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

[MJM Mystery Writer]

I'm having a hard time believing that Ben Reilly has been the Jackal since Spider-Island. In the one-shot that shows the Jackal reviving Kaine from the dead, the Jackal loudly gives his background as well as laments about Kaine's early days as well. At that point, Kaine wouldn't have even been listening to the Jackal talking....therefore, it seems that the Jackal was simply talking to himself (aloud). Ben wouldn't have done that.....right? Only Miles Warren would've had that conversation.

Also, since the Jackal was working with the Queen during that storyline, wouldn't she have been able to detect that this "Jackal" had some sort of spider-powers? Wouldn't she be able to realize that the Jackal she had standing NEXT to her....couldn't have been Miles Warren?

Another thing, if Ben has the Jackal for this long, then it would mean HE is responsible for turning Kaine in Tarantula during Spider-Island. It would also mean that Ben was the Jackal during the Superior/Scarlet crossover. So, Slott is telling us it was BEN (at the end of the issue) who said "Who's ready for Spidercide 2.0?"......and tortured Kaine and SpOck to get their DNA? That just doesn't make any logical sense!

And if Ben Reilly was really alive during all this time, then why didn't the Inheritors attempt to track him down and devour him like they did to every other Spider-totem? Ben has stated he still has spider-powers, spider-sense, etc. -- so the Inheritors should've been able to sniff him out if he was alive during the Spider-Verse storyline.

What are your thoughts? Could Ben have been alive and somehow avoided all these events without being noticed?

[xpyred]

Unless there is some BS swerve coming, it was definitely not Ben no matter what anyone, including Slott himself, says. It's impossible. Chances are, Ben "killed" warren around the time this was going on.

[DieHard200904]

I think someone is messing with us. I think Ben was around, but I don't believe he was THE JACKAL or as I call it, Jackal Prime. No way. I do think he was alive and acting behind the scenes.

[WebLurker]

I'm guessing that probably the current story is written without any regard to whether it makes sense with any previous stories.

[Moral_Gutpunch]

I'm guessing that probably the current story is written without any regard to whether it makes sense with any previous stories.

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.

[FF-Fighter]

Did Slott state that he was The Jackal during Spider-Island, or just around at the time. If he was just "around", I'm thinking he was in a tube or something (like in the recent issue) while Spider Island was going on.

[DieHard200904]

Did Slott state that he was The Jackal during Spider-Island, or just around at the time. If he was just "around", I'm thinking he was in a tube or something (like in the recent issue) while Spider Island was going on.

He was active and doing something, he wasn't neccessarily the Jackal then, but at believe he was setting up New U before clone conspiracy began, obviously.

[Kurolegacy]

He was active and doing something, he wasn't neccessarily the Jackal then, but at believe he was setting up New U before clone conspiracy began, obviously.

I think Slott said in an interview after the Ben Reilly reveal that Ben's been the Jackal going back as far as Spider-Island. Honestly if that were true, it doesn't add up unless he meant that Ben's had this current identity of Jackal while Warren or a clone of his had been acting as Jackal elsewhere doing all that Jackal had done in the stories involving him unaware that Ben had usurped him.

[Pav]

Ben would know cloning wouldn't bring back Uncle Ben. He's a clone of Peter himself and a different and unique person.

Yes and no.

Consider that you have no cells in your body now that were there a decade ago.

Also consider that thought experiment about replacing parts of a hammer.

-Pav, who again recommends the graphic novel "Last Days of an Immortal"...

[Tuck]

Yes and no.

Consider that you have no cells in your body now that were there a decade ago.

Except nerve cells, which make up your brain. Identity issues aren't that simple, of course. Different experiences, neuroplasticity, potential brain damage can all come into play and we don't necessarily call identity into question. (Although we do say things like, "he's not the same person I knew", so . . . )

Comics - and speculative fiction in general - make this more complicated in that often with all the cloning, body switching, coming back to life stuff . . . dualism is more or less implied.

In summation: there's an acceptable BS comic book explanation whatever direction they want to take it.

[DebkoX]

Spideyyyyy.y.y.

[Pav]

In summation: there's an acceptable BS comic book explanation whatever direction they want to take it.

Ha! QFT.

-Pav, who loves comic book justification...

[MJM Mystery Writer]

None of this answers the question why the Inheritors didn't locate "Ben 2.0" during Spider-Verse.

Any one have an explanation or an opinion about that??

[Ursalink]

None of this answers the question why the Inheritors didn't locate "Ben 2.0" during Spider-Verse.

Any one have an explanation or an opinion about that??

Maybe the Master Weaver hid him, just like Ultimate Peter Parker (from Earth-1610) and any other spider who didn't appear in Spider-Verse.

And speaking of Ben in Spider-Island, it doesn't match. I mean, Ben rejected the Jackal's classic outfits with the Green Goblin's like appearance for the scarlet suit with the Anubis' mask. Why would he then wear the monster outfit in this saga? It doesn't have sense.

[theoneandonly]

maybe kains other aura and spider mans the chosen one status so overwhelmed the inheritors that they just couldn't be bothered about him especially as there was already one ben present. However why he wasn't drawn to spiderman like all the others is a mystery unless he was dead at the time. After all he did die 27 times and it couldn't have been instant resurrection as unlike the inheritors instant clone tech the miles clone tech is vastly inferior.