Peter Parker’s clone Ben Reilly has returned to the webs for the “Spider-Man Beyond” event to find redemption for his darker days while also proving he can be the best wall-crawler around with an upgraded suit and financial backing thanks to the mysterious Beyond Corporation.
While Reilly is sure to face off against some classic and new villains in his return as Spider-Man, there are quite a few villains that he has already taken on in previous years that fans forget about. We’ll be taking a closer look at some of the nastiest villains Ben Reilly has defeated from his lost years of exile, his career as Scarlet Spider and his first go as the Sensational Spider-Man.
10 Ben Reilly Faced And Defeated D’Spayre In His Past And Alongside Black Cat
After Ben Reilly’s debut during the original clone saga where he was presumed dead after a battle with Peter Parker, he left New York on a self-imposed exile. While some of this time has been revealed, there is also a lot we don’t know about what has become known as the “lost years.”
During this time he first encountered the Fear Lord known as D’Spayre, who was drawn to Reilly’s loneliness and dark thoughts in his time away. This first battle hasn’t been seen, though when D’Spayre returned to torment Peter Parker and Black Cat, Reilly was able to overcome his powers and save the day from his old foe.
9 Wild Whip Was A Prisoner Of Ravencroft Institute Who Had Been Captured By Reilly
Another character that teased Reilly’s time away from New York only briefly appeared during the “Power and Responsibility” storyline that kicked off the Clone Saga in the 90s. Judas Traveler had taken over Ravencroft to test Reilly and Parker by making them face each other and the released inmates of the Institute.
One of those inmates was a villain known as Wild Whip, whose weapon delivered concussive blasts with each crack of the whip. When he saw Spider-Man and Reilly (wearing a Spider-Man mask) he was able to recognize Reilly as the man who had put him away years ago. After he was defeated by Reilly again he was never seen again.
8 Scarlet Spider Fought And Defeated Venom And Saved Scream In An Early Appearance
Shortly after Ben Reilly created a new costumed identity for himself as Scarlet Spider, he found himself in the middle of a confrontation between Eddie Brock/Venom and one of the LIfe Foundation symbiote, Scream.
Scarlet Spider suffered a fairly serious injury during his battle with Venom, though he was able to save Scream from the Lethal Protector using his newly created impact webbing to separate Brock from the alien symbiote. This battle helped Reilly regain his confidence as a superhero and showcased some of the differences between him and Spider-Man.
7 Grim Hunter Was Killed By Kaine After A 3-Way Battle That Included Scarlet Spider
Vladimir Kravinoff was the son of Kraven the Hunter who was first introduced slightly before the beginning of the 90s Clone Saga as the inheritor of the formula that empowered his father. He used it on himself and became the Grim Hunter, as he hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps by hunting and killing Spider-Man.
This eventually led him to Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider during the “Web of Life” storyline. They faced off against each other a couple of times with each taking a win until the mysterious and powerful Kaine got involved. They eventually finished the battle away from Scarlet Spider, which resulted in Grim Hunter’s death at Kaine’s hands.
6 One of Reilly’s First Villains As Spider-Man Was A New Media-Driven Mysterio
When Reilly eventually took over as Spider-Man following Peter Parker’s retirement in order to take care of his developing new family, he dealt with quite a few classic villains like Sandman as well as new enemies like Lady Octopus. However, he also dealt with some old villains who had adopted new looks, which included Quentin Beck/Mysterio.
This new version of Mysterio had launched his own entertainment company with new technology that he used to make Reilly see monsters that weren’t there in order for Mysterio to use the footage as content for his show, but he made quick work of the villain once he saw through the illusions.
5 Reilly Defeated Scorcher After He Attacked Shoppers During The Christmas Season
One of Peter Parker’s earliest adventures introduced the fiery villain known as Scorcher, who first appeared in the Untold Tales of Spider-Man series. Scorcher was given a new costume and power upgrade when he reappeared in 1995’s Spider-Man Holiday Special as he attempted to rob shoppers at a busy mall during Christmas.
Ben Reilly/Spider-Man had memories of their earlier encounter and had no problems dealing with the villain. However, when someone he had rescued earlier appeared to perish during the battle, Reilly lost control and shattered Scorcher’s gauntlets around his wrists, ending the fight quickly.
4 Spider-Man Took On A New Lizard Creature Alongside The Real Lizard Dr. Curt Connors
A new and improved Lizard appeared during the Clone Saga that was even more dangerous and ferocious, though Reilly was able to defeat it as both Scarlet Spider and as Spider-Man. The new LIzard was eventually revealed as an experiment gone wrong when Dr. Curt Connors created a new formula designed to remove the Lizard persona from his DNA.
Connors’ assistant injected the serum into a recovered piece of the LIzard’s tail, which grew into an entirely new creature that hunted down Connors across the country. Connors was forced to transform back into the Lizard to save his family, resulting in the death of the creature and the near-death of his son before Spider-Man was able to stop the LIzard as well.
3 Spider-Man Teamed Up With Ghost Rider To Take Down A New Version Of Wendigo
Ben Reilly had quite a few interesting team-ups during his time as both Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man, which included a tense partnership with the Danny Ketch version of Ghost Rider in the shot-lived second volume of Marvel Fanfare.
The two were both on the hunt for a new version of the Wendigo, who was hunting victims down in Central Park. While Ghost Rider’s first instincts were to kill it, Spider-Man was able to hold him off so they could capture it instead, with the hopes that there would be someone who could find a cure to the curse of the Wendigo.
2 Spider-Man And Peter Parker Worked Together To Stop Hobgoblin And Cell-12
Near the end of Ben Reilly’s tenure as Spider-Man, he was manipulated into a confrontation against a high-tech group of mercenary cyborgs known as Cell-12 that he quickly dispatched. However, they were soon joined by Jason Macendale/Hobgoblin, who had been similarly amped up with cyborg technology.
While Ben Reilly didn’t fare well in their first encounter, he was able to stop the empowered Hobgoblin with some help from Peter Parker, who had also previously been targeted by Cell-12. This battle was the first in a series of revelations that ultimately revealed Norman Osborn’s role in the Clone Saga.
1 He Helped Defeat A Team Of Iron Man’s Enemies During The Books Of Korvac Storyline
When Michael Korvac returned in the pages of Iron Man, he gathered a team of villains like The Controller, Unicorn, and Blizzard to his side during the “Books of Korvac” storyline, which then led to Tony Stark recruiting his own team of heroes to assist him.
So while most fans are currently watching Reilly take on his new role as Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man, Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider is also working alongside Iron Man and his team. Since “Books of Korvac” takes place just before Reilly’s return in “Spider-Man Beyond,” some fans who only stick to the spider-books might have missed Reilly’s integral role with Stark’s team.
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