Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, a.k.a. the sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, arrives next year, and along with some familiar faces returning, we’ll also meet some new Spider-heroes from other corners of the multiverse. Looking at the latter category, it appears that an especially high-ranking Spider-hero among comics fans has been confirmed for Across the Spider-Verse. Who’s ready for Ben Reilly, a.k.a. Scarlet Spider, to make his theatrical debut?
As shared by Twitter user Preternia, a look at a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse version of the board game Trouble has leaked online, with the box showing off Miles Morales/Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman, Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099, lead antagonist The Spot (who will be voiced by Jason Schwartzman) and, in the very back, Scarlet Spider. The below pictures also show some Scarlet Spider pieces and other looks at the upcoming tie-in game.
The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Licensed Trouble Board Game has some looks at Scarlet Spider and The Spot from the movie: pic.twitter.com/l9UApUsZr5August 17, 2022
Although Ben Reilly was initially introduced in 9175’s The Amazing Spider-Man #149 as a clone of Peter Parker, the character didn’t become a prominent player in the Marvel universe until he was reintroduced in the mid-‘90s, when he was revealed to have survived the explosion that was thought to have incinerated him. This character took the name Ben Reilly to distinguish himself from the original Peter, Ben referring to Peter’s Uncle Ben and Reilly being the maiden surname of Peter’s Aunt May. Having inherited Peter’s spider-abilities, Ben first joined the superhero game as Scarlet Spider and was heavily spotlighted in The Clone Saga, and when Peter retired as Spider-Man for a spell, Ben inherited the mantle.
We could spend all day going over Ben Reilly’s comic book history from there, but these days, he’s back to going by Scarlet Spider. However, events like Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy and Spider-Man Beyond have seen the character filling a more villainous position in Spidey’s corner of the Marvel universe. Outside of the comics, variations of Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider appeared in the ‘90s Spider-Man animated series and Ultimate Spider-Man vs. the Sinister Six, and the design of Peter Parker’s homemade costume in Spider-Man: Homecoming is visually reminiscent of the Scarlet Spider look. It’s safe to say, though, that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be the character’s biggest media appearance yet. That being said, since the design of Scarlet Spider on the Trouble game looks like it was pulled straight from his early comic appearances, it’s unclear if that’s how he’ll actually look in the movie or if he’ll have a different design.
Scarlet Spider is one of three new Spider-heroes who are on deck for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Issa Rae is voicing Jessica Drew, a Spider-Woman from a different universe from Gwen Stacy’s, and we’ll also see Tatsu Yamashiro, the lead from the 1978 Japanese Spider-Man TV series, although it hasn’t been announced who’s voicing him yet. While we did meet Spider-Man 2099 in the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse post-credits scene, Oscar Isaac’s character will have a leading role this time around, and the actor has described Miguel as "the one Spider-Man that doesn't have a sense of humor.”
Directed by Joaquin Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, and written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will spin its web in theaters on June 2, 2023. Be sure to look through our 2023 release schedule to see what other movies come out next year, and don’t forget that Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse will follow on March 29, 2024.
