Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Scarlet Spider's Comic History Explained
Ben Reilly, a.k.a. Scarlet Spider, a fan-favorite character for fans of Spider-Man in the 1990s, makes his big screen debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The film's creators seemed to know they were introducing a beloved character into their multiverse, so they cast beloved actor/comedian Andy Samberg in the role and kept it a secret until close to the film's debut. But Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel have brought a lot of newcomers into the deep end of the Spider-Man fandom, exposing them to second and third-tier characters who have never headlined a movie or television show, Scarlet Spider among them.
Those fans may wonder who this Scarlet Spider character is that Marvel fans keep going on about. Ben Reilly's history in Marvel Comics is… complicated, but we'll do our best to explain.
Ben Reilly's First Appearance, Scarlet Spider's Debut, Becoming Spider-Man, and the Clone Saga
Ben Reilly technically first appears in Amazing Spider-Man #149 in 1975, though creator Gerry Conway didn't intend for him to become a standalone character. Ben's debut story saw the Jackal, one of Spider-Man's villains, create Ben as Spider-Man's Spider-Clone. The clone dies at the end of that story and doesn't reappear for nearly 20 years. In the 1990s, a retcon revealed that the clone survived, took the name Ben Reilly and lived in secrecy for years, only returning to New York City after Aunt May became ill. It is only then that he reveals himself to Peter Parker. The two become friends and allies, with Ben taking on the persona of the Scarlet Spider for the first time, donning the iconic hoodie costume designed by the late Tom Lyle. For a time, he worked with Spider-Man to defend New York City.
Ben's return to New York City kicked off the notorious Spider-Man story called "The Clone Saga," which further retconned that original 1975 Spider-Clone story to make Ben the original Peter Parker and the Peter who had been Spider-Man for the past 20 years the clone. Following this reveal, Peter retired and passed the Spider-Man mantle onto Ben. However, the end of "The Clone Saga" put things back as they were, with Ben dying and his body rapidly decomposing, confirming that he was the clone.
Ben Reilly's Resurrection as the Jackal, Return as Spider-Man and Becoming Chasm
Ben returned in the 2016 "The Clone Saga" sequel, Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy, taking on the mantle of his creator, The Jackal. Miles Warren, the original Jackal, brought Ben back, but it took 27 attempts, with each new death and resurrection further traumatizing Ben. Once in a stable body, Ben takes control of Warren's cloning operation and uses it to resurrect people from Spider-Man's past who bring Peter Parker guilt. Eventually, Ben planned to replace everyone on the planet with clones like him, but Spider-Man and his allies stopped him.
After his defeat as the Jackal, Ben relocated to Las Vegas, where he became the Scarlet Spider again. During this time, he crossed paths with some old acquaintances from "The Clone Saga" days and even got involved in a story centered on Conan the Barbarian. Later, he again took the mantle of Spider-Man during the Spider-Man: Beyond saga last year, replacing the comatose Peter Parker with sponsorship from the mysterious Beyond Corporation. That story ended in tragedy, with Ben losing the foundational memories he shared with Peter and falling into villainy again. Ben is now known as Chasm, representing the hole in his memory. He and his ally/love interest, Hallow's Eve, teamed up with X-Men villain The Goblin Queen in the Dark Web crossover, and he's now imprisoned in Limbo in that story's aftermath. Maybe the response Ben got in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will inspire Marvel to set him free and put him back on the heroic path as the Scarlet Spider.
Miles Morales returns to the big screen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, hitting theaters on June 2nd. Miles (Shamiek Moore) reunites with fellow heroes Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) for another web-swinging adventure through the multiverse, finding himself at odds with the Spider-Society led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Other new heroes include Spider-Woman Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), while new villain the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) also enters the fray. The sequel to Sony Pictures' hit 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson and written by the team of Chris Miller, Phil Lord, and Dave Callaham.