One of the most beloved characters introduced to the Spider-Man mythos in the '90s is Ben Reilly, the hero known as the Scarlet Spider and, briefly, Spider-Man. Created by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru as a clone of Peter Parker in the '70s, Ben would start a career as a webslinging superhero himself with his own makeshift costume when he resurfaced years later during Spider-Man's infamous "Clone Saga." Following an extended period of confusion if Peter or Ben was the real clone, Ben briefly took up the mantle of Spider-Man while Peter temporarily retired to handle personal issues.
While the Scarlet Spider moniker has been used by multiple heroes, he's always had a costume that reflected his close relationship with Spider-Man. Now, CBR is taking a closer look at the evolution of this character's changing outfit.
THE SCARLET SPIDER HOODIE COSTUME
Howard Mackie and Tom Lyle gave Peter's clone the civilian identity of Ben Reilly in 1994's Spider-Man #51 and, later that year, Ben took on a superhero alter ego of his own as the Scarlet Spider in Web of Spider-Man #118 by Terry Kavanagh and Steven Butler. The latter issue also featured the full debut of the character's most recognizable superhero costume.
Wearing a bright red, skintight suit, the original Scarlet Spider costume included a blue hoodie with a black diagonal spider symbol. With a prominent belt to carry his web fluid cartridges and his web-shooters visible above his sleeves on his wrists, the costume also has brass ankle fittings. This look immediately became the character's definitive look throughout his early appearances.
BEN REILLY'S SPIDER-MAN COSTUME
In 1996's Sensational Spider-Man #0, Dan Jurgens oversaw Ben taking over the role of Spider-Man with his own variation on the iconic costume that reflected his own sensibilities. Ben's costume featured the same familiar red and blue pattern as the classic Spider-Man outfit but with more blue on the legs and sleeves, a larger spider symbol that extended across the entire torso and his trusty web-shooters still visibly outside on his sleeves like his Scarlet Spider uniform.
Ben would wear the costume throughout the remainder of the Clone Saga until his death at the hands of a resurgent Norman Osborn, which lead to Peter reclaiming the mantle of Spider-Man.
KAINE'S SCARLET SPIDER COSTUME
While Ben Reilly is the most well-known clone of Peter Parker and the first Scarlet Spider, he was not the first clone created from Peter's DNA, and he wasn't the last hero to be called the Scarlet Spider either. Kaine Parker was the villainous Jackal's first attempt to create a clone of Peter, deformed and abandoned leading to Kaine becoming an unstable figure, with all of Peter's abilities as well as genetically engineered precognition and a burning touch.
Created by Terry Kavanagh and Steven Butler in Web of Spider-Man #119, Kaine would eventually redeem himself by heroically sacrificing himself in a fight against a resurrected Kraven the Hunter. After rising from the grave, Kaine took a heroic turn and became the new Scarlet Spider with a predominantly red costume with black accents, modified from an old stealth suit Peter had developed as Spider-Man. The suit features slight technological upgrades as well, including the ability to go invisible and an immunity from sonic attacks.
BEN REILLY'S SECOND SCARLET SPIDER COSTUME
In a storyline by Dan Slott and Jim Cheung, Ben was eventually revealed to have had his consciousness transferred to a new series of clones by the Jackal, killed multiple times by the mad geneticist after signs of cellular degradation surface. Enduring the repeated deaths and rebirths break down Ben's mind, leading him to escape and replace Miles Warren as the new Jackal. After defeating Miles and seeing his own morally dubious plans thwarted, Ben flees to Las Vegas while reclaiming the mantle of the Scarlet Spider.
Attempting to walk the path of a hero once more, Ben's latest new costume merged previous designs from the predominantly red color scheme, dark blue accents, a red spider symbol, and blue hoodie as a nod to his original outfit, this time dark blue to match the rest of the costume and incorporated to the main outfit rather than worn over top of it.
However, Ben quickly abandoned this costume, likely due to fan outcry, and returned to his original hoodie costume by the end of his solo series' first story. Since Scarlet Spider's original costume was prominently featured in the critically-acclaimed smash Marvel's Spider-Man video game, it will probably remain his defining look for the foreseeable future.