I’ve been getting caught up on the recent Scarlet Spider series and so far I’m really digging it. This particular issue really stood out for me, because it touches on some very interesting topics.
#spoilers
In short the entirety of the issue is a long conversation between Ben Reilly and Death. She basically takes issue with him on account of the fact that he has died the most out of anybody in existence. Apparently when people die their souls pass to a realm where they’re all a bunch of glowing orbs, but for Ben’s his has been broken down and beaten to the point that if he dies one more time and comes back he will be a heartless and evil bastard to the core.
So essentially the mission statement now is that Ben has to work on reclaiming the purity of his soul by doing good.
The thing that raises a question for me is the fact that Ben Reilly dying and then cloning himself counts as one soul connected. If that’s the case shouldn’t he technically be part of Peter Parker’s soul? The only way I can rationalize it is that Ben Reilly exists as his own soul, because he was alive at the same time as Peter Parker…? Like if Pete has died and then Ben was brought to life he would’ve taken up the totem, but was forced into manifesting his own soul because Peter’s was occupied. Which means the only way Ben’s soul carries over is if he’s dead completely and not cloning himself while alive, meaning there could be other Ben Reilly souls out there…
…
Yeah, it makes me think. I like it though, because the concept serves well as a running objective for Ben. I like to think that this whole “save my soul” bit is still happening in the current issues. I just think it crosses another complex line in the realm of clones.
And if I’m to put anything in writing, I’ve never taken issue with the Clone Saga. It’s a weird enough chapter in Spidey’s mythos that I might block it out when reading and thinking about the web-head, but when it shows itself I don’t shy away.
TL;DR Score: Looooove that cover.
TL;DR Comics 