10 Spider-Man Sidekicks Everyone Forgets

The character, Ben Reilly, has a pretty messed up history in the world of Spider-Man. He was first introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #149 as a clone of Spider-Man, though he died, leaving Peter Parker to dispose of his body. This created a secret identity scare with J. Jonah Jameson, but that was about it for quite a while.

Then, in 1994, Marvel kicked off the infamous "Clone Saga," and Reilly became a big part of that event. It was first revealed that the Peter Parker fans had been reading since ASM #149 was actually the clone all along, and Ben Reilly was really Peter Parker the whole time.

Eventually, this was reversed, and Reilly went on to become a new superhero of his own called the Scarlet Spider. He didn't appear much in print over the years, but he's come back every once in a while. When he does, he often teams up with Peter.

Of course, Peter has a great deal more experience than his identical partner, so he functions more as a sidekick than an equal in their team-ups. That isn't to say he isn't capable of operating on his own, but when he does work with Peter, he's the one taking tips, rather than being the one guiding their adventures.