Marvel Still Hasn’t Fixed One of Spider-Man’s Best Characters

Spider-Man has longsince been Marvel’s number one cash cow, but Peter Parker hasn’t been the only hero to wear the web-shooters. While Miles Morales is the second most famous Spider-Man, before him, the de facto other Spider-hero was none other than Peter’s original clone, Ben Reilly. Ben was a clone created by the villainous Jackal all the way back in Amazing Spider-Man (1962) #149, and it was thought he died there; he returned with his own name and life at the start of the infamous “Clone Saga.” For a time, he even operated as the one and only Spider-Man, but he’s more famously known as Scarlet Spider. Unfortunately, nowadays, he goes by Chasm.

Ben’s mind was destroyed when he worked for the Beyond Corporation, with his memories and sense of self all but disappearing, leaving him a husk of who he was before. He went from one of Marvel’s most underrated heroes to a full-on villain, leading an entire demonic invasion of New York in the “Dark Web” event. Frankly, Ben’s turn to villainy was undeserved and disappointing, but just when it seemed like he was back on the right track, Marvel yanked him back to his villainous attitude. It’s about time Marvel fixes Ben once and for all.

Almost Redeemed, But Never Happy

After being imprisoned in Limbo for months, Ben finally escaped and redoubled his efforts to restore his lost memories. Along the way, he wound up saving Peter after he was mutated into the Spider-Goblin. He fought alongside Kaine to stop the evil Eternal Druig, and even fought to stop Mole Man’s attempted invasion of the surface. When Peter was shunted across the galaxy by Hellgate, Ben saw the chance to finally live the life he always wanted and help his brother at the same time. He impersonated Peter, saying he would keep his life together until his brother returned from wherever he was.

Ben didn’t exactly do the best job at pretending to be Peter, especially when he cut off his loved ones and blew off Mary Jane when she tried to reconnect, but he held down the fort. When he found Norman filling in as Spider-Man, he immediately leapt in to stop him, thinking he was ruining the legacy. Ben showed that he cared about Peter. Even if his reasons for walking a mile in Peter’s shoes weren’t entirely altruistic, he did his best to live as Peter would. Everything seemed like it was going great, that Ben had moved on from his villainous past to at least something like an edgy borderline anti-hero. Then, out of nowhere, he decided he was done pretending to be Peter.

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When Peter finally returned home and found his life in shambles, a note from Ben made him think that something happened to Aunt May. Peter flew into a rage and attacked Ben, but the clone brother pretty much laughed off his concerns. After putting in all the effort to protect Peter’s life, Ben threw it away in a second. He was genuinely happy to see Peter get back, but tore him apart by blaming Peter for his relationships falling apart when he ghosted all of Peter’s friends for months. He was almost a hero again, and while he’s still not a villain, this shows that Ben definitely still isn’t back to anywhere near his old self.

The Confusing Mess of a Cloned Character

At the end of the day, although he’s clearly developed into his own person, Ben is the same person as Peter. They literally share the same DNA, and while Ben has his own experiences and drives, his soul is still stirred by the lessons Aunt May and Uncle Ben taught him. Those memories were corrupted, which explains why he’s acting entirely out of character, but the direction Marvel is taking him doesn’t make any sense at all. Peter has proven that he is a true hero at his core again and again, but Marvel seems determined to keep knocking him down without ever picking him back up.

Spider-Man’s constant suffering is a meme at this point, but Ben seems to be editorial’s favorite punching bag. Not only is his life always in shambles, but his mind is fair game as well, with him being tortured in practically every story he shows up in. Now, he’s not even allowed to be the hero he fought so hard to prove he is. Just when it seemed like he was on the mend, Marvel ripped his heroism out from under him again. Ben says that he’s free to be his own person now, but the person he always tried to be has been long, long gone.

What do you think Marvel should do with Ben Reilly? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!