Who should be Scarlet Spider going forward?

[JoeWithoutFear]

Who should be Scarlet Spider going forward?

[blackspidey2099]

Personally, I'm a Kaine fan through and through - I think he brings much more to the role than Ben (and especially this insane clone of Ben that we've got running around now).

[Chobbly]

Kaine for me too. Although I know there's still a lot of fans of Ben, IMHO there's more story potential for Kaine than Ben, especially once the current Ben clone story has played out. Dang, I miss Chris Yost's Scarlet Spider run...

[Vworp Vworp]

It's Ben's identity so obviously it should be Ben. The only reason Kaine was ever Scarlet Spider was to give his book an established hero name rather than just coming up with something new for him.

Just to clarify though, when I say Ben Reilly should always be Scarlet Spider, I do mean the actual Ben Reilly. Not the character using his name in the current Scarlet Spider book.

[MetalWoman]

I say both. Hell, throw in the three MVP clones that called themselves Scarlet Spiders from Avengers Initiative. It makes a fun kind of sense that the superhero name taken by a clone would have many copies.

[SuperiorIronman]

I'd outright say both as we don't exactly have a precedent for it being used by only one person.

However Kaine to me seems like the more deserving of the name since his time as Scarlet Spider was living up to the standards Ben Reilly established, something Ben27 I'm not convinced cares for. Sure Kaine is willing to murder but he seems more like a superhero these days than Ben27, as criminality isn't his go-to response and is actually worried about returning to his life of crime.

[Venomous Mask]

I lean towards Kaine, but I think that the Ben should stick around too, though all of his memories should be restored.

[Scarlet Spider-Man]

Ben should be the Scarlet Spider, but I think Kaine should still be what he is right now. Just with a slightly different name.

[Celgress]

I honestly don't care anymore.

But, if I have to choose I'll pick Kaine. The way I see it, they've ruined Ben as a viable hero, including an antihero, so let Kaine take the mantel back. Nu Ben can be the next Spidercide. That role would fit his present characterization far better than does Scarlet Spider anyway.

[Huntsman Spider]

Personally, I'd be down with a Scarlet Spiders title. Let Kaine and Ben be co-protagonists, uneasily coexisting with each other after everything they've put one another through and trying to figure out if whatever city they've landed in has enough room for both of them. However, Ben --- whether you buy he's the real one twisted by what Jackal did to him, or just a bad copy of Ben who's still resting in superhero heaven --- needs to get his head screwed back on straight, or as close to straight as he can get, before he can go around calling himself Scarlet Spider again. I don't mind him being somewhat cracked --- after everything Jackal did to him, he's gotta have some really bad PTSD --- but I do mind him going around lacking a real moral compass. That's not a Ben I want to read about, but I've been sticking with this title because I'm hoping he eventually recovers some semblance of his former self, even if the trauma he's been subjected to and the actions he's committed because of it mean he's never going to quite be that person again.

[JoeWithoutFear]

Personally, as a huge Ben fan, I am unsatisfied with the Ben27 we have now. However, I'm so DESPERATE for new Scarlet Spider that I will gladly gobble up these table scraps in the hopes that something better comes along soon. In other words, I hope that, fairly soon, Ben gets his mind (and skin) healed and we get the old Ben back. Maybe he can even dye his hair as a symbolic completion of the process? =)

I was lukewarm on Kaine as the Scarlet Spider. The mantle never really seemed to fit with his personality, in my opinion. But again, at the time, I was happy to get those scraps. Since I absolutely abhore when heroes have the same name, I hope that Kaine soon either (A) dies (B) becomes the... Crimson Spider or (C) goes back to just being called "Kaine." Kaine is a great name for a forgotten brother anyway.

@Vworp Vworp
@Scarlet Spider-Man
@Huntsman Spider

Agreed.

[MASTER-OF-SUPRISE]

I say both. Hell, throw in the three MVP clones that called themselves Scarlet Spiders from Avengers Initiative. It makes a fun kind of sense that the superhero name taken by a clone would have many copies.

I'd outright say both as we don't exactly have a precedent for it being used by only one person.

However Kaine to me seems like the more deserving of the name since his time as Scarlet Spider was living up to the standards Ben Reilly established, something Ben27 I'm not convinced cares for. Sure Kaine is willing to murder but he seems more like a superhero these days than Ben27, as criminality isn't his go-to response and is actually worried about returning to his life of crime.

Personally, I'd be down with a Scarlet Spiders title. Let Kaine and Ben be co-protagonists, uneasily coexisting with each other after everything they've put one another through and trying to figure out if whatever city they've landed in has enough room for both of them. However, Ben --- whether you buy he's the real one twisted by what Jackal did to him, or just a bad copy of Ben who's still resting in superhero heaven --- needs to get his head screwed back on straight, or as close to straight as he can get, before he can go around calling himself Scarlet Spider again. I don't mind him being somewhat cracked --- after everything Jackal did to him, he's gotta have some really bad PTSD --- but I do mind him going around lacking a real moral compass. That's not a Ben I want to read about, but I've been sticking with this title because I'm hoping he eventually recovers some semblance of his former self, even if the trauma he's been subjected to and the actions he's committed because of it mean he's never going to quite be that person again.

I'd like a title for both of them as well. I think Kaine has made far too much progress to revert him back to villain status or kill him off. Doing so would be a terrible and IMO creatively bankrupt idea. As for current Ben I feel he is slowing coming back to having a bit of a moral compass.

[Pav]

I say both. Hell, throw in the three MVP clones that called themselves Scarlet Spiders from Avengers Initiative. It makes a fun kind of sense that the superhero name taken by a clone would have many copies.

This.

I've long said that the Scarlet Spider identity is one of the only things that truly belonged to Ben. Yet I have enjoyed Kaine's journey and have no problem with these brothers sharing the name.

That being said, I also don't mind Kaine taking on some other guise if the story warrants it.

I hope that Kaine soon either (A) dies (B) becomes the... Crimson Spider or (C) goes back to just being called "Kaine." Kaine is a great name for a forgotten brother anyway.

Definitely don't want A or B.

C is cool with me. Always loved his name choice. Although it's not as marketable, considering it isn't "Spider-something".

-Pav, who can't wait for the next issue...

[Agent of Wolfram & Hart]

I vote for both Ben & Kaine, but if it were up to me we'd see the return of the old heroic Ben, not the twisted thing using his name now

[Huntsman Spider]

I vote for both Ben & Kaine, but if it were up to me we'd see the return of the old heroic Ben, not the twisted thing using his name now

I'd agree, with the caveat that I'm hoping Ben eventually realizes that even if he can't be the man he once was, he can still be something better than what Jackal twisted him into. Semi-realistically, nobody comes out the same after dying and being forcibly resurrected 27 times, and he'll still have a lot of trauma to deal with and overcome, but my hope is that he does ultimately come out better and stronger for it. Hell, he might end up relating to Kaine better, in the sense that Jackal's actions had a major part in twisting them both into monsters and now having to overcome both the trauma of what he did to them and the guilt of what they themselves did. I could see this being a real bonding experience for them, assuming they don't just (try to) kill each other off.