Benjamin "Ben" Reilly (), also known as the
Scarlet Spider
The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic replicates of the superhero Spider-Man.
Both the ...
, is a fictional
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...
. Grown in a lab by the
Miles Warren / Jackal, he is a
clone of
Peter Parker / Spider-Man tasked with fighting the hero but instead becoming an ally, later even regarded as a "brother". Created by writer
Gerry Conway
Gerard Francis ConwayThomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, te ...
, the character first appeared in ''
The Amazing Spider-Man
''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...
'' #149 (October 1975) and is seemingly killed in the same issue. The character returned and featured prominently in the 1994-96 "
Clone Saga
The "Clone Saga" is an extended comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, revolving around the superhero Spider-Man and clones of him, as well as of other characters. The second and best-known story arc of this name ran from October 1994 t ...
" storyline, adopting the "Scarlet Spider" alias with a costume similar to Spider-Man's consisting of a red spandex bodysuit and mask complemented by a blue sleeveless
hoodie
A hoodie (in some cases spelled hoody and alternatively known as a hooded sweatshirt) is a sweatshirt with a hood. Hoodies with zippers usually include two pockets on the lower front, one on either side of the zipper, while "pullover" hoodie ...
sweatshirt adorned with a large spider symbol on both sides, along with a utility belt and bulkier web-shooters. This Scarlet Spider costume was designed by artist
Tom Lyle
Thomas Stanford Lyle (November 2, 1953 – November 19, 2019) was an American comics artist, best known for his work on '' Starman'' and ''Robin'' for DC Comics, and ''Spider-Man'' for Marvel Comics.
Career
Tom Lyle's comics career began in th ...
. When Peter Parker temporarily left the Spider-Man role, Ben became the new Spider-Man while wearing a new costume variation designed by artist
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley (; born August 7, 1957) is an American comics artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics on such titles as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thunderbolts'', ''New Warriors'', ''Venom'' and '' Ultimate Spider-Man'' and for DC Comics on ''Justic ...
. However, Reilly dies at the hands of
Norman Osborn / Green Goblin, sacrificing himself to save Parker who then resumes the Spider-Man role.
In 2017's ''
Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy'' story, the character is revealed to be alive, his mind forcibly transferred to new clone bodies by the Jackal repeatedly before his resurrection was successful. Driven mad by the experience of being reborn and dying repeatedly, he became the new Jackal and started his own criminal enterprise. After being defeated by Spider-Man and others, Reilly reclaims his Scarlet Spider identity in the series ''Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider''. Reimagined as an
antihero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
, he first hopes to escape his past then embarks on a spiritual quest to redeem himself. This arc is completed in "
Spider-Geddon
''Spider-Geddon'' is a 2018 comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics featuring multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that had appeared in various media, and his supporting cast. In this sequel to ''Spi ...
" (2018), during which he sacrifices himself to protect others when his life force is absorbed by an enemy who inadvertently absorbs his many death traumas as well. Ben is then resurrected in a new clone body, his mind and soul healed and restored. During the events of the 2021-2022 storyline "Beyond", Ben temporally become Spider-Man again, only for him to have his memories purged from him and becoming a new villain called Chasm. Due to his many resurrections in different clone bodies, the 2017–2018 comic series ''Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider'' states he has died and returned more than anyone else in the
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians o ...
, leading to him becoming favored by
Lady Death
Lady Death is a fictional goddess appearing in American comic books published by Coffin Comics. Created by Brian Pulido, Lady Death first appeared in ''Evil Ernie'' #1 in December 1991.
Lady Death then reappeared in the ''Evil Ernie: The Resur ...
.
The character will make his cinematic debut in the 2023 feature film ''
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse''.
Publication history
Ben Reilly was first featured as Spider-Man in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #149 as a nameless clone of Peter Parker who seemingly dies alongside his creator the Jackal, who had also created a clone of Parker's lost love
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, ...
. The events of the issue were later revisited in several comics such as ''
What If
What If may refer to:
Film
* ''What If'', a 2006 TV film starring Niall Buggy
* ''What If...'' (2010 film), an American film
* ''What If...'' (2012 film), a Greek film
* ''What If'' (2013 film) or ''The F Word'', a Canadian-Irish film
Telev ...
'' #30. Asked why he created the character, writer
Gerry Conway
Gerard Francis ConwayThomas, Roy. "Roy's Rostrum" ("Bullpen Bulletins") in '' Marvel Super-Heroes'' #43 and other Marvel Comics cover-dated May 1974. (born September 10, 1952) is an American comic book writer, comic book editor, screenwriter, te ...
explained:
Though Conway had no intention of using the character beyond this initial story in which he dies,
Reilly returned to the comics during the "Clone Saga", which ran from October 1994 to December 1996 through all five of the concurrent Spider-Man titles — ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''
Web of Spider-Man
''Web of Spider-Man'' is the name of two different monthly comic book series starring Spider-Man that have been published by Marvel Comics since 1985, the first volume of which ran for 129 issues between 1985 and 1995, and the second of which ran ...
'', ''
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...
'', ''
Spider-Man Unlimited
''Spider-Man Unlimited'' is an American animated series by Saban Entertainment which features the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, intended as a loose sequel series to the previous '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', which ran from 19 ...
'', and ''
The Spectacular Spider-Man
''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' is a comic book and magazine series starring Spider-Man and published by Marvel Comics.
Following the success of Spider-Man's original series, ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', Marvel felt the character could support ...
''. Editor
Danny Fingeroth directed the Spider-Man artists to design a costume for the character which would stand out from conventional superhero costumes by emphasizing simple functionality rather than flash.
The artists worked on costume ideas independently, and according to
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley (; born August 7, 1957) is an American comics artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics on such titles as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''Thunderbolts'', ''New Warriors'', ''Venom'' and '' Ultimate Spider-Man'' and for DC Comics on ''Justic ...
,
Tom Lyle
Thomas Stanford Lyle (November 2, 1953 – November 19, 2019) was an American comics artist, best known for his work on '' Starman'' and ''Robin'' for DC Comics, and ''Spider-Man'' for Marvel Comics.
Career
Tom Lyle's comics career began in th ...
's "
hoodie
A hoodie (in some cases spelled hoody and alternatively known as a hooded sweatshirt) is a sweatshirt with a hood. Hoodies with zippers usually include two pockets on the lower front, one on either side of the zipper, while "pullover" hoodie ...
" design won unanimous approval among them.
The original costume was later replaced by an updated Spider-Man costume designed by Bagley with minor alterations by
Bob Budiansky.
Between November and December 1995, the Scarlet Spider replaced Spider-Man in all five of the comics' titles, which were renamed ''
The Amazing Scarlet Spider'', ''
Web of Scarlet Spider'', ''
Scarlet Spider
The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic replicates of the superhero Spider-Man.
Both the ...
'', ''Scarlet-Spider Unlimited'', and ''
The Spectacular Scarlet Spider''. Reilly was also featured prominently in the supplemental material provided for the storyline, including ''Spider-Man: The Lost Years'' and ''Spider-Man: Clone Journals''. The storyline was later revisited in ''What If'' (vol. 2) #86. Reilly was passed the mantle of Spider-Man and was featured throughout the Spider-Man titles ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'', ''Spider-Man'', ''Spider-Man Unlimited'', and ''
The Sensational Spider-Man
''The Sensational Spider-Man'' is a comic book series starring Spider-Man published by Marvel Comics for 35 issues (#0–33, with # -1 published in July 1997 between #17 and #18), from January 1996 until November 1998.
Publication history
'' ...
'', which replaced ''Web of Spider-Man'' as an ongoing monthly title. Reilly remained as the featured Spider-Man between January and December 1996. During this period, the character also featured in two intercompany crossovers ''
DC vs. Marvel
''DC vs. Marvel'' (issues #2–3 titled ''Marvel vs. DC'') was a comic book miniseries intercompany crossover published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from April to May 1996. Each company would publish two issues of the series, thus the title d ...
'' with
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
and ''Backlash/Spider-Man'' with
Image Comics
Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-o ...
.
Though the character has not been used in mainstream continuity since his death in ''Spider-Man'' #75, the character is often alluded to and provided the foundation to the backstory in the
Spider-Girl mythology. In January 2009, Reilly returned to comics as Spider-Man in the third part of Marvel's ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
/
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...
'' miniseries. Written by
Christos Gage
Christos N. Gage is an American screenwriter and comic book writer. He is known for his work on the TV series ''Daredevil'', '' Hawaii Five-0'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Numbers'' and the films '' The Breed'' and '' Teenage Cavem ...
, the series explores episodes in the histories of both the X-Men and Spider-Man, sticking thoroughly to the source material of the time frames that the stories take place in. Issue #3 marked the first new adventure featuring Reilly in more than 12 years. Starting in
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
, and continuing into
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, Marvel published a six-issue
miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...
titled ''Spider-Man: The Clone Saga'' that was a retelling of the story as it had originally been envisioned.
In 2010, Marvel began collecting the story in trade paperback and hardcover forms (). The epic spans five books and covers Reilly's time on the road, through his encounters with Peter and
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane "MJ" Watson is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., and made her first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man' ...
, up to his role as the Scarlet Spider, as the lone spider hero in New York.
Mooted return
On July 25, 2010, at the San Diego Comic-Con, fans expressed their desire to see a return of Ben Reilly. To this, assistant editor Tom Brennan replied, "It's being worked on". During the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, a teaser image was posted on Marvel.com of Reilly's shirt in flames, entitled "The return of The Scarlet Spider?" It is revealed in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #673 and the Marvel ''Point One''
one-shot
One shot may refer to:
Film and television
* One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so
* ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake
* ''One Shot'' (2 ...
that Kaine will be the new Scarlet Spider in his own ongoing series, which was confirmed by editor Steve Wacker in the "Letters to the Editor" page of #673. Later, Ben Reilly in his Scarlet Spider uniform appears to be fighting Kaine on the cover of ''Scarlet Spider'' #21. At the climax of the issue it is revealed that this is
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Kravinoff; Russian: Сергей Кравинов) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in '' The Amazing Spider-Man'' issue #15 (August 1964) as an adversar ...
impersonating Reilly.
Resurrection
Ben Reilly returns in the storyline ''
Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy'', where it was revealed that he was repeatedly killed and resurrected by the Jackal as the villain tried to perfect a new cloning process. Broken by the memory and experience of over two dozen deaths, Ben took control of the Jackal's scheme, even adopting the villain's name for himself, and created a new cloning process that included a better memory transfer but required the clone to ingest a pill on a daily basis to maintain their cellular composition, lest their flesh, muscles, organs, and bones deteriorate until only the nervous system, eyes, and brain remain. He eventually planned to save the human race from death and disease by killing everyone and transferring their memories to the super clones who could then continually have their memories transferred to new bodies if they ever suffered fatal injury, viewing these creations as continuations of the original person rather than copies and calling them "reanimates." After a final confrontation with Peter forces him to abandon his plans and resources, Ben relocates to Las Vegas. He initially tries to escape his past and punishment for his actions while being haunted by hallucinations, adopting the Scarlet Spider identity again. His experiences eventually help restore some of his sanity and set him back on the path to be a hero, and his appearance in the 2018 ''Spider-Geddon'' storyline finishes the redemption arc.
Fictional character biography
Creation
Professor Miles Warren, unhealthily obsessed with his late student
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, ...
who died at the Green Goblin's hands, attempts various experiments, learning
Peter Parker
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August ...
was Spider-Man. Blaming the web-slinger for making Gwen as a target, the
Jackal
Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...
attempts to clone the hero. Parker's
first clone suffers from clone degeneration and is dismissed, but successful clones of both Parker and Stacy with stable cell structures are later created. After multiple attacks on Spider-Man, the Jackal forces the hero and his clone to fight, each believing the other is the clone. The two team up to save Parker's colleague
Ned Leeds
Edward "Ned" Leeds is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man, he has been a reporter for the ''Daily Bugle'', and the abusive husban ...
and Gwen's clone. In the process, Warren and Spider-Man's clone appear to be killed in an explosion. Spider-Man's clone survives and realizes he is not the real Peter Parker. Rather than attempt to replace Parker, he leaves New York to embark on a nomadic life, dubbing himself "Ben Reilly" as a nod to his original self's uncle
Ben Parker and
May Parker
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
's maiden surname.
Exile
During his travels, Ben Reilly befriends geneticist Seward Trainer, becoming the man's lab assistant and honing his scientific prowess to university graduate level under his mentorship. Ben trusts Trainer with his secrets and the man becomes a father figure. During his travels, Reilly is hunted by
Kaine, the scarred and resentful failed clone of Peter Parker. Later, Reilly works with scientist Damon Ryder, who mutates himself into a man/dinosaur hybrid. An attack by Kaine causes a fire that kills Ryder's family, though the scientist blames Reilly for this tragedy. At one point, Reilly finds love with college student Janine Godbe who then reveals her true identity is Elizabeth Tyne, a fugitive who killed her father after enduring incestuous rape. After Janine apparently commits suicide out of guilt for her crime, Reilly continues his travels.
Scarlet Spider
Five years after leaving New York City, Ben Reilly discovers May Parker suffered a stroke and may not recover. He returns to New York City, leading to a confrontation with the original Peter Parker who at this time is bitter, angry, and prone to violent rages following recent traumatic events. After the two handle a hostage situation at the mental hospital Ravencroft Institute, Peter attempts to reclaim his humanity and Ben decides to remain in the city for a while.
When
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
(
Eddie Brock
Edward Charles Allan "Eddie" Brock is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, making a cameo appearance in '' Web of Spider-Man'' #1 ...
) goes on a rampage, Reilly decides to stop Venom, donning a red bodysuit along with a blue spider hoodie he buys at a museum. Armed with improved web-shooters he developed, he defeats Venom and is dubbed the "
Scarlet Spider
The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic replicates of the superhero Spider-Man.
Both the ...
" by ''Daily Bugle'' reporter Ken Ellis (a name Ben dislikes at first). Ben and Peter later reunite and discover the Jackal is alive. After Seward Trainer finds indicators that Peter is actually the clone and Ben the original, Peter and Ben use his equipment and come to the same results. This leads into ''
Maximum Clonage'' where the Jackal hopes to eliminate the human race with a new version of the
Carrion
Carrion () is the decaying flesh of dead animals, including human flesh.
Overview
Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...
virus and replace people with genetically improved clones. Initially feeling lost, Peter works with the Jackal and his new henchman, an evil clone called
Spidercide
File:Villainarena.jpg, Depiction of the many Spider-Man villains in a dream sequence of Spider-Man in ''The Sensational Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) #32. Art by Sean Chen. , frame
rect 3 99 33 165 Morbius
rect 0 55 43 98 Hydro-Man
rect 34 99 43 128 Ch ...
. Eventually, Peter joins Ben in stopping the Jackal who seemingly falls to his death. Ben concedes he has no desire to be Spider-Man again since he has evolved into a different person.
After working with them to stop the Carrion virus, Scarlet Spider joins the
New Warriors
The New Warriors is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They traditionally consisted of teenage and young adult heroes, and were often seen to serve as a junior counterpart to Avengers (comics), ...
for a brief time and develops an attraction to teammate
Firestar. After a few more adventures, Peter is nearly killed in action and decides to retire as Spider-Man to be a better husband and father. He and Mary Jane leave New York City. During gang warfare between the second
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
and
Alistair Smythe
Alistair Alphonso Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and the son of Spencer Smythe. After his father dedicated his lif ...
, a holographic duplicate of the Scarlet Spider ruins Reilly's costumed reputation with a vicious rampage. Reilly decides to drop the Scarlet Spider identity.
Ben Reilly as Spider-Man
Ben Reilly adopts the Spider-Man identity with a new costume. Only a few heroes and villains realize this equivalent of Spider-Man is a different person than before. In his civilian life, Ben dyes his hair blonde and starts working at a café called the Daily Grind. He bonded with the
Carnage symbiote as Spider-Carnage which
John Jameson helped in removing. He starts a relationship with Jessica Carradine, a student at Centennial University with a personal vendetta against Spider-Man, convinced the hero is a murderer. Ben later discovers her late father was the burglar who killed Ben Parker and went into foster care after the man's arrest. Jessica then reveals her father told her he had been framed by the web-slinger for Ben Parker's murder. She blames the wall-crawling vigilante not only for taking away her parent, but for his death during another encounter with Spider-Man, unwilling to believe it was simply a heart-attack brought on by stress. After Jessica discovers Ben is Spider-Man, she confronts the truth of her father. She decides to start a new life on her own rather than remain with Reilly.
Ben's life and work are targeted by the
Hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nig ...
on orders of Spider-Man's old enemy Mendel Stromm, now called
Gaunt. After Peter and Mary Jane return to New York, Ben realizes Seward Trainer has been working with Gaunt for years. Peter and Ben cement their relationship, now regarding each other as brothers and enjoying that they share the same childhood memories. Ben introduces Peter to the Daily Grind staff as his "cousin". Reilly's former lover Janine Godbe is revealed to be alive, forced to fake her death years ago by Kaine as a means of hurting Ben. After multiple confrontations, Kaine accepts he has been avoiding responsibility for his actions and turns himself over to the authorities. Inspired, Janine does the same.
Ben befriends Giachomo "
Jimmy-6" Fortunato, who does not wish to follow the legacy of his crime-lord-father Vincente. Temporarily hiding from the mob, Jimmy-6 becomes Ben's roommate for a time.
DC vs. Marvel
During the 1996 ''
DC vs. Marvel
''DC vs. Marvel'' (issues #2–3 titled ''Marvel vs. DC'') was a comic book miniseries intercompany crossover published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from April to May 1996. Each company would publish two issues of the series, thus the title d ...
'' inter-company crossover, Ben Reilly winds up in the
parallel reality of
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...
. Not sure how to return home, he temporarily gets a photographer-job at the ''
Daily Planet
The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...
'' under the name Peter Parker and meets top reporters
Lois Lane
Lois Lane is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning journalist for ...
and
Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
. Eventually, two cosmic entities force fighters from both the DC and Marvel realities to engage in a series of duels. Reilly is chosen to fight
Superboy
Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...
, the hybrid-clone of
Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book '' Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and pu ...
and
Lex Luthor
Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: April ...
, and wins. Soon afterward, he and Superboy are temporarily merged into
Spider-Boy
The following is a list of fictional characters that appear or are only mentioned in the comic books of Amalgam Comics. They are listed by comic book and a team section is also provided. The amalgamations of characters or the Amalgam versions of o ...
, a hero of the
Amalgam-Comics-universe created by a fusion of DC- and Marvel-realities. At the end of the crossover, the universes are restored and Ben is returned home.
Death
During the ''
Onslaught''-crossover, the
Avengers,
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 (cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first s ...
, and others seemingly die. This leads Ben and Peter to later discuss the possibility of both operating as Spider-Men since New York is without many of its defenders now. Soon afterward, Trainer learns that Gaunt's secret boss is the long-thought-to-be-dead
Norman Osborn
Norman Osborn is a fictional character, fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July ...
. He attempts to warn Ben but is killed. After having both Ben and Peter captured, Osborn reveals himself to be the architect behind Parker's last few years of trauma, all part of a plan to drive the hero insane, including having Trainer create false lab results so he would mistakenly believe he was the clone and Reilly the original. Since Peter has withstood his many trials, Osborn has lost patience and decided to act directly. While Mary Jane is poisoned and loses her child in stillbirth, the original Goblin fights Parker. The battle ends when Reilly takes a fatal wound intended for Peter. Dying, he asks Peter to resume the role of Spider-Man and hopes that his and Mary Jane's child will be told about their "Uncle Ben". Reilly dies and his body decomposes rapidly, confirming he was actually a clone. Peter reclaims the Spider-Man identity. Not long afterward, Peter is accidentally transported to
Counter-Earth
The Counter-Earth is a hypothetical body of the Solar System that orbits on the other side of the solar system from Earth.
A Counter-Earth or ''Antichthon'' ( el, Ἀντίχθων) was hypothesized by the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Philol ...
where he finds the believed-to-be-dead Avengers and Fantastic Four still alive, joining them on their return home.
Post-mortem
During the 2006 "
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
" storyline, Peter Parker's identity is public and is wanted by authorities for being an unregistered superhero. Forced to go undercover, Peter briefly uses the pseudonym Ben Reilly and a holographic-disguise device given by the
Beast.
The Avengers Initiative program later assigns three clones of the hero
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
to aid in the capture of the
Sinister Syndicate
The Sinister Syndicate is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters serve as a collection of lesser-known Spider-Man villains. The group was the focus of the 1991 ''Deadly Foes of Spider ...
. These clones adopt the identities of the Scarlet Spiders, each wearing a copy of the high-tech
Iron Spider suit. Later on, the villain
Mister Hyde gives Spider-Man's powers to a person who wears Ben's Scarlet Spider suit.
Ben's old associate turned enemy Damon Ryder, using the alias "Raptor", attacks Parker who is mistaken for Reilly and goaded by Kaine. Spider-Man defeats him.
''Dead no more: The Clone-Conspiracy''
Ben Reilly appears as part of the 2015
All-New, All-Different Marvel
All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline " Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...
branding, in the form of the mysterious man in a brilliant red suit with a mask of
Anubis
Anubis (; grc, Ἄνουβις), also known as Inpu, Inpw, Jnpw, or Anpu in Ancient Egyptian () is the god of death, mummification, embalming, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld, in ancient Egyptian religion, usually depict ...
, the jackal-headed Egyptian god of death. It is eventually revealed that Miles Warren survived ''Maximum Clonage'' and collected Ben's remains after the hero died at the hands of Norman Osborn. Warren clones Ben again, transferring all his memories including his death. When the new body has problems with cellular degradation, Warren kills Ben and tries again. He does this many times, with Ben's memory transfer ensuring he recalls each death leading up to his stable 27th body. Traumatized by the memory of 26 deaths, Ben breaks free, defeats Warren, and decides to use his technology and operation to prevent anyone else from suffering the tragedy of death. He adopts a mask of Anubis and as the new Jackal he improves process the cloning process, now seeing his new clone creations as "reanimates," continuations of the original person rather than simply copies. His reanimates seem improved in many ways but carry a latent form of a new Carrion virus in their cells.
Publicly, Reilly uses the company New U Technologies to offer cutting edge healing and organ replacement for people, even those with terminal conditions. Peter Parker, head of Parker Industries at the time, becomes suspicious and investigates. Reilly later reveals himself and shows he has resurrected people whose deaths have caused Spider-Man guilt, all of whom now live in a neighborhood-like facility called "Haven." Reilly asks Peter to join him and but the latter concludes the new Jackal is using power without considering the responsibility of his actions. A signal is activated that destabilizes the bodies of the reanimates, meaning the new airborne Carrion virus will now activate in most if not all of them. Reilly decides to let this plague spread across Earth so he can replace everyone with genetically improved reanimates, but his plan is stopped. With his own clone body breaking down, Reilly saves himself using New U Pills and Webware Technology, but now bears scars all over his face and body. After a brief confrontation with the original Jackal, Ben leaves to start a new life, still believing his work was for the good of humanity.
''Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider''
Relocating to Las Vegas, the disfigured Ben is tracked down by former New U Technologies client Cassandra Mercury, owner of the Mercury Rising casino, who wants revenge for his failure to cure her daughter Abigail's terminal disease. Ben buys time by telling Cassandra he can develop a cure in exchange for a lab and resources. He lives and works in the Mercury Rising casino, identifying himself as "Peter." During this time, Ben is haunted by hallucinations of his old self telling him to be more heroic and his Jackal self defending their actions. He steals a Spider-Man cosplayer's hooded costume, then later takes a copy of his original Scarlet Spider outfit from a Spider-Man fan. Operating at times as a vigilante, he uses harsher methods than before, sometimes using a gun to deliver nonlethal injuries.
Kaine Parker
Kaine Parker is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a superhero and former supervillain who serves as an ally, an enemy, and Foil (literature), f ...
arrives in Las Vegas, desiring Ben's death for his actions as the Jackal. Reilly argues he is trying to cure Abigail Mercury's condition, but his untested serum backfires and kills the girl. Kaine attacks only to be seemingly killed by the embodiment of
Death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
. Death explains no other person has been brought back to life as often as Ben and this has corrupted his soul; one more resurrection will likely shatter his soul and sanity. She offers to restore Abigail or Kaine to life, but Ben asks her to save both and take him instead. Impressed, Death heals Kaine and Abigail and removes Ben's scars. During a later battle, Ben uses excessive force and regains scarring around an eye. Death explains he is still being tested and will manifest more scars again if he engages in corrupt behavior.
Some time later, Ben injects Abigail with what seems to be a blood sample from the angel Gabriel, though Abigail succumbs to her fatal disease. The demon lord
Mephisto
Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition.
Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film
* Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...
then tricks Kaine into killing Reilly. However, the blood had indeed saved Abigail, but not in the form everyone thought. Abigail ascended to an angelic level of existence and decides to resurrect Ben since Mephisto overstepped his bounds by arranging the man to die earlier than he should. Ben refuses, remembering Death's warning that his soul will be shattered and he might become evil. Abigail assures him he's still a hero at heart and soon afterwards Ben awakes in a body bag in an ambulance. After escaping from the ambulance, he is confronted by Misty Beck, only for him to punch her through her stomach and exposes her true nature as an android. Ben quickly discovered that he had been driven sociopathic and he enjoyed it. He assaults Kaine and injures him, threatening him to leave Las Vegas if he survived. However, after he leaves, he breaks down in an alleyway, crying.
''Spider-Geddon''
During ''
Spider-Geddon
''Spider-Geddon'' is a 2018 comic book limited series and crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics featuring multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that had appeared in various media, and his supporting cast. In this sequel to ''Spi ...
'', Otto Octavius recruits Kaine to help fight the
Inheritors, vampiric beings who feed on the life force of animal totems, particularly Spider heroes across reality. Overhearing that the Inheritors plan to use New U Technologies to rebuild their cloning machine to ensure they can't die, Ben, still suffering from his evil soul, volunteers his services, wishing to prevent his technology from causing more harm. Octavius begrudgingly agrees only to apparently betray Ben later, by offering him to the Inheritors in exchange for leaving other Spiders alone. The Inheritor called Jennix takes Ben's life force, but also absorbs the experience of Ben's 27 deaths which drives the Inheritor insane, just as planned. Following his sacrifice and Jennix absorbing his death traumas, Octavius resurrects Ben a 28th time with his mindset and stability restored.
''Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown''
Returning to Las Vegas, Ben Reilly continues to operate as the Scarlet Spider and tries to restore his tarnished reputation by capturing thieves in the city of sin. Conan the Barbarian was also in the city on his quest for the powerful Serpent Crown when he was mistaken by Scarlet Spider for a criminal. He was caught off guard by Conan's ally Nyla Skin, which allowed Conan to easily take him out by throwing him into an electrical sign and knocking him out. While Reilly learned he had been making his rep among Las Vegas' criminal community, he didn't hold out long against Conan the Barbarian.
''Book of Korvac''
Ben Reilly returned to New York City and started working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he was first inspired to create the Scarlet Spider identity. He was recruited by Tony Stark/Iron Man alongside a quickly assembled team of heroes that included Misty Knight, Gargoyle, Frog-Man, Halcyon, and Hellcat. They were brought on board to help Iron Man save a captured
James Rhodes from the reborn android from the future known as
Korvac
Korvac is the name of a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appears in '' Giant-Size Defenders'' #3 (Jan. 1975) and was created by Steve Gerber and Jim Starlin.
Publication history
Michael K ...
as he attempted to attain cosmic godhood once again by stealing power from Galactus' worldship.
''Spider-Man Beyond''
At some as-yet unspecified point, Ben returns to Earth and is recruited by the
Beyond Corporation
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several noteworthy concepts besides its fictional characters, such as unique places and artifacts. There follows a list of those features.
Places
Certain places fe ...
, taking on the mantle of Spider-Man for a second time. He takes a newly modified costume designed by Beyond into the field when Bushwacker seizes control of a building in Dallas, Texas. Ben arrives to stop him, Bushwacker takes note of the new costume and asks when heroes like Ben ever have time to sew, before training his weapon on his hostages. Ben shields them from a blast with his own body, his costume is made of impact-thickening foam polymers that absorb the energy burst. Bushwacker's arms morph into larger cannons but Ben plugs them with a fist, and the blasts backfire on Bushwacker, severely crippling his arms and causing damage to the building. Ben is horrified and calls in the Beyond corporation, who assure him they will take care of the clean up operation, providing counselling for the hostages as well as a contractor to repair the building.
Ben is impressed with the Beyond corp's services as well as the effectiveness of the new Spider-Man suit and agrees to join them. Beyond corp tell him to get rid of his Scarlet Spider outfit, comparing it to something a fourteen year old would wear at a birthday party. Ben is concerned he'll be mistaken for the real Spider-Man, Beyond corp tell him that, to them, he is the real deal.
In order to assure Ben's unwavering loyalty, the Beyond corporation arrange for the prison release of Elizabeth Tyne, Ben's true love.
While taking the new Spider-Man suit out for another of Beyond's 'test drives', Ben encounters Peter Parker, who pursues him, demanding to know who he is. Ben eventually gives Parker the slip using one of his costume's devices to trap him. Ben eventually arranges a meeting with Peter where he confesses to being the Spider-Man he encountered earlier. He informs Peter of his recent recruitment by Beyond and that they have acquired, through the remains of Parker Industries, the rights and license to the Spider-Man name. Peter tells Ben he can't just ask for a piece of his life in this manner, but Ben makes it clear he is not simply 'asking'.
When the U-Foes attack Empire State University, both Peter and Ben team up to stop them. The confrontation leads to one of the U-Foes unleashing a radio-volatile gas explosion. Ben's new Spider-Man suit is able to protect him, but this leaves Peter exposed and he is poisoned.
Mary Jane and Peter's Aunt May are summoned by Ben to the hospital, with Ben posing as Peter over the phone. Aunt May is less convinced than MJ that Ben is Peter, but goes anyway. Ben arrives, much to MJ's annoyance, and tells Peter he's not good with asking for things, so says his 'therapist' (Doctor Kafka), but now he feels compelled to try. Peter gives Ben his blessing to be Spider-Man. When Ben departs, Peter tells MJ he wanted to wait until he was out of earshot and sight before confessing that he can't feel anything in his body. He goes into convulsions and doctors scramble to stabilize him, but they appear to be losing him. Ben in the meantime suits up and confronts the U-Foes as Spider-Man
Having triumphed over the U-Foes, Ben resumes training at Beyond with
Coleen Wing and
Misty Knight
Mercedes "Misty" Knight is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Tony Isabella and Arvell Jones, Knight was first mentioned (by name) in ''Marvel Premiere'' #20 (Jan. 1975) and appeared in ...
and meets with the head of superhero development at the company
Maxine Danger, Maxine, annoyed that Ben had turned off his coms twice over the course of a few days, asks Ben if she can still rely upon his skills and service. Ben assures her he can and then visits Doctor Kafka for a therapy session. Ben makes an attempt to discuss his connection to Peter's Uncle Ben, but finds it hard even with his cloned memories to recollect something specific Ben had said to Peter long ago. Ben returns to his room, where his and Elizabeth/Janine's dinner plans are spoiled by yet another call to action. Ben is transported downtown where he stumbles upon the living vampire Morbius in the midst of a feeding frenzy.
Morbius attacks Ben, sinking his fangs into him. Ben's costume is damaged but proves capable of self-repair. Ben lures Morbius back to his apartment at Beyond headquarters, where the automated defence systems are able to fend him off, slicing off one of his arms. As Coleen and Misty take care of Morbius, Ben collapses from the bite he received earlier and is rushed into surgery by the Beyond personnel. Maxine Danger is at first hesitant to give Ben any anti-toxins in the event he develops a mutation from the bite that could enhance his powers, which would benefit Beyond greatly, but eventually is convinced to approve treatment. Afterwards, Ben and Elizabeth spend an evening together. As they share a kiss in the park, they are observed by the latest version of Kraven The Hunter.
Ben is attacked by Kraven, Ben sees shapeless faces as part of his hallucinations, very much as Peter Parker has in recent times. He is taken by Kraven to an off shore ocean platform where the Hunter has captured other Beyond staff. Ben eventually recovers and beats Kraven, who escapes. Ben returns home to Elizabeth, while Maxine prepares to make a move against Miles Morales, who has turned down several legal requests to cease using the Spider-Man trademark now that it is licensed by the Beyond corporation
Ben checks in on Peter, only to find Felicia Hardy holding vigil by his bedside. Felicia makes it clear to Ben she does not approve of him using her ex-lover's costumed identity. Before they can argue further, they are summoned to the sanctum of the Sorcerer Supreme
Stephen Strange, where they are tasked with several feats that the good doctor cannot deal with on account of having been very recently murdered. Over the course of this arduous evening fulfilling Strange's requests, Ben and Felicia come to an understanding, and Felicia begrudgingly accepts that, for now, Ben has earned the title of Spider-Man, but she is determined to get Peter out of bed and back on his feet.
Ben attends therapy with Ashley Kafka, and talks about recent dreams he has had concerning Peter's Uncle Ben. The therapy pays off and a joyous Ben scoops up Kafka in his arms to thank her, but she tells him this is not appropriate. Later that evening Ben and Janine make preparations for a night on the town but Ben is called away to deal with a break-in at Beyond Branch C-47. Discovering Otto Octavius, Ben battles the sinister six-armed scientist, managing to temporarily disable his tentacles with a spot of Beyond tech, but Otto is still able to outwit and injure Ben through other means and successfully makes off with a computer drive containing classified information that Maxine Danger requests that Ben retrieve at all costs. Maxine also informs Ben he is becoming more of a liability and there were other options before him that Beyond were considering for the role of Spider-Man
When Octavius attacks Maxine at Beyond headquarters, Ben comes to her rescue and is able to get the better of Octopus this time. Soundly beaten, Octavius offers Ben information on why Beyond selected him. Ben discovers to his horror Beyond considers him emotionally compromised and easy to manipulate. Taking the drive with him and hiding it within his mask, Ben returns home to Janine. Secluded in the bathroom, he shatters a mirror in frustration
Ben talks with Kafka. Over the course of their conversation, Ben reveals he no longer believes he is a clone. This is in part to Beyond, per Maxine's instructions, significantly altering his memories so he is more easily controllable. Realizing Ben is on to them, Beyond betray both him and Kafka. Ben's mind is further tampered with, and he loses all sense of Uncle Ben's teachings about great responsibility, which later puts Janine and Mary Jane in great danger when they are confronted by Doctor Kafka, who has been transformed by Beyond into a new and dangerous enemy they christen the Queen Goblin. Unable to remember Ben Parker's greatest lesson, Ben flees with Janine and leaves Mary Jane to the Goblin, but Janine and Ben talk things through, he lets her go to Peter's hospital bed and fetch him so he can rescue MJ. Peter eventually finds Ben, though Reilly struggles to recollect Peter The two team up and head to Beyond's villain depot, where they are joined by Colleen and Misty. Maxine Danger appears before Ben as a hologram and threatens to open the facility's mysterious Door Z, but Ben decides to open it himself and use whatever is inside to keep Peter and the daughters of the dragon preoccupied while he deals with Maxine and Beyond himself. He abandons his allies to face what lies behind Door Z...The Lizard
It all comes to a head as Ben begins to lose his artificially implanted memories of Peter Parker's life. The Beyond Corporation attempts to pit the increasingly unstable Ben against Peter, telling him they've built a device that can repair and restore the pieces of his memories and personality that Ben believes are fading away.
But sensing a trap, Peter refuses to submit to the device, leading Ben to try and force him to use it. In the ensuing conflict, Ben is swept up under strange chemicals called "quantum-shifting polymers in a psycho-reactive medium" which are unleashed to rewrite and remake the actual physical matter of their headquarters to hide the evidence of their misdeeds.
Despite suffering serious injuries, Peter survives, but Ben seems to be lost in the wreckage of the former Beyond Corporation headquarters. However, months later, Ben resurfaces - and he's undergone some changes due to his exposure to the "quantum-shifting polymers."
The issues with Ben's memory have become worse, with the literal holes in his visual memories where the faces of his loved ones used to be creeping into his actual perceptions, leaving Ben unable to even perceive his own face in the mirror. Perhaps even worse, he's now bathed in some kind of green and black energy that seems related to the shifting properties of the chemicals.
Donning a twisted green and purple version of his Spider-Man suit, Ben declares his old self "dead," implying that the memories and larger personality that once resided in his physical form have been erased, which seems to be confirmed by his inability to even perceive his own face, along with his previously established amnesia. Instead, all that's left within him is a chasm, giving his new villainous persona that name.
As Chasm, Ben soon finds allies that assist him in his campaign against Peter, such as
Madelyne Pryor
Powers and equipment
As Spider-Man's clone, Ben Reilly possesses proportionate spider-like abilities and traits identical to Peter Parker's, including superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, stamina, resiliency, and agility, along with the ability to cling to almost any surface granted by consciously commanding his body to do so (the process seems similar to the
van der Waals force
In molecular physics, the van der Waals force is a distance-dependent interaction between atoms or molecules. Unlike ionic or covalent bonds, these attractions do not result from a chemical electronic bond; they are comparatively weak and ...
and has been described as "the ability to mentally control the flux of the inner-atomic attraction between molecular boundary layers). Reilly's reflexes and stamina operate up to 40 times faster than an average person's, while his strength allows him to lift 150 times his own weight (approximate limit of 10 tons). He can leap thirty feet into the air from a standing position. Ben's superhumanly enhanced muscles, bones, and body are more resistant to injury than the average human.
[''Spider-Man'' #26 (1992)] Like Peter, Ben has a precognitive "spider-sense" warning him of incoming danger and threats, manifesting as a buzzing in the base of his skull. In battle, Ben can allow this sense to guide his reflexes to help dodge attacks.
Ben possesses Peter Parker's genius-level scientific intellect with particular talents towards
applied science
Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...
,
chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...
,
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
,
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
,
mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, and
mechanics
Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objec ...
. During his travels, Ben was able to spend more time improving his scientific knowledge and experience and came to surpass Peter's skill in some fields. Because Reilly was not in the role of Spider-Man for five years while traveling, and didn't engage in regular combat during his time as the Jackal, his fighting style is less polished than Parker's. Kaine notes that Reilly is more reliant on tactics rather than his physical skill and is a calculating and cunning combatant.
Like Peter Parker, Ben is armed with wrist-worn web-shooters that each holds several cartridges of "web-fluid", a chemical mixture that solidifies on exposure to air. Released from a pressurized valve, the web-fluid can (depending on the valve's adjustment) become an expanding net, a thin web-line, or an adhesive, malleable goo. Reilly's web-shooters use more advanced triggers than Parker's and include features such as "impact webbing", temporary paralysis-inducing "stingers", and "mini-dot" tracers (a smaller version of Parker's spider-tracers). Due to these advances, Reilly's web-shooters are bulkier than Parker's, so he wears them on the outside of his costumes. Like Parker, Reilly wears a belt carries spare web-fluid cartridges.
Following ''Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy'', Ben had scarring on his face and body. After his encounter with the cosmic entity Death, the scars were removed but would return if he behaved in corrupt ways. Following his resurrection in ''Spider-Geddon'', these scars are completely gone.
Reanimations created by Ben Reilly
When operating as the new Jackal, Ben Reilly begun harvesting the DNA from the remains of those he planned to clone, rather than using the blood sample that Miles Warren had gathered to grow the clones. Dubbing them "Reanimations," these new creations have all the memories that span all the way to their deaths.
[''The Clone Conspiracy'' #1. Marvel Comics.] The following are reanimations created by Jackal:
* The Gwen Stacy reanimation that is the Jackal's business partner.
* The Oksana reanimation that was created from the real Oksana's remains. She was used to manipulated
Rhino into joining Jackal's side.
* The Martha Connors and Billy Connors reanimations that were used to manipulated
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
into joining Jackal's side.
* The Francine Frye reanimation that was used to manipulated
Electro to restore his powers. However, Francine's DNA was mixed in with Electro's DNA to absorb the electricity, killing him and causing her to become the new Electro instead.
[''The Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 4. Marvel Comics.]
* The
Prowler
Prowler may refer to:
* "Prowler", a song by Iron Maiden from ''Iron Maiden'', 1980
* Prowler (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics superhero
* ''The Prowler'' (1951 film), a film starring Van Heflin
* "The Prowler" (''Australian Playhouse''), an e ...
reanimation that replaced the real Prowler after he was apparently killed by the female Electro.
* The
Vanessa Fisk
Vanessa Fisk ( née Marianna) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is married to the crime boss the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) and is the mother of Richard Fisk, although she herself is not portra ...
reanimation that was created from the real Vanessa Fisk's remains. She was used by Jackal to manipulated the
Kingpin into joining his side. The Kingpin killed her declaring that the Vanessa Fisk in question is not his real wife, but an abomination.
* The
George Stacy
George Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in stories depicting the superhero Spider-Man. He is Gwen Stacy's father and a former police captain from the New York City Police Departm ...
reanimation that was used to convince the Gwen Stacy reanimation to join the Jackal's side.
*
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
's consciousness in an Octobot arranged for his body to reanimated and then took control of the body where he allied with Jackal.
* Jackal made reanimations of a
Jack O'Lantern
A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin or a root vegetable such as a rutabaga or turnip. Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday. Its name comes from the reported phen ...
,
Kangaroo
Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
,
Madame Web
Madame Web (Cassandra Webb) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #210, published November 1980, and was created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist ...
,
Massacre
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
,
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
, and
Tarantula
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
.
* To strengthen the "Underworld" with the villain reanimations, Jackal made reanimations of
Alistair Smythe
Alistair Alphonso Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and the son of Spencer Smythe. After his father dedicated his lif ...
, Barton Hamilton's
Green Goblin
The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known incarnation Norman Osborn, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is generally regarded as one of the a ...
form,
Big Man,
Eduardo Lobo,
Hitman
Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may be ...
, a
Hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nigh ...
, a
Mysterio
Mysterio (Quentin Beck) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #13 (June 1964). He is primarily depicted ...
,
Ox, a
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
,
Spencer Smythe
Spencer Smythe is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as an adversary of the superhero Spider-Man. A scientist researching robotics and arachnids, he turned to crime to finance his research, an ...
, and
Stilt-Man
Stilt-Man is the name of multiple different supervillains in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
Stilt-Man first appeared in ''Daredevil'' #8 (June 1965). He is a criminal wearing an impenetrable suit of armor wi ...
. Also, Jackal made reanimations of
Ashley Kafka
Dr. Ashley Kafka is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually in stories revolving around the superhero Spider-Man. Introduced in ''The Spectacular Spider-Man'' #178 (July 1991), she was created ...
,
Jean DeWolff
Jean DeWolff is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is a New York City police detective, and a supporting character in stories featuring the superhero Spider-Man. Introduced in ''Marvel Team-Up'' ...
, and
Mattie Franklin.
Other versions
MC2
* In the alternate reality known as
MC2, Peter and Mary Jane Parker's daughter May Parker survives birth and grows up hearing stories of her late "Uncle Ben" who died a hero. After realizing she has powers of her own, the teenage May (nicknamed "Mayday") confronts her mother, learning her father was Spider-Man and that Ben Reilly also assumed the identity for a time. Inspired, she adopts Ben Reilly's web-shooters and Spider-Man costume, becoming
Spider-Girl.
* In the MC2 reality, Ben Reilly had a son by Janine Godbe (Elizabeth Tyne), named Reilly Tyne. Kaine regards Reilly Tyne as his "nephew" and tries to save him from cellular degeneration. Kaine's experiment results in the young man becoming older and infused by a portion of the demon
Zarathos
Zarathos (, ) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is usually depicted in stories featuring the character Ghost Rider. A demonic being who tortures and devours souls, Zarathos first appeared in ...
and a portion of the spirit of the deceased
Matt Murdock
Daredevil is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Daredevil was created by Literary editor, writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Bill Everett, with an unspecified amount of input from Jack Kirby. The c ...
, turning Reilly Tyne into
Darkdevil
Darkdevil (Reilly Tyne) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character primarily appears in the "Marvel Comics 2, MC2" future of the Marvel Universe. He was created by Tom DeFalco and Pat Olli ...
.
*
Felicity Hardy, the daughter of Felicia Hardy (
Black Cat
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...
), assumes the Scarlet Spider identity in an attempt to become partners with Spider-Girl. Peter Parker is angry at this, considering it an inappropriate use of Ben Reilly's former costumed identity.
Marvel Zombies
Ben Reilly is one of the heroes on the
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
Helicarrier
The Helicarrier is a fictional flying aircraft carrier appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is depicted as the crucial mobile command center, forward operations platform, and signature capital ship of the fictional int ...
who survived the zombie plague. He is seen battling the zombies; however, this plan falls apart. Reilly's fate is unknown.
Ultimate Marvel
The
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
version of Ben Reilly is an African-American scientist who worked with
Dr. Curt Connors at Empire State University. He combines a sample of
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
's DNA with the
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
's and the
Venom
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
symbiote to create the
Carnage organism, and steals a second sample of Spider-Man's DNA from the lab. Reilly later works with
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
, creating five clones of Spider-Man while employed by the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
.
One clone has Kaine's insane personality and facial scars and wears a makeshift version of Ben Reilly's costume.
''What If?''
* ''
What If?'' #30, "What If Spider-Man's Clone Had Lived?", depicts a world where, after the Jackal's bomb explodes at Shea Stadium, both Spider-Men are knocked unconscious and the clone awakens before the original. The clone, believing that he is the original Peter Parker, puts the still unconscious Parker into stasis in one of the Jackal's clone-growing devices for safety and attempts to continue with life as normal. However, the clone has no memories from the time before the cell samples he had been grown from were taken, and is confused and lost in the world of the real Peter Parker. This memory gap and the discovery of the Jackal's notes on his cloning process, leads the clone to realize what he truly is. After some hesitation (considering leaving the original safely asleep in stasis), he frees the real Parker just in time for both of them to confront a threat from the
Kingpin. Afterwards, the clone prepares to leave to seek his own fortune, but accepts an offer from Parker to co-operate in "shifts", switching between being Parker and Spider-Man. In this story, the clone never establishes a separate name for himself, and is referred to as "Spider-Clone", "brother", or "bro" by the original Parker.
* ''
What If?'' vol. 2 #86, "What If Scarlet Spider Killed Spider-Man?", gives an alternate ending of the "Clone Saga". During the time Spider-Man is under the
Jackal
Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...
's control, the Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man fight until there is an explosion. Reilly's body is later found washed ashore and Peter Parker is believed to be dead. Reilly awakens in hospital and finds Parker's friends and family, who believe he is Parker, around his bed. The following year, Reilly and Mary Jane discover that their baby, May, is dying of blood poisoning. One night, Reilly wakes to find that May has been kidnapped. Ben searches for her and meets the Green Goblin, who reveals that he is behind the "Clone Saga" and needs May's blood for a serum. The two fight atop the
George Washington Bridge
The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee, New Jersey, with Manhattan in New York City. The bridge is named after George Washington, the first president of the United St ...
, where
Gwen Stacy
Gwendolyne Maxine Stacy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man. A college student and the daughter of George Stacy and Helen Stacy, ...
was killed. During the struggle, they both fall into the river below. Reilly resurfaces with the Goblin's mask and the serum and is met by Mary Jane. Reilly discovers that she knows that his true identity is Ben Reilly. Mary Jane thanks Reilly and tells him to find his own identity.
''Spider-Man: Life Story''
''Spider-Man: Life Story'' features an alternate continuity where the characters naturally age after Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man in 1962. Miles Warren was ordered by Norman Osborn to create clones of Norman and Peter. In 1977, Norman convinced Harry to attack Miles after discovering that Warren had created a clone of Gwen as well. Harry deduces that Norman had Miles clone Peter because Norman still viewed Peter as a more worthy successor over him and blows up the containment tubes with the clones. Peter's clone was the only survivor thanks to inheriting Spider-Man's powers. However, Miles reveals that the "Gwen" Peter was with was actually her clone while the real Gwen died in the explosion. A year later, Peter and Gwen's clones rename themselves as Ben and Helen Parker (later Reilly) and move out of New York for a second chance at life.
Ben eventually becomes a photojournalist in Chicago, where he also operates as the hero known as "the Red Mask". In 1995, he and Peter are kidnapped by Doctor Octopus and taken to Oscorp so Otto could learn how to extend his life by cloning. In the process, Otto discovers that Peter is supposedly the clone, while Ben was the original. Ben lashes out at Otto for the revelation before Otto attempts to kill them both and ends up murdering Harry instead. As Ben begins to have an identity crisis, Peter gives him a folder detailing his own life from the last 20 years and allows Ben the opportunity to retake his life as "Peter Parker" once more. It is later revealed that Peter found out that Norman had manipulated Otto into kidnapping them and rigged the results, meaning that Ben is still the clone. However, Peter allowed Ben to take over his life so he could live quietly with Mary Jane and his children.
In 2006, Ben is murdered by
Morlun
Morlun () is a fictional supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr., the character first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' vol. 2 #30 (June 2001).
Morlun ...
, as Peter ignored Ezekiel's warnings about him in this timeline, prompting Peter to return to New York to reveal that he is the true Peter Parker so he could prevent Morlun from coming after his family and stop Tony Stark from taking over Parker Industries.
''Spider-Man: The Clone Saga''
In September 2009, a six-issue miniseries based on the Clone Saga comics of the 1990s, titled ''Spider-Man: The Clone Saga'', was issued. The purpose of the miniseries was to tell the story as it was initially conceived. It is a condensed version of the Clone Saga without the plot points involving Traveler,
Scrier, and covers several months of a fictional time period. The first issue introduces readers to the characters Ben Reilly and Kaine, and addresses Mary Jane's pregnancy and Aunt May's hospitalization. Reilly and Parker bond after Kaine attacks them, and Reilly decides to stay in New York, pretending to be Peter's blonde-haired cousin so that he can build his own life. Reilly adopts the identity of the Scarlet Spider and begins working at the Daily Grind.
Reilly and Parker later work with Kaine to reach the lair of the shadowy figure responsible for infecting Mary Jane and Aunt May with a deadly genetic virus. The mysterious villain is revealed to be the Jackal, who captures all three and reveals his plans to make an army of Spider-Man clones in order to take over the world. Since Reilly is the only stable clone, the Jackal takes a sample of his blood to perfect his cloning technique. When the Jackal reveals another stage of his plan, to clone Gwen Stacy and another unknown figure, Kaine goes berserk and breaks himself, Parker and Reilly free. During the subsequent fight, the clones dissolve and the Jackal plants the first seed of doubt over who is the original Peter Parker. After Kaine kills the Jackal, Reilly and Parker escape with the cure for Aunt May's and Mary Jane's virus. Parker retires and hands the Spider-Man identity to Reilly. Reilly spends several months in the role, while Parker gets ready to become a father. Reilly is shown as a less-polished Spider-Man and is somewhat insecure due to his relative inexperience because of his exile. Eventually, Mary Jane gives birth, Allison Mongrain kidnaps the baby, and later gives it to Kaine.
When Reilly goes searching for the baby, he is attacked by the Green Goblin, who is revealed to be Harry Osborn and working with Kaine. Though Reilly appears to gain the upper hand in the ensuing fight, the Goblin impales him in the back with his Goblin Glider. Miraculously, Reilly survives the attack. Osborn had been plotting his revenge against Parker since his apparent heart attack. Osborn creates a clone of his father, Norman, to help him defeat Parker and Reilly; however, Norman jumps in front of Harry's Goblin Glider as it is about to hit Parker and is impaled in the back. Afterwards, Kaine returns baby May to Parker and Mary Jane, Aunt May survives and wants to help raise the child, and Ben Reilly leaves once again to travel the world and find a life for himself.
"Spider-Verse"
During the 2014 "
Spider-Verse
"Spider-Verse" is a 2014– 15 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It features multiple alternative versions of Spider-Man that had appeared in various media, all under attack by Morlun and his family, the Inheritors. The event ...
" storyline, Ben Reilly of Earth-94 was recruited into a team of multiverse Spider-Totems who were teaming up to fend off the Inheritors, who were trying to devour each and every Spider-Totem. In this particular universe, Peter Parker's powers did not return, with Peter remaining in Oregon while Ben has developed into a far lighter character without the burden of Peter's past, particularly aided by the string of successes that he had as Spider-Man, including saving Marla Jameson from
Alistair Smythe
Alistair Alphonso Smythe () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and the son of Spencer Smythe. After his father dedicated his lif ...
and preventing
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
from
taking his body.
[''Scarlet Spiders'' #3. Marvel Comics.]
This version of Ben Reilly lead a team featuring fellow clones
Kaine of Earth-616 and the
Jessica Drew of Earth-1610 who are sent on a mission that requires their 'expertise' as clones of Spider-Man. Their mission sends them to Earth-802, a world conquered by the Inheritors and ruled over by the Inheritor Jennix, whose efforts to clone Spider-Totems failed to clone the Spider-Essence itself. Despite their best efforts to infiltrate said world, the Spider-Clones would end up doing battle with the dimension's versions of Iron Man and the Human Torch, as well as Jennix himself, before Reilly later sacrificed himself to destroy the Inheritors' cloning facility; which they used to resurrect themselves if they fell during their trips to other worlds.
In other media
Television
* Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider made a non-speaking appearance in the ''
X-Men: The Animated Series'' episode "One Man's Worth, Part One".
* Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider made a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' episode "Nightmare in Green".
* A variation of Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider appears in the ''
Spider-Man: The Animated Series'' two-part series finale "Spider-Wars", voiced by
Christopher Daniel Barnes
Christopher Daniel Barnes (born November 7, 1972), also known professionally as C. D. Barnes, C. B. Barnes and Chris Barnes, is an American actor and writer. He is best known for his voice role as the title superhero of the 1990s animated series ...
.
This version hails from an alternate reality where
Miles Warren
The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
created a clone of Peter Parker and altered both his and the original's memories. Unsure of whether he was the clone or not, the original changed his name to "Ben Reilly" and went by the Scarlet Spider in an attempt to escape the confusion. Despite eventually discovering he was the original from the start and recovering all of his memories, Reilly ultimately chose to continue his life as the Scarlet Spider. When the clone becomes Spider-Carnage and plots to destroy the
multiverse
The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists: the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, information, and the physical laws and constants that describe them. The di ...
and nearly succeeds, the
Beyonder
The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, self-procl ...
and
Madame Web
Madame Web (Cassandra Webb) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #210, published November 1980, and was created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist ...
recruit the Scarlet Spider, the "prime"
Peter Parker / Spider-Man, and several of their multiversal doppelgangers to stop Spider-Carnage.
** Additionally, a variation of Spider-Carnage appears in "Spider-Wars", also voiced by Barnes.
Hailing from the same alternate reality as the Scarlet Spider, the aforementioned clone went mad with jealousy upon learning of his true status and attempted to kill the Scarlet Spider before the
Carnage symbiote emerged from an interdimensional portal, bonded to the clone, and turned him into Spider-Carnage. He plots to destroy the multiverse and nearly succeeds, but the Beyonder and Madame Web work to stop him, as stated above. The "prime" Parker finds a living version of
Ben Parker, who convinces Spider-Carnage to stop, though Spider-Carnage sacrifices himself to stop Carnage after failing to regain control from the symbiote.
* A variation of Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider appears in ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
'', voiced by
Scott Porter
Scott may refer to:
Places Canada
* Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec
* Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380
* Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...
. This version sports
Kaine Parker
Kaine Parker is a fictional Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a superhero and former supervillain who serves as an ally, an enemy, and Foil (literature), f ...
's modern Scarlet Spider costume and aggressive personality, and is a synthezoid created by
Doctor Octopus
Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''Th ...
using Peter Parker / Spider-Man's DNA who possesses stingers under his arms. Introduced in the two-part episode "Hydra Attacks", he saves Spider-Man before reluctantly working with the Web Warriors to stop
Hydra and Doc Ock, all while hiding his true allegiance with the latter in subsequent episodes. Along the way, he receives the name "Ben Reilly" from
May Parker
Maybelle "May" Parker-Jameson (née Reilly), commonly known as Aunt May, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Spider-Man. Making her first full appeara ...
. In the two-part episode "The New Sinister Six", Reilly is revealed to be Doctor Octopus's mole within
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often dea ...
during the
Sinister Six
Sinister commonly refers to:
* Evil
* Ominous
Sinister may also refer to:
Left side
* Sinister, Latin for the direction "left"
* Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...
's attack on the
Triskelion
A triskelion or triskeles is an ancient motif consisting of a triple spiral exhibiting rotational symmetry.
The spiral design can be based on interlocking Archimedean spirals, or represent three bent human legs. It is found in artefacts o ...
. After the Parkers appeal to his better nature, Reilly betrays his creator and seemingly sacrifices himself to defeat the Sinister Six. In reality, he faked his death so he can work alone from the shadows. In the three-part episode "The Spider-Slayers", Reilly resurfaces after becoming suspicious of his origins and works with Spider-Man following an encounter with the imperfect synthezoid Kaine. Once they locate Doc Ock and travel to Hydra Island, Reilly learns the truth of his synthezoid origins and that he was intended to be the leader of a team of synthezoid
Spider-Slayers
The Spider-Slayers are a series of fictional robots appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Spencer Smythe, they were designed specifically to hunt down, capture, or kill Spider-Man. A new generation of Spider-Sl ...
, which the Web Warriors are able to eventually defeat. As of the two-part series finale "Graduation Day", Reilly has become a teacher at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
Film
Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider will appear in the upcoming film ''
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' as a member of
Miguel O'Hara
Spider-Man 2099 is a Character (arts), fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for the Marvel 2099 comic book line, and is a fut ...
's Spider-Forces.
Video games
* Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man appear as alternate costumes for Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the 2000 ''Spider-Man (2000 video game), Spider-Man'' video game and ''Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro''.
* Ben Reilly as Spider-Man and Spider-Carnage appear as alternate costumes for Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Wii version of ''Spider-Man: Web of Shadows''.
* Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider appears as an alternate costume for Peter Parker / Spider-Man in ''Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Spider-Man: Edge of Time'' and ''Spider-Man (2018 video game), Marvel's Spider-Man''.
* Ben Reilly as Spider-Carnage appears as an unlockable alternate costume for Peter Parker / Spider-Man in ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014 video game), The Amazing Spider-Man 2''.
* Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man appear as separate playable characters in ''Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'', voiced by Chris Cox (voice actor), Chris Cox and Yuri Lowenthal respectively.
* Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man, and Spider-Carnage appear as separate playable characters in ''Spider-Man Unlimited (video game), Spider-Man Unlimited''.
* Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider appears as a playable character in ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2''.
Toys
Action figures of the character have been released over the years, including some released after the character's death:
* 1996: Ben Reilly as the Scarlet-Spider was released as an action figure by ToyBiz in the "Marvel OverPower Card Game – PowerSurge Invincibles" toyline.
* 1996: Ben Reilly as Spider-Man was featured as an action figure by ToyBiz.
* 1997: Ben Reilly as Spider-Carnage was featured as an action figure by ToyBiz's ''Spider-Man/Venom – Along Came a Spider'' toyline.
* 2002: Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider was a KB Toys exclusive in the ''Spider-Man Classics'' toyline.
* 2004: Ben Reilly as Spider-Man was featured in the Spider-Man Classics range from ToyBiz.
* 2004: Ben Reilly as Spider-Man was featured as a Kubrick (toy), Kubrick in a five-figure Spider-Man box set released by Medicom Toy.
* 2005: Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider was featured as a Kubrick in Medicom Toy's ''Marvel Super-Heroes Series 4'' toyline.
* 2005: Minimates of Ben Reilly as Spider-Man and Spider-Carnage were available in Series 10.
* 2007: A Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider Minimate was sold with the
Hobgoblin
A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nigh ...
.
* 2008: Ben Reilly, in his redesigned Spider-Man costume and designated "Scarlet Spider", was featured as a figure in the Ares (Marvel Comics), Ares Build-A-Figure series of ''Marvel Legends''.
* 2009–2010: Marvel's ''Super-Hero Squad'' range features both a Scarlet Spider figure (named "Ben Reilly Spider-Man" and packaged with Bullseye (comics), Bullseye) and one of his re-designed Spider-Man costumes (packaged both individually and with Carnage).
* 2016: Marvel's ''Marvel Legends'' was packaged as "Ben Reilly Spider-Man". This figure also came with a Spider-Carnage set.
* The Lego set 76057 ''Spider-Man: Web Warriors Bridge Battle'' features a Scarlet Spider mini-figure.
* 2021: Medicom Toy released a version of Ben Reilly in the Spider-Man costume in their Mafex toyline using an altered sculpt of their original Spider-Man figure, listed as figure Number 143 in the line.
Collected editions
Notes
References
External links
Bring Back Ben PetitionBen Reilly TributeLife of Reillyat Spiderfan.org
at Insania 1998
at SamRuby.com
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reilly, Ben
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