When a film features every version of a character that has ever existed, explores an expansive universe and brings them all to the same place while spinning a huge web that connects all of them, it is not unlikely that there would be cameos from actors who are well-known for their work in other franchises. This is the case for the recently released Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse which an impressive number of Spider-people. To achieve this feat, the acclaimed movie has a large number of cameos.
One of these cameos is Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s, Andy Samberg. The actor voices one of the Spider-People, Ben Reilly AKA Scarlet Spider. This character does not get a lot of screen time but he gets just enough for the voice behind the mask to be recognized as Samberg’s. While he provides some sort of comedic element to the film, the origin story for this Spider-person is one that is sad and a little bit dark.
Which Spider-Man Does Andy Samberg Play in Across the Spider-Verse?
Samberg plays Ben Reilly, who is also known as Scarlet Spider. In Across the Spider: Verse, Andy Samberg is a member of the Spider Society that Miguel O’Hara oversees. When O’Hara decides to visit Morales’ universe and stop him from saving his father from his death, which would ruin a canon event, Ben Reilly is one of the two Spider-people who follow Miguel O’Hara. While he is there waiting, he ponders on how perfect his pose is and worries that his muscles do not appear big enough.
Ben Reilly does not speak, but he has a lot of thoughts that are mostly centred on himself or offer unnecessary commentary on the things happening around him and how they connect to him. The need to comment on everything is what makes it easy for Gwen Stacy to defeat him. Samberg is able to infuse the distracted nature that is necessary for the character, a trait we had seen him put on while playing Jake Peralta.
Who Is Ben Reilly, AKA Scarlet Spider, in the Marvel Comics?
Ben Reilly is a character in Marvel Comics who also goes by the Scarlet Spider. He was originally introduced in 1975 as a clone of Peter Parker who was created by Jackal, a scientist. As a clone of Peter Parker, they have the same exact set of powers and skills, where they differ is in intellect capability as he has explored a larger breadth of science than Peter Parker has. Scarlet Spider’s story also features some dark elements that Peter Parker had been able to avoid.
Ben Reilly might not be a popular Spider-person among non-comic readers, but he is one of the stronger Spider-people in the Spider-Verse. There have been times when he was helpful to other heroes and other times when was a very big threat. Across the Spider-Verse has been able to bring some of the lesser-known Spider-People to the screen, and this is what they did with Ben Reilly.
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