Bring back Ben Reilly

[Doctor Cosmic]

Dammit, I responded to this thread (or another version of it) before the Crisis On Infinite Forums occurred.

I agree with the conclusion that we really don't need Ben Reilly anymore in light of the events of One More Day. I spent lots of time reading the excellent "Life of Reilly" blog that chronicled every single facet of the Clone Saga from beginning to end and beyond, and what's clearly evident is that Ben Reilly only existed to solve the "problem" of the marriage. Now that OMD has removed the marriage and the MJ relationship, Ben Reilly would be redundant.

I really liked Ben at the time and would have preferred he stick around as Scarlet Spider but in a new setting. He would not have the same relevance now, especially in light of what was done with Kane with the same premise: clone of Spider-Man moves to a different city and fights crime. That didn't last long and I don't see why Ben Reilly would, either.

The other biggest reason I have against his return is that Ben's death was pretty irrevocable, even for a comic book death. He was reduced to dust and that dust was scattered to the wind. Outside of time travel, alternate universes, or mysticism, there's no way to bring Ben back from that. I'd prefer not to see those three methods used, as I feel they really don't belong in Spider-Man with a few exceptions.

I think Ben Reilly is great, but his time has come and gone. Unless Marvel decides to take the Multiverse approach DC should have back in 85 (or 08, or 11) and set multiple titles on different Earths, there's no place for Ben Reilly anymore.

Get the trades of the Clone Saga, read the Clone Saga released a few years ago, and enjoy Ben that way.

[dddaaavvv]

I think you fellas need to put on your creativity hats and think about this a little harder. On the one hand, sure, Ben is certainly a similar character to Peter (for obvious reasons), but that's one of the things that makes his position unique: he's a Spider-Man that a writer can experiment with; there's so much less pressure to keep Ben in "classic mode" if you know what I mean. Furthermore, because a writer can take chances with Ben's character, it stands to reason that Ben will become a more unique character due to his own exploits. At this point, a writer will be able to compare Peter and Ben and make some interesting observations and interactions, because despite any changes in Ben's outlook or events in his life, he will always have his Peter Parkeriness.

It doesn't have to be all about who is single and who isn't. Is that all you read comics for? I think not.

-Pav, who think there's plenty of room for Peter, Ben, and Kaine in the 616...

PS: To be fair, Kaine has currently been made to fit Ben's role as the "Spider to compare Peter to," but again, a writer interested in Ben should be able to figure out a role for him. I know what I'd do with him, and it's something that can't be done with Peter.

There could be room for all three in different books. That was part of the problem with Ben as a "replacement" Spider-man. There were still too many Spider-man/Peter fans out there. I actually started my own thread to address Ben in a separate book, "How To Make a Peter Clone/Gwen Clone Relationship Successful." I would appreciate any input on the thread from Ben fans regarding this.

[dddaaavvv]

Also, let's not forget that Ben was on the road for five years trying to figure himself out and his place in the world and whether or not he even had a right to exist. He's likely to have seen and done a lot in those five years that would give him a different perspective and attitude on the world from Peter. Being "distinctive" doesn't necessarily have to mean making him an anti-hero like Kaine (and Miguel, to a certain extent), and there's still plenty from his backstory to draw upon, like whatever happened to that gang he was fighting in The Lost Years or what became of his lover Elizabeth Tyne/Janine Godbe? Then there's him reacting to everything that's happened since his death, like Mary Jane and Peter losing their baby and Norman Osborn being responsible for it, to say nothing of Peter and MJ not being together anymore or what else Osborn has been up to since then, Jackal turning out to have still been alive all along and still plotting to make Spider-Man clones, all the major shifts and reorganizations in the superhero community, Spider-Man becoming an Avenger, Kaine being the new Scarlet Spider, and Venom actually being a hero. You could also fill in the details of what else he did in those five years on the road that wasn't covered in The Lost Years and how that could impact his life in the present as Ben Reilly, the Scarlet Spider, or "that other Spider-Man," like Damon Ryder/Raptor (if Kaine hadn't killed him already). Yeah, there's still a lot you can do with Ben Reilly; it just takes getting over the idea that he's "too similar to Peter" to be interesting.

I agree there is a lot to be done with Ben. I was thinking about him settling down in L.A. I've been thinking of a new name for him since Kaine got Scarlet Spider. I started a thread, "How To Make a Peter Clone/Gwen Clone Relationship Successful." Part of the objective is to come up with ideas to bring back Ben in a new book. What to call him, etc. If you have any ideas, please come to this thread and feel free to submit them.

[Sardorim]

If Ben returns he should go off establishing himself as his OWN character and to showcase how different he is from Peter like Kaine has. Tying him to a Gwen Clone would greatly harm Ben's chances of ever breaking out on his own to the general comic reader or the such and he'll always be seen as "Peter's clone" while Kaine will be seen as "Kaine".

[dddaaavvv]

If Ben returns he should go off establishing himself as his OWN character and to showcase how different he is from Peter like Kaine has. Tying him to a Gwen Clone would greatly harm Ben's chances of ever breaking out on his own to the general comic reader or the such and he'll always be seen as "Peter's clone" while Kaine will be seen as "Kaine".

I don't agree. He didn't succeed as a replacement for Peter in the Spidey franchise but he could still be successful in a standalone comic. However, it needs to be acknowledged that the Kaine comic didn't work out, possibly and partially because the character and tone of the comic diverged too far from Spider-man. What I wanted to explore in this OTHRER thread was what would be needed to make this concept work. It would start with new comic, new city, new enemies, new adventures, but still have the elements of Spider-man that made the franchise successful. We aren't going to agree on this but, IMHO there are certain aspects of Spider-man that MUST be retained in order for a Ben Reilly concept to work.

[Dexy]

Maybe bring in a Ben who gains totally different powers to his old ones? Either through Spiderverse or The Jackal's gene tinkering again? There are plenty of Spider people around now, after all. A version of Peter coping with different powers could be fun.

[rckstr1253]

How about Ben developing 6 arms? Or something. I rather old Ben with added powers like Kaine.

[ZetaOmega0]

Bringing back Ben, would solve Marvels problem with a married Spider-man.