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Spider-Man is widely regarded as Marvel’s greatest hero – so it remains one of comics’ great mysteries why the publisher has dropped the ball so badly when it comes to his clone, Ben Reilly. One glance at social media shows how much of a fan following the character continues to attribute today, yet Marvel continues to do the character, and readers who love him, a disservice.
For years, Marvel storylines have portrayed Ben Reilly – through various identities and alter egos – as an antagonist to Spider-Man, which continues to dishearten the community that adores him. X users like @NotEscrima continue to express that “Ben Reilly deserves better as a character,” while users like @SimplyDango have said Reilly has been “badly written” for years.
It remains hard to pinpoint why Marvel wants readers to hate Ben Reilly, but after evaluating his character’s history, it’s clear that after depriving Reilly of the happy ending he was promised after the Clone Saga, Marvel doesn’t know what else to do.
Ben Reilly Has Been Stuck As A Secondary In Questionable Spider-Man Storylines Forever
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #149 – Written By Gerry Conway; Art By Ross Andru, Ink By Mike Esposito; Color By Janice Cohen; Lettering By Annette Kawecki
Ben Reilly’s story begins during the Spider-Man storyline known as the Clone Saga, which to this day is considered to be one of Marvel’s most controversial storylines. More than just controversial, though, the story was convoluted; at the crux of the confusion was the period of time in which Ben Reilly took over as Spider-Man, believing himself to be the real, original Peter Parker. Eventually, this twist was reversed, and Ben was established as the clone once more – and the character has largely been adrift ever since.
It has seemed, at times, as though Marvel has been bereft of ideas when it comes to using Ben Reilly.
When Peter learned he was the original all along, the natural conclusion to the story arc was for him to be Spider-Man again. For Ben, the road ahead was unclear, but now it has been decades, and the character has never been given a true second chance at becoming a Marvel hero, one with his own identity, distinct from that of Peter Parker. It has seemed, at times, as though Marvel has been bereft of ideas when it comes to using Ben Reilly.
The “Chasm” Between What Marvel Thinks Of Ben Reilly & What Readers Think
This has led to many questionable storylines for the character over the years, but worse is that, lately, Marvel has seemingly decided that the only use for him is as a villain. Ben Reilly was, at one point, rebranded as the new versions of the Jackal, while lately, he has become an outright antagonist, going by the villainous moniker Chasm. Spider-Man editor Tom Brevoort has defended Marvel’s decision by expressing that making Ben Peter’s dark opposite “made an awful lot of sense.” However, readers hoping to cheer on Ben Reilly continue to disagree.
Marvel doesn’t seem to sympathize with the character the way fans do…the publisher thinks that the best role Ben can serve in Spider-Man canon, and in the wider Marvel Universe, is as an antagonist.
Despite his most prominent storyline being thirty years old now, Ben Reilly continues to gain fans as new generations of readers dig into Spider-Man lore for the first time; new and old Marvel fans alike gravitate toward the character as a sympathetic figure, and many readers are eager to be able to invest in his heroic journey. Unfortunately, Marvel doesn’t seem to sympathize with the character the way fans do; this is evident in the fact that the publisher thinks that the best role Ben can serve in Spider-Man canon, and in the wider Marvel Universe, is as an antagonist.
Marvel’s Mishandling Of Ben Reilly Could Be Easily Fixed By Letting Him Be One More Spider-Hero
Give Him A Solo Series, ASAP
The quixotic thing about Marvel’s refusal to let Ben Reilly be the hero fans want is that there is no shortage of Spider-characters crawling around the publisher’s shared comic universe. At the time of the Clone Saga, this was much less the case; having two different heroes operating as Spider-Man might have been a problem in the 1990s, but Marvel has been doing exactly that for a decade-plus now, with Miles Morales and Peter Parker both operating as Spider-Man in Marvel’s main timeline contemporaneously.
There is seemingly no justifiable reason for Marvel’s refusal to let Ben Reilly have a heroic turn.
Further, the success of Marvel’s Spider-Boy, following the adventures of Spider-Man’s heretofore unknown sidekick, has just let to the newly announced spin-off Spider-Girl. Meanwhile, a Multiversal variant of Gwen Stacy known as Spider-Gwen continues to be massively popular with readers. So, there is seemingly no justifiable reason for Marvel’s refusal to let Ben Reilly have a heroic turn – especially considering that, even if the publisher wants to indulge in the “evil clone” trope, they could simply invent a new Peter Parker clone.
Related
Even After 20 Years, Spider-Man’s Most Controversial Story Stings Despite a Last-Minute Retcon
Spider-Man has had a lot of bad stories in Marvel’s history, and even this one retcon isn’t enough to fix one of the worst stories that he’s ever had.
Comic books are soap operatic, in that they are a neverending, constantly restarting story; this is both the greatest strength and biggest weakness of the comic book medium. This is why heroes turn into villains, only to turn back into heroes once more, and why villains achieve redemption only to fall from grace again and again. It is understandable why Marvel has played with Ben Reilly as a villain over the years, but now it is only stubbornness keeping them from doing what fans want and making him a hero in Spider-Man lore once more.
Source: X (@NotEscrima, @SimplyDango)
“}]] Let Ben Reilly be the hero fans want, Marvel. Read More