Ben in Spider-Island? Facts don't make it possible

[WebLurker]

Ben would know cloning wouldn't bring back Uncle Ben. He's a clone of Peter himself and a different and unique person. I can see him taking over as the Jackal to keep clones from being mistreated and used as tools, but that's where making sense stops for me.

That sounds like a most of the criticisms I've heard about the story so far. It will be interesting to see how the ending goes and how the story is viewed in retrospect.

[Aioros22]

Still early to tell. At this point it could all still be a part of Warren`s manipulation, or a swerve coming. Or a flat out retcon if they wish, to sell Ben as the antagonist for awhile (for example, it`s thanks to Spider-Island that Kaine "got better"). They can even sell the Superior crossover issue as Ben either playing Warren to not rise suspicions, or something.

The possibilities are almost endless, it`s early.

[xpyred]

Actually, upon reading Amazing Spider-Man 22 again and seeing the room with the old Jackal Costume and then the 90's trench coat and the scarlet suit, it's possible that Ben may have actually been the jackal during spider island. Just before the event during the infestation, we see the jackal return and explain how the bed bugs are out thanks to him. We see the jackal striking a squatting pose similar to how Peter and Ben have squatted before. Maybe Ben, in his current lunacy thought it would be smart to give everyone spider powers. We then see a jackal in his original attire so maybe after Ben sent out the infected bed bugs, the "real" miles altered all the plans.

[Montressor]

Slott seems like an intelligent man. I just don't see him blindly throwing out there 'Oh, yeah, it was Ben back then, too' without thinking it through properly. He HAD to know some things just would not fit.

On the other hand, maybe he did just say it without realizing the discrepancies. Time will tell.

[WebLurker]

Slott seems like an intelligent man. I just don't see him blindly throwing out there 'Oh, yeah, it was Ben back then, too' without thinking it through properly. He HAD to know some things just would not fit.

On the other hand, maybe he did just say it without realizing the discrepancies. Time will tell.

Or he retconned it on purpose. Writers (good, bad, or otherwise) will sometimes do that. (I'm not overly impressed with Slott as a writer and have read criticisms with examples that he ignores any past material and "facts" if they stand in the way of his latest ideas, but I don't see any reason to not give him the benefit of the doubt in this case.)

[Evan]

Or he retconned it on purpose. Writers (good, bad, or otherwise) will sometimes do that. (I'm not overly impressed with Slott as a writer and have read criticisms with examples that he ignores any past material and "facts" if they stand in the way of his latest ideas, but I don't see any reason to not give him the benefit of the doubt in this case.)

it's weird to retcon your own story. He said in the letters column he has been planning this for 5 years. He should have just had Ben Reilly become Jackal more recently so it'd make sense.

[boots]

it's weird to retcon your own story. He said in the letters column he has been planning this for 5 years. He should have just had Ben Reilly become Jackal more recently so it'd make sense.

if this is (as people say) the way slott treats continuity, it's somewhat comforting that he doesn't believe his own stories are above retconning.

[WebLurker]

it's weird to retcon your own story. He said in the letters column he has been planning this for 5 years. He should have just had Ben Reilly become Jackal more recently so it'd make sense.

Maybe Slott made an honest mistake about the internal logic when planning out the story?

[Rajikaru]

Chances are, also, the whole Anubis costume was also a more recent new idea for the Jackal costume, so they couldn't have Ben in that costume in the story, but rather wearing the older Jackal costume, if that is the case and it was Ben during Spider-Island (still holding out, thinking that is how 616 Miles Morales got his Spidy powers. Be kinda cool if he owed his origin to Ben Reilly...).

Me, until said otherwise on paper, I'm going with the assumption that Ben was around, as in he was around probably in his 15 or 16 resurrection as Warren was trying to weed out the degeneration process in his new process. During Spider-Verse, Ben may have easily been 'dead' again, between resurrections, thus not being detected.

[Montressor]

Have they given us Miles' origin story post-Secret Wars? (I'm not one of the subscribers to the 'He Remembers It All But Just Doesn't Think About The Fact That He's From A Dead Alternate Earth And A Burger Helped Bring His Dead Mom Back' idea, as far as I'm concerned he was folded into the 616 timeline, until Marvel tells us otherwise.)

I only bring it up because I LOVE Rajikaru's thoughts on Miles getting his powers as a result of Spider Island.