The following contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, now playing in theaters.
One of the funniest moments in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse comes at the expense of Peter Parker's original clone, Ben Reilly, who traditionally uses the moniker Scarlet Spider. He's a popular member of the Spider-family, and his clone status makes him indispensable in a multiple-reality story like Across the Spider-Verse. It's no surprise that he's in the film, nor that he ultimately serves as a straight man considering some of his comic-book history.
Comic actor Andy Samberg voices Reilly, and as expected, he's a bit of a scene-stealer. He's also a colossal doofus -- the Spider-Society equivalent of the goon at the gate who gets cold-cocked by the heroes. Here's a breakdown of who Ben Reilly is, why Samberg is perfect for him, and how the Scarlet Spider ends up with egg on his face in Across the Spider-Verse.
Andy Samberg Voices Scarlet Spider in Across the Spider-Verse
Samberg is an alumnus of Saturday Night Live, where his digital short "Lazy Sunday" went viral in 2005. Similar shorts followed, with "Dick in a Box" winning a Creative Arts Emmy in 2009, and "I'm on a Boat," also released in 2009, accruing over 76 million hits on YouTube. After leaving SNL, he became the star and co-producer of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, a satire of cop shows that concluded a successful 8-season run in 2021. That comes on top of movie projects like Palm Springs and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.
Samberg's résumé makes him a terrific choice for the Scarlet Spider, who largely serves as Miguel O'Hara's minion in Across the Spider-Verse. His comeuppance arrives near the film's conclusion, when he notes Spider-Gwen's arrival in his current universe, only to focus on the walls of the alley rather than the trans-dimensional anomaly right in front of him. She webs him up and tosses him back through the portal before proceeding on her way. Samberg proves a delightful straight man, as his Reilly seeks the "perfect pose" on the rainy rooftop and constantly delivers his own tough-guy monologue before walking straight into Gwen's web shooters.
Who Is Scarlet Spider?
The Scarlet Spider was created as Ben Reilly, a clone of Peter Parker who made his Marvel Comics debut in The Amazing Spider-Man #149 (Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, Mike Esposito, Janice Cohen and Annette Kawecki) in 1975. He became a lightning rod for controversy during the infamous Clone Saga storyline of the mid 1990s. Among other issues, the story claimed that Reilly was the real Peter Parker, and the Parker who fans had followed in the comics for years was just a clone of the actual Peter. It went over exceedingly poorly with the fans, and Marvel soon reversed course and made Reilly the clone.
The silver lining of The Clone Saga is that Reilly has gone on to become a fan favorite as the Scarlet Spider, and someone whom Peter refers to as a brother. He's even done a formal stint or two as Spider-Man in the interim. Across the Spider-Verse is almost obligated to include him in its mayhem, letting him embody some of Peter's less flattering qualities such as excess self-regard and dismissal of others. Gwen readily turns him into the butt of the joke, presumably as comeuppance for the Clone Saga foolishness back in the 1990s.
The Ben Reilly in the comics is more nuanced, but the movie has its own role for him, and Samberg fits it perfectly. While he's not currently confirmed for the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, it's hard to imagine leaving him out. Samberg's version is too much comedy gold to ignore.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters.