WARNING: The following contains spoilers for “Test-Drive” in Free Comic Book Day: Spider-Man/Venom, available now from Marvel.
As the Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly has one of the most distinctive costumes in the Spider-Verse. With a skin-tight bodysuit accompanied by a sleeveless hoodie, the heroic clone of Peter Parker had a simple, striking look that made him one of the most popular new Marvel heroes of the ‘90s. Even though the entirety of his early adventures took place during the much-maligned “Clone Saga,” the Scarlet Spider still evolved into a fan-favorite character, thanks in no small part to his endearing look.
Despite all that, Ben Reilly’s new employers aren’t fans of the suit. And in “Test-Drive” by Zeb Wells, Patrick Gleason, Alejandro Sanchez and VC’s Joe Caramagna, Ben Reilly loses his iconic look for a new costume with a few impressive abilities of its own.
Although Reilly was introduced in 1975’s Amazing Spider-Man #139, by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru, he didn’t become a major player until the “Clone Saga” of the 1990s raised questions about whether or not he was really a clone. As the answer to that question took years to be definitively answered, Ben fought crime as the Scarlet Spider and briefly replaced Peter Parker as Spider-Man.
Despite a villainous return as the Jackal, a heroic sacrifice in Spider-Geddon and a recent cosmic team-up with Iron Man, Ben Reilly has largely remained a secondary character in the wider Marvel Universe. However, the Beyond Corporation wants Ben to be Marvel’s main web-slinger once more.
For unknown reasons, the cruel multiversal tricksters of the Beyond Corporation have recruited Ben to be the new Spider-Man. In addition to giving him operational support and legal protections, the Corporation gives Ben a new Spider-Man suit.
As Ben confirms during a battle with the villain Bushwacker, the impact-thickening foam-based polymers effectively make his new suit bulletproof. This makes it one of the most durable Spider-Man suits in the Marvel Universe, and it gives Ben the option to use more close-quarters melee-style combat, like the kind he does Bushwacker down with here.
While a Beyond Corporation representative dismisses the Scarlet Spider suit as something that looks as if it were created by a teenager “with too much birthday money,” Ben’s new suit explicitly references the oversized spider-logo that adorned the center of Ben’s first Spider-Man costume with a smaller spider-logo over his heart.
Much like the media-friendly suit Peter Parker recently wore when he was live-streaming his crime-fighting activities, this costume identifies Ben Reilly’s Spider-Man as a brand meant to be marketed as much as a hero.
For the moment, Ben Reilly just seems happy to be back in action, and he happily agrees to officially join the Beyond Corporation. But considering how much the Beyond Corporation tortured the heroes of Marvel’s Nextwave, Ben may have signed up for more than he bargained for. While Ben seems set to enjoy his new employment for the moment, his upcoming appearances in Amazing Spider-Man will likely reveal that his new costume has some serious strings attached.
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