Spider-Tracer: Ben Reilly’s Costumes Ranked

 

Welcome back, Spider-Man fans! I hope and trust everyone had a great Free Comic Book Day. For those of you that have been keeping up with recent Spider-Man comics, you’ll no doubt know that Ben Reilly has played a major role in them, having once again become Spider-Man. With that in mind, I thought it would be a perfect time to take a look back at the many costumes and looks Ben has donned over the years, and, of course, rank them.

 

If you haven’t been keeping up with recent Spidey books, you may want to go catch up and come back to read this later, as there may be a spoiler or two. With that in mind, let’s get started, shall we?

 

10. The Jackal

 

 

Years after his death at the end of “The Clone Saga”, Ben Reilly was resurrected by his creator, the Jackal… and then killed and resurrected several more times until it drove Reilly over the edge! Reilly proceeded to take over the Jackal name for himself, and, in doing so, donned a red suit and a half Anubis mask for “Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy” storyline(issue #2 of “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 4, to be exact). Why is this one ranked at the bottom? It doesn’t exactly scream Ben Reilly, and it’s from a time when our hero wasn’t exactly in his right frame of mind; in fact, he was the main villain.  This might not have been a bad look for another character, but for Ben? He’s had some far cooler looks over the years.

 

9. Chasm

 

 

Ben Reilly, his memories gone and once again not in his right mind (this is, unfortunately, becoming an all-too-common theme in modern Ben stories), dons this outfit and the name “Chasm” following the recent “Beyond” storyline. With a color scheme not normally associated with the character and an identity (as well as direction) this writer is none too fond of, I’ve ranked this costume rather low. Perhaps, in time, this costume will grow on me more, but it’s far too early to tell. This costume first appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Vol. 5, #93.

 

8. The Makeshift Costume

 

 

One of best stories in “The Clone Saga”, “Spider-Man: The Lost Years” told a very grounded story about Ben’s days as a wanderer following the realization that he was the clone of Peter Parker. Of course, sharing Peter’s face presents its own problems, and Ben did find situations where he had to obscure his identity. One such situation was the need to stop some kidnappers, and, with some cloth, Ben wrapped his forearms, hands and face while wearing nothing but boots, jeans and a t-shirt. It, much like the story it mirrored, was a gritty, down to earth look, but nonetheless a cool one. Drawn by John Romita, Jr, it reminds me of John’s design for Daredevil’s early black costume (the same one that the Netflix show borrowed elements from). Ben first threw this look together in “Spider-Man: The Lost Years” #2.

 

 7. The Las Vegas Costume

 

 

Following his brief stint as the Jackal, Ben makes his way out to Las Vegas, complete with a new costume that debuted in “Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider” #1. I recall this look not being favored by fans (including this one), but it had some nice elements to it, particularly the coloring. The mask, however, was, by far, its worst design feature. The smiling mouth reminded me far too much of Spidercide, or even Deadpool. Reilly’s mind was in quite a chaotic state at the time, but that was no reason to put a mask like that on. Fortunately, it didn’t last long, and Ben went back to a much more classic look, which we’ll cover higher up on our list.

 

6. The Beyond Costume

 

 

With Peter Parker comatose for a time, Ben Reilly stepped back into the role of Spider-Man. When he did this, he adopted a costume made by the Beyond Corporation. This costume seemed to combine elements of Ben’s old Spider-Man design, as well as the classic Spider-Man costume, with, perhaps, even a few MCU elements. Ben first put this on in “The Amazing Spider-Man” Volume 5, #75.

 

5. Spider-Carnage

 

 

After escaping Ravencroft, the Carnage symbiote eventually made its way to Spider-Man, who just happened to be Ben Reilly during the tail end of “The Clone Saga”! Taking Ben’s Spider-Man costume design, the symbiote gave it a dark, sinister twist, complete with mouth on the mask twisted red goo all over the appendages, as well as clawed hands. The Carnage symbiote attached itself to Ben in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #410.

 

4. The Classic Spider-Man Costume

 

 

While this costume would more than likely rank number one on a list of the all-time greatest Spider-Man costumes, for Ben Reilly himself? It only ranks at number four. Still, it’s hard to resist putting this classic Ditko design on the list, and, given its timeless design, it’s not hard to see why it ranked as high as it did here. Ben Reilly first appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #149, which is when he also wore the classic Spider-Man costume.

 

3. Quick Change Ben Reilly

 

 

When Ben Reilly’s return kicked off the “Clone Saga” in the “Power and Responsibility” storyline, he did so wearing a civilian outfit, and, eventually, nothing more than a Spider-Man mask and gloves. Ben first paired the Spidey gloves and mask with his street clothes in the adjectiveless “Spider-Man” #51.  I’ve always enjoyed this look. Simple, yet effective, this is something Ben throws on when he doesn’t have the time, or, in this case, a full costume to put on. Heck, I enjoyed this look so much, I had to kitbash an action figure with this outfit.

 

2. Ben Reilly’s Spider-Man Costume

 

 

 

Ben Reilly, having taken up the Spider-Man identity when Peter decided it was time to retire (yeah, that lasted long), decided to put his own spin on the costume! This Mark Bagley design first appeared in “The Sensational Spider-Man” #0, and has since garnered its own share of fans in the years since “The Clone Saga” ended, with some even calling it their favorite Spider-Man costume! The large, striking spider symbol on the chest with the web-shooters on the outside are a nice call back to a former costume of Ben’s…

 

1. The Scarlet Spider

 

 

 

When I hear the name “Ben Reilly”, this is the look I think of. I love this outfit; this was my 3^rd Grade Halloween costume, that’s how much I loved this thing! The red spandex with the blue, sleeveless hoodie, complete with the giant spider on the chest, belt, exposed web-shooters, and ankle pouches make for one of the most unique looks in all of Spider-Man comic books! Ben wore this longer than any other costume, even going back to it years later during his years in Las Vegas, and wore it right up until his time with the Beyond Corporation; he even recently wore it into space with Iron Man and a ragtag group of heroes to combat the villain Korvac! This Tom Lyle-designed costume first appeared in “Web of Spider-Man” #118.

 

While that’s my ranked list of Ben’s costumes, I’m curious to hear if you agree or disagree with the list. What’s your favorite Ben Reilly look? Let me know in the comments section below!