Marvel fans have seen a few different characters wear their own spider-costumes over the years, even if Peter Parker will always have the web-slinger's most iconic classic look. But in the '90s, Ben Reilly took over the role of Spider-Man and brought with him some of the best Marvel costumes of that era.

Ben Reilly technically first appeared during the original "Clone Saga" that began in 1973's The Amazing Spider-Man #149 by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, and Mike Esposito which featured Miles Warren/the Jackal, a geneticist who was driven mad by the death of his student, Gwen Stacy. This led him to create clones of Gwen and Peter, which drove him further to insanity and led him to kidnap Ned Leeds and strap him to a bomb to make his Spider-Man clone fight the original Spider-Man.

The original Clone Saga only lasted a couple of issues and the clone of Spider-Man was forgotten for years until Aunt May fell ill and a mysterious stranger returned to New York City. The stranger was soon revealed as the previously assumed deceased clone of Peter Parker, who had taken on the name Ben Reilly after his uncle's first name and aunt's maiden name. Reilly had been living in secret on the road for five long years before the looming death of Aunt May brought him back to the city, and it wasn't long until he was forced back into a superhero costume.

RELATED: Scarlet Spider: How the Clones (Almost) Moved Beyond the Hoodie Costume

SCARLET SPIDER

Ben Reilly as The Scarlet Spider

Since Peter was still active as Spider-Man, Reilly decided to put together his own superhero identity on the fly after he was forced into action to save a girl and heard that Venom was back in town. He purchased a blue sweatshirt with a spider-logo that he had seen earlier at the Museum of Natural History, ripped off the sleeves, and wore it over a solid red bodysuit.

He added his patented mechanical web-shooters, a belt with metallic pouches, and even additional ankle pouches that all appeared on the outside of the costume, unlike Spider-Man whose accessories were worn under the costume. This costume first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #118 by Terry Kavanagh, Steven Butler, Randy Emberlin, Steve Dutro, and Kevin Tinsely, and he was soon named by Daily Bugle reporter Ken Ellis as the Scarlet Spider.

SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN

Ben Reilly in his first Spider-Man costume redesign

Reilly had many adventures as the Scarlet Spider as the Clone Saga continued to drag on for months, though eventually it was seemingly revealed that Reilly was the original Peter Parker. As Peter was expecting a child with Mary Jane, Peter decided to leave New York in order to start his new family, and he would leave the title of Spider-Man to Reilly.

RELATED: When Ben Reilly Had to Pretend to be Peter Parker for DC vs. Marvel

Reilly created his own version of the Spider-Man suit in The Sensational Spider-Man #0 by Dan Jurgens, Klaus Janson and Gregory Wright. His new costume followed similar designs of the classic costume, though it featured sleeker lines and a spider-logo that extended across his entire torso. The exterior mechanical web-shooters included new offensive weapons like impact webbing and paralytic stingers that he created for his Scarlet Spider arsenal. When Peter returned to the role at the end of the Clone Saga he returned to his classic costume, but Reilly's suit would live on in the possible future of the MC2 universe as May "Mayday" Parker's first Spider-Girl costume.

SPIDER-CARNAGE

Ben Reilly joins with the symbiote as Spider-Carnage

While Peter Parker had previously dealt with the alien symbiotes years before when he was the first to bond with the Venom symbiote, Ben Reilly didn't have much experience dealing with the alien costumes. So when the Carnage symbiote escaped from Ravencroft using guard John Jameson during the "Web of Carnage" storyline, it quickly jumped ship when it encountered Spider-Man. The symbiote had been searching for a stronger host, so it attempted to forcibly bond with Ben Reilly to create Spider-Carnage in Amazing Spider-Man #410, by Tom DeFalco, Mark Bagley, Larry Mahlstedt and Bob Sharen.

As Reilly fought off the possession he never fully allowed the Carnage symbiote to take over, so Spider-Carnage retained the design of the Spider-Man costume, though tendrils of crimson symbiote covered the costume like veins as it fought for total control. However, while the design of the costume largely remained the same, the toothy grin and tearing claws of Carnage appeared, though Reilly was able to fight off a permanent bond with the symbiote and return it to Cletus Kasady.

Even after Ben Reilly returned from the dead with the tease of a new costume, the fan outrage was so high that he quickly returned to his original Scarlet Spider duds, proving Reilly really did have the best Spider-Man costumes of the '90s.

KEEP READING: How Did Ben Reilly Survive 'Dying' During the Original Clone Saga?