Peter-hates-Ben-who-hates-Kaine-who-hates-them-both dynamic that’s popped up since ‘Clone Conspiracy’ and the PAD run.

[Webhead]

I'd be surprised if any of the Daily Grind cast or Janine come back, though it would definitely be interesting.

I really have a hard time believing Ben would be back for so long without bothering to check on Janine.

[Pav]

I'd be surprised if any of the Daily Grind cast or Janine come back, though it would definitely be interesting.

I really have a hard time believing Ben would be back for so long without bothering to check on Janine.

The "problem" with the Daily Grind cast is that some of them watched Ben die.

Of course, it's comics. So this could be waved away -- but I'm not sure any of the DG characters were intriguing enough to be brought back, save for Jessica. Her status as the burglar's daughter gives her automatic interest.

But no woman was more important to Ben than Elizabeth/Janine. It does seem like a mistake for writers to not have Ben at least wondering about her.

-Pav, who still ships Ben and Firestar...

[Webhead]

The "problem" with the Daily Grind cast is that some of them watched Ben die.

Yeah that would be annoying to address I suppose. The whole thing with him having a (legally) fake ID and being legally dead really puts suspension of disbelief on the line, in this digital era.

Of course, it's comics. So this could be waved away -- but I'm not sure any of the DG characters were intriguing enough to be brought back, save for Jessica. Her status as the burglar's daughter gives her automatic interest.

But no woman was more important to Ben than Elizabeth/Janine. It does seem like a mistake for writers to not have Ben at least wondering about her.

-Pav, who still ships Ben and Firestar...

There's also the fact that Ben's status as a wandering character favours fleeting/temporary supporting casts. Still, at some point it would be nice to mind his backstory, considering there were dozens of issues with it.

[Huntsman Spider]

I personally hope they bring back Jessica again, to reunite somehow with Ben. Being the daughter of the guy that killed Uncle Ben and all. I’ll have to go back and re-check my back issues, but it would be something to see if Peter interacted with her. Could you imagine even Aunt May? Buuuuuuuuut, first things first, Ben needs to have a real “reunion” with Aunt May first, since he got robbed of that with her “fake death” years ago.

I’d like to see Jessica too. And Jimmy Six, and Devon and Shirley, even Desiree. But my guess is they probably won’t bring back his supporting cast members from the 90s (besides Kaine) as they’ll deem them too obscure or forgotten. The most we might get is a couple flashback panels of ‘The Daily Grind.’ I’d love to be wrong though. I really don’t want this completely disconnected from his 90s roots like PAD’s mediocre series was.

There’s a ton of interesting storyline possibilities they could go in if they’re daring enough, and I’d like to see them. Just please… let Peter, Ben and Kaine all end on friendly terms with each other. I can’t deal with this Peter-hates-Ben-who-hates-Kaine-who-hates-them-both dynamic that’s popped up since ‘Clone Conspiracy’ and the PAD run.

Hmm, Jimmy Six was related to the Fortunato clan, if I recall right, so that might be interesting if we ever have Ben as Spider-Man delve into that underworld again. And yes, Jessica Carradine, the daughter of the burglar who killed Uncle Ben . . . very much a wasted opportunity that Peter never met her.

[HypnoHustler]

Hmm, Jimmy Six was related to the Fortunato clan, if I recall right, so that might be interesting if we ever have Ben as Spider-Man delve into that underworld again. And yes, Jessica Carradine, the daughter of the burglar who killed Uncle Ben . . . very much a wasted opportunity that Peter never met her.

Peter DID meet her, but never interacted with her on a meaningful level.

Peter and MJ are at Ben’s apartment to discuss the spider skeleton found in the smokestack. Jessica makes a surprise visit to see Ben though, so they quickly have to come up with a reason why Pete looks so similar to Ben and that’s where the “identical cousins” thing came from. It’s a funny scene, but not a particularly deep or important one.

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Spect...-Man_Vol_1_232

[Orbus]

Hmm, Jimmy Six was related to the Fortunato clan, if I recall right, so that might be interesting if we ever have Ben as Spider-Man delve into that underworld again. And yes, Jessica Carradine, the daughter of the burglar who killed Uncle Ben . . . very much a wasted opportunity that Peter never met her.

I think he and MJ did very briefly. At the time no one knew she was the daughter of Uncle Ben's killer.

EDIT

Hypnohustler got in there there before me with the full details.

[HypnoHustler]

In the 90s and 2000s, Marvel editorial always whined about the plots they couldn’t do with a married Peter.
I think “falling in love with the burglar’s daughter” was the one time they were right. That was a story tailor made for either Ben or a single Peter.

God, the Spider-Ben era is so underrated, especially some of these Jurgens issues.

[Orbus]

In the 90s and 2000s, Marvel editorial always whined about the plots they couldn’t do with a married Peter.
I think “falling in love with the burglar’s daughter” was the one time they were right. That was a story tailor made for either Ben or a single Peter.

God, the Spider-Ben era is so underrated, especially some of these Jurgens issues.

Indeed. It's actually kind of strange that even some Clone Saga fans say they lose interest when Ben becomes Spider-Man. Not only was his Spider-Man stories fairly high quality but in many ways it felt more like a return of classic Spider-Man than the kind of stories being told with Peter just before the clone saga.

[HypnoHustler]

Indeed. It's actually kind of strange that even some Clone Saga fans say they lose interest when Ben becomes Spider-Man. Not only was his Spider-Man stories fairly high quality but in many ways it felt more like a return of classic Spider-Man than the kind of stories being told with Peter just before the clone saga.

Second half of Clone Saga is much stronger than the first half imo. None of that Maximum Clonage/ Edgelord Jackal stuff. Less convoluted mythology and more focus on the deepening brotherly bond between Peter and Ben… which is really what endears that era to me.

[Huntsman Spider]

Peter DID meet her, but never interacted with her on a meaningful level.

Peter and MJ are at Ben’s apartment to discuss the spider skeleton found in the smokestack. Jessica makes a surprise visit to see Ben though, so they quickly have to come up with a reason why Pete looks so similar to Ben and that’s where the “identical cousins” thing came from. It’s a funny scene, but not a particularly deep or important one.

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Spect...-Man_Vol_1_232

I think he and MJ did very briefly. At the time no one knew she was the daughter of Uncle Ben's killer.

EDIT

Hypnohustler got in there there before me with the full details.

Thanks, and fair points you raise as well about how, if Marvel was really serious about doing the kind of stuff they couldn't do with a married Peter Parker, they could have just used Ben. Hell, I'd argue that if Marvel wants to do something that would break Peter's status quo or the image certain execs/editors/other higher-ups have of him, they could again use Ben, given that he's a clone of Peter and thus doesn't have to be bound by that same status quo or image. As for the pre-Clone Saga Spider-Man stories, however, I believe those were set up mainly to justify and legitimize Ben replacing Peter as "the one, true Spider-Man," in light of how uncharacteristically dark, violent, and alienated from his own humanity Peter had become at the time.