The Ben Reilly Appreciation Thread

[Jim Thompson]

And that's kinda the premise of Scarlet Spider now!

Part of it, sure. And I think Ben being around would only add to that notion being explored.

[classicgmer]

I liked Ben too. A lot. But he was set up to take his place as Peter Parker, so I guess he'd be like Peter is now BND and forward. Besides, Kaine is pretty close to the Ben we remember, IMHO. So I'm happy with him being the Scarlet Spider.

I don't get the whole "because of BND there's now, really no point in brining Ben Reilly back" I read the issues & I didn't see Ben Reilly...I know that they're not huge, massive personality differences BUT all one has to do is go back & read some of the Clone Saga & it's pretty easily highlighted how Ben & Peter react to situations differently because of the environments they were brought up in.


I also love the Scarlet Spider book BUT it seriously irks me how some people have this attitude that if Ben were to somehow come back (even though it should be painfully clear by this point that he's not coming back) it would somehow hurt the Scarlet Spider title & Kaine..It wasn't true as it pertains to Peter Parker & i don't for the life of me see how it could be true for Kaine. If anything it would be very interesting if Ben were to come back as a supporting character in Kaine's world imo.

[Russell]

I like Ben, not as much as Peter or Kaine, but I like him. I hope he will be back, mainly because I think his return could give Scarlet a numbers boost.

[Lars C]

I don't get the whole "because of BND there's now, really no point in brining Ben Reilly back" I read the issues & I didn't see Ben Reilly...I know that they're not huge, massive personality differences BUT all one has to do is go back & read some of the Clone Saga & it's pretty easily highlighted how Ben & Peter react to situations differently because of the environments they were brought up in.


I also love the Scarlet Spider book BUT it seriously irks me how some people have this attitude that if Ben were to somehow come back (even though it should be painfully clear by this point that he's not coming back) it would somehow hurt the Scarlet Spider title & Kaine..It wasn't true as it pertains to Peter Parker & i don't for the life of me see how it could be true for Kaine. If anything it would be very interesting if Ben were to come back as a supporting character in Kaine's world imo.

Ben was from the start supposed to replace Peter, taking his name and everything. When the Clone Saga really started to become a mess and dragged out for far too long, sooner or later Marvel had to put a decisive end to it. And that's what they did in the "Revelations" story arc, ending with Ben dying and becoming ashes (or what was it supposed to be?). Sure, in many ways Ben reacted differently, and that was what I guess would be the "younger" personality coupled with different experiences. But remember when Ben showed up the first times and Peter was into his "I am the Spider" period? To me it seemed like they wanted to hammer home the point that Ben was more Spidey than Peter was at that time. The same with him not understanding how Peter could make a deal with Venom, and fighting him.

I don't think Ben returning would hurt Scarlet Spider in particular, but I kinda like that Kaine has to find his own way with a new cast. I have absolutely nothing against Ben Reilly, but I do feel that he was a victim of the Clone Saga being too big, going on for too long, and they just had to turn the page. I'm actually impressed that they brought Kaine back, and I like to see him pretty detached from most of the other Spidey stuff.

[spidey-dude]

would love to see the 3 "brothers" all together for a dnner trying to develop their brotherly bond


not to mention all 3 suited up and kicking ass

[Jim Thompson]

would love to see the 3 "brothers" all together for a dnner trying to develop their brotherly bond


not to mention all 3 suited up and kicking ass

I'd love that myself.

[deadboy80]

BRING BACK BEN !!!! Seriously it has got to be better than this crap with dock ock. BRING BACK BEN. Maybe he's on the road again and he didn't realy die. God knows there was enough clones running around that its totaly possible

[Jim Thompson]

BRING BACK BEN !!!! Seriously it has got to be better than this crap with dock ock. BRING BACK BEN. Maybe he's on the road again and he didn't realy die. God knows there was enough clones running around that its totaly possible

Because of the way the Saga ended, I don't think it would be much of a challenge to explain why Ben hadn't been the clone we saw die in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75.

That said, I don't see Marvel bringing the character back any time soon.

[Jim Thompson]

Love that costume! Second favorite for the character!

[rdfnd1253]

Ben was awesome and I'd love to see the day he is brought back to the comics = )

[Jim Thompson]

Gadzooks! The thread's been hacked!

[Cheesedique]

Love that costume! Second favorite for the character!

It was a fantastic design. Was it Jurgens that came up with it?

The only Ben stuff I ever really liked were the early issues of Sensational and a few of the Amazing issues after he had taken over (the Mysterio / toys issue was great).

What if Ben were to come back and assume an identity totally separate from the Spider-man lore? That is, he wouldn't be Spider-man or Scarlet, but a new hero altogether. Would Ben fans be able to handle that?

[preppistonpav]

What if Ben were to come back and assume an identity totally separate from the Spider-man lore? That is, he wouldn't be Spider-man or Scarlet, but a new hero altogether. Would Ben fans be able to handle that?

(Let me say that I am greatly enjoying Kaine's adventures as the Scarlet Spider and hope they continue. Nevertheless...)

Any comic fan should know that the right writer can make any idea work. That being said - and all things being equal - I think Ben belongs with his brothers as a spider. More specifically, I think if/when Ben ever returns for an extended period of time, it should be as the Scarlet Spider.

One of the reasons Ben is such a strong character is because of the existential nature of his adventures. Being a clone of Peter, he was forced to address some really heavy questions - what is my purpose? why do I exist? - and his identity as the Scarlet Spider, I think, served as some part of his answer. Consider the ironic nature of his name, as well: he didn't name himself the Scarlet Spider. And he didn't like the name. Fitting for a guy with huge identity issues. And yet he did craft an identity for himself, both as Ben Reilly and as the Scarlet Spider. These were names that were his. Not Peter's or the Jackal's.

Someday, it'd be great to see his return. I think he'd probably have to have a tweak here or there, as Spidey's universe is a little different than it was in the good 'ole 1990s, but I think writers could still use the majority of what's there, and we could - and should - still see Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider.

But until then, I'm happy following the attempted redemption of Kaine. It's nice to get these nods to his memories of Ben and see that, in some way, a lot of Kaine's actions are a form of atonement for his treatment of Ben. All the more reason to want them to meet again, huh?

And now, a question: for those of you reading Scarlet Spider, what "Ben Reilly" characters would you like to see show-up in Kaine's neck of the woods, if any?

-Pav, who thinks it'd be cool to see Jimmy 6 in a reoccurring role...

[Jim Thompson]

It was a fantastic design. Was it Jurgens that came up with it?

The only Ben stuff I ever really liked were the early issues of Sensational and a few of the Amazing issues after he had taken over (the Mysterio / toys issue was great).

What if Ben were to come back and assume an identity totally separate from the Spider-man lore? That is, he wouldn't be Spider-man or Scarlet, but a new hero altogether. Would Ben fans be able to handle that?

Some of that would have to do with how he was brought back and who was writing the book, I'd imagine. If Dematteis was involved, for example, I think I'd be very interested.

[Jim Thompson]

-Pav, who thinks it'd be cool to see Jimmy 6 in a reoccurring role...

Seeing more of Jimmy 6 would indeed be a welcome thing.