Comics A question to all of the Ben Reilly fans here

[imdaly]

You can't resurrect what's been disintegrated.

You can if it wasn't Ben's body that disintegrated.

 

[AndrewGol]

You can if it wasn't Ben's body that disintegrated.

Yeah that'd be the easiest way to bring him back: he never really died. At least that's how I'd play it. Norman pulled a switcharoo between him zapping Ben in Amazing and the final confrontation w/Peter in PP 75.

 

[bryanss3]

if you really want Ben to come back start buying all the Clone Saga trades. thats why they decided to bring back the New Mutants, because the trades were selling so well. oh wait there are no Clone Saga TPBs

 

[Chris Wallace]

Yeah that'd be the easiest way to bring him back: he never really died. At least that's how I'd play it. Norman pulled a switcharoo between him zapping Ben in Amazing and the final confrontation w/Peter in PP 75.

Un-bloody-likely. No motive to do that. Plus, Norman didn't do the actual cloning. So where do you get a clone of a clone that thinks it's the real McCoy, & has the same altered costume & augmented hairstyle? Y'all are really reaching.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

There have been worse ideas, many of them actually published...

 

[kguillou]

Yea true, i still dont fully understand how Norman got a "genetically altered actress" to replace Aunt May and then conveniently die. If i was J.M. Dematteis at the time, i would've burned marvel to the ground for ruining one of my best stories.

 

[Chris Wallace]

They wanted her back. There was no plausible explanation. I do think that pretty much every cool death that has been undone has been done so w/a bad story. Which is the chief reason above all why I'm against any attempt to get Reilly back.

 

[bryanss3]

They wanted her back. There was no plausible explanation. I do think that pretty much every cool death that has been undone has been done so w/a bad story. Which is the chief reason above all why I'm against any attempt to get Reilly back.

Jean Grey wasn't done that bad, but it did ruin a great death. also in her case unnecessary to explain considering her being called the Phoenix and all.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Which they continued to call her even when she no longer wielded the power. You'd think she'd want to disassociate herself from that & put it behind her. You don't see anybody calling Sue Malice.

 

[Spider-Mike77]

I think that in the post BND Spidey world, it may be even harder for Ben to return because Peter is more like Ben's character in the 90's now. I think the best bet for Ben to return would to be some sort of alternate universe deal. I picked up a newer issue of Fantastic Four at a newstand and it looks like Dr. Doom is dealing more with a alternate reality. Which is cool with me, even better if Ben comes back. However, I don't want it turning into a D.C. comics mess.

 

[Chris Wallace]

How, exactly, is he more like Ben?

 

[November Rain]

footloose and adolescent like, although ben's reality was pretty down trodden, poorest superhero i've ever seen.

 

[Anubis]

What about D-Man?

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

I just don't see Ben coming back.

I don't think the issue is that Marvel is hostile to the clone saga like they used to be (too much time has passed for any animosity to remain strong... those who hated him have pretty much forgotten about him and those who liked him still like him). I can see Kaine returning (you could explain that in pretty much one sentence for the new readers "He's a scarred clone of Peter, who is deformed both physically and mentally"). But Ben would be a taller order. Explaining his resurrection alone and more generally the origin of the character and his complicated relationship with Peter might prove to be too much of a headache for relatively new readers who are ignorant of him and the saga that spawned him. Even if all that was sufficiently explained, what then? If he came back, what would the writers do with him? Kaine is pretty simple. He fights or otherwise causes trouble for Peter. He could appear for a couple issues and then vanish again once the arc's over. But Ben is supposed to be a good guy. Would he stick around as a supporting character for a period of months.... years....? If so what role would he play? Would the books have a place for him without crowding out Peter who's supposed to be the star of the book? Would he have his powers or not.... would he still be Peter's "cousin"... Would he want to see Aunt May....? All these complicated questions would need to be addressed. This is why it's hard to impossible for Ben to come back. I think untold stories (like the X-Men/Spidey issue) and the occasional present-day homage or nod to show he's not forgotten is the way to go to please the Ben fans, but still keep the current Spidey books relatively simple.

 

[Spider-Mike77]

You nailed my thoughts exactly November Rain. At the time, the two seemed to be similar of course but in two different places. I think this was even more so because Peter was a father to be. But now, post BND Peter has little responsibility other then his alter-ego, in a similar manner to how Ben seemed to operate his life once he found out he was the "real" Parker.

 

[WOLVERINE25TH]

BND Peter is in NO WAY like Ben. Go back and re-read yer Spideys, folks...you need a serious refresher.

 

[Chris Wallace]

footloose and adolescent like, although ben's reality was pretty down trodden, poorest superhero i've ever seen.

That's true. My problem was I felt Ben was too whiney. That, and he was too ameteurish for such an established hero.

 

[Ray-Fu]

How bout Ben joining up with the Exiles for a bit? I think there might be some intresting stories to be told there

 

[Jennifer Walters]

How bout Ben joining up with the Exiles for a bit? I think there might be some intresting stories to be told there

Maybe that's what happened to him when he turned into the wicked witch, he just joined the Exiles.