10 Hated Comic Book Characters Who Became Fan Favourites

Before there ever was a Spider-Verse, the only Spider-Man that ever existed was Peter Parker, who had gained an incredible following since his initial debut in 1962.

Even still, though, Spider-Man wasn't unaffected by the constant trend of comic book reboots and retcons, either. Indeed, one of the first major changes that the wall-crawler faced happened in 1994 when Ben Reilly replaced Peter Parker as the friendly neighborhood hero.

What was most shocking to readers, though, wasn't Ben replacing Peter, rather it was the additional revelation that Peter was really the Spider-Man clone all along - not Ben Reilly.

This had then implied that the Spidey everyone knew and loved was actually a fake. A sentiment which didn't sit well with fans at all. It perhaps didn't help either that Peter was subsequently replaced by Ben either, in 1995. Not that he'd hold that title for long, though, as come a year later when he's supposedly killed off for good.

Fortunately, though, Ben would get a revival in 2016 which saw him undergo a compelling journey of self-discovery that fans would come to appreciate.