How the Tragic Ending of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Mirrors the Story of Ben Reilly
What has turned out to be one of the most brutal entries into the character’s tenure on the big screen, we discuss how the tragic ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home mirrors the story of Ben Reilly.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the record-breaking force that crafted one of the best Peter Parker stories ever told on film.
Source: Marvel Studios
It presented to fans the best version of the character, and never hid the brutal reality of just what it means to be the kind of hero that Spider-Man is.
Collecting almost 20-years of Spider-Man’s appearances on the big screen, it was undeniably brutal, relevant, and easily one of the most emotional comic book adaptations of all time.
Source: Marvel
The MCU’s Peter Parker was forced to literally give up everything, with Doctor Strange salvaging the multiverse through a spell that made the entire world forget Peter Parker has ever existed. The spell left the young hero alone, afraid, and mourning the death of his greatest companion and guardian.
Aunt May’s death, and the new reality we have for our hero, has cemented the uncertainty of his future and given fans one of the most heartbreaking Marvel stories yet.
Source: Marvel Studios
It’s a story, however, that isn’t entirely unprecedented in the world of Marvel comics, as it so brilliantly pays homage to one of the most heartbreaking stories of all time: the story of the original Scarlet Spider.
The tragic ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home mirrors the story of Ben Reilly from Marvel’s now-infamous clone saga.
Source: Marvel
A Peter Parker clone, Reilly stands as one of the most tragic stories in Marvel comics. A character who lived Peter Parker’s life, yet with the revelation he isn’t the actual Peter Parker, he was forced to resign into the shadows. Losing every person he had ever known, and every person he had ever loved.
This was compounded in The Amazing Spider-Man #400 by Stan Lee J.M. DeMatteis, and John Romita. When Aunt May is hospitalized, and eventually dies, Ben Reilly is forced to observe the happenings of her hospital room from outside of the window in the pouring rain, only left with his many memories of her immense impact on his life.
Source: Marvel “The Amazing Spider-Man #400”
Does that sound familiar?
The MCU’s Peter Parker isn’t a clone, but he was forced to say goodbye to everyone who was ever important to him. With the world forgetting who Peter Parker is, he also repeated into the shadows, mourning the death of his aunt, and the absence of his entire life, alone in a world that couldn’t know him
Source: Marvel Studios
The MCU’s Peter Parker and the comic book character of Ben Reilly share that common thread; their incredibly tragic life alone. With Reilly long being one of the most underrated Marvel characters- and Spider-Men- it is amazing to see his story be adapted, in this small way, for the big screen.
