History ComicBook / SpiderManBeyond

''Spider-Man Beyond'' is a 2021 storyline in the ComicBook/SpiderMan series, succeeding Nick Spencer’s tenure with the character, written by Zeb Wells, Kelly Thompson, Saladin Ahmed, Cody Ziglar, and Patrick Gleason, the latter also filling double duty as the artist alongside Sara Pichelli. The story starts in ''Amazing Spider-Man #75'', with a short story teasing the era beforehand in ''Free Comic Book Day 2021: Spider-Man/Venom''.

Despite this, the two Spider-Men join forces... [[PutOnABus But their first team-up leaves Peter Parker seriously injured, putting him out of commission as a superhero for a while.]] Can Ben Reilly handle the mantle of Spider-Man again, after everything he’s endured?

* BatFamilyCrossover: So far, the Beyond era is slated to affect ''ComicBook/MilesMoralesSpiderMan'', following Miles Morales’ fight with Ben. Justified, as Saladin Ahmed is writing both books.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: [[spoiler:Though Peter's recovering, his Spider-Sense has been going crazy and even turning itself off. It takes a dream sequence after being pummeled crazy and rescued by Captain America to finally start accepting everything]].

-->[[spoiler:'''Maxine:''' The superhero thing is fun. We get to give back to the community. Corporate charity. Magazine covers. Pats on the back. But we are '''[[EvilInc Beyond]]'''. We sell ''[[OnlyInItForTheMoney products]]''.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Marcus:''' The superhero division is smoke?]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Maxine:''' A Beyond-Branded Meta-Product that controls the news cycle and can make people, buildings, and hopefully '''[[ApocalypseHow continents]]''', eventually disappear. No questions asked. For anyone who needs it and can pay. Of course, having it laying around for situations like this doesn't hurt either.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Marcus:''' But to do what you're talking about. Superheroes wouldn't be enough. You'd need villains too.]]
-->[[spoiler:''Cue Maxine sporting a GrinOfAudacity'']]

* CostumeEvolution: Ben dons a brand new Spider-Man costume for this era. It shares many similarities to his previous ''Sensational Spider-Man'' costume, except now the spider emblem is smaller and placed to the right and there are blue segments on the side similar to Peter’s costume.

* MeaningfulRename: '''[[DefiedTrope Defied]]'''. As part of their collective effort to enforce their total control over the Spider-Man trademark, the Beyond Corporation tries to get Ben to convince Miles on their behalf to change his name to [[AtrociousAlias "Striker" or "Stinger"]] which apparently tested well with their focus groups. Not only does Ben completely dismiss his employer's orders, but he also makes peace with Miles after a team-up and gladly continues referring to the younger wallcrawler as "Spider-Man" out of respect.
* MissionControl: It is revealed that Ben has this backing him up, helping him find villains and working with the authorities to clean up and help any civilians in the crossfire.

* TheMole: [[spoiler:#78 reveals that Misty and Colleen are working with Monica Rambeau against Beyond.]]
* NeverMyFault: Upon learning that the rights to Spider-Man were among the remnants of Parker Industries bought up by the Beyond Corporation, Otto Octavius immediately blames Peter for the situation - ignoring that the only reason Parker Industries was in such a position was [[ComicBook/SecretEmpire Otto attempting to steal the company back whilst aligning himself with Hydra as they took over the United States]]. Furthermore, it was ''Otto's idea'' to have the Spider-Man identity and likeness be submitted as a corporate-owned intellectual property in the first place. Meaning that if anything was to happen that could cause him to lose control of his corporation, the rights to the Spider-Man IP could easily fall out of his hands.

** Ben completely forgets Peter’s costume is a normal suit, thus Peter’s given a dangerous amount of radiation when X-Ray blasts the two. It’s also implied that [[ComicBook/SinisterWar Peter’s injuries from the last few issues]] made this worse.

* ArcWelding: Issue #90 reveals that a lot of Beyond's methods are based around a conspiracy first mentioned in ''Marvel Knights Spider-Man'' based around the idea that heroes and villains are created and used to make people disappear without needing to ask questions.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: To keep Ben under control, [[spoiler:Kafka has erased some of his key memories, including the circumstances of Uncle's Ben death. When the Goblin Queen attacks, Maxine is horrified that Ben just runs off rather than fight her. Too late, Maxine realizes that maybe Ben isn't going to be such a hero when he no longer remembers ''why'' he became a hero in the first place.]]

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler:Issue #86 reveals that Beyond erased Ben's memories of the events of ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'' so they could have a "squeaky-clean" Spider-Man at Ben's insistence. Ashley Kafka stopped that. However, when Beyond attempts this again, they accidentally ''break'' Ben. Issue #87 seems to suggest all of his Peter Parker-related memories are now gone. #90 confirms it to be true as he leaves Mary Jane alone to deal with the Queen Goblin.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: To keep Ben under control, [[spoiler:Kafka has erased some of his key memories, including the circumstances of Uncle's Ben death. When the Goblin Queen attacks, Kafka is horrified that Ben just runs off rather than fight her. Too late, Kafka realizes that maybe Ben isn't going to be such a hero when he no longer remembers ''why'' he became a hero in the first place.]]

Following ''ComicBook/NickSpencersSpiderMan'' and the events of ''ComicBook/SinisterWar'', Peter Parker is exhausted. However he gains a new headache upon discovering that Ben Reilly, his clone and a fellow Spider called the ComicBook/ScarletSpider, has donned a new Spider-Man costume and is backed by the [[NGOSuperpower Beyond]] [[MegaCorp Corporation]], who has taken a liking to him recently.

* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: [[spoiler:Though Peter's recovering, his Spider-Sense has been going crazy and even shutting itself off. It takes a dream sequence after being pummeled crazy and rescued by Captain America to finally start accepting everything]].
* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler: Doc Ock defeats Ben by revealing that the only reason Beyond recruited him was because his self-worth was so low he would do anything they told him.]]

** #78 Beyond sees Mist and Colleen fight a monster powered by "the Obsidian Star." Which, as the end of the issue reveals, is [[spoiler: the same item that gave [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} The Captain]] his powers.]]
** Ben's original love interest Elizabeth Tyne/Janine Godbe hasn't been seen since the 90's after turning herself in for the murder of her abusive father. Now she's back in Ben's life after the Beyond Corporation uses their money and influence to have her released from prison.

** When Ben asks about his Scarlet Spider costume, he's told that it looks like a fourteen year old designed it. More or less, Ben ''stole'' this variation way back in ''Ben Reilly, The Scarlet Spider''.

** Maxine directly references [[ComicBook/{{Siege}} Norman Osborn's invasion of Asgard]] during her [[JustBetweenYouAndMe private discussion]] with Marcus [[spoiler:as an example of how a superhero crisis can be used to cover up major scandals as Osborn's invasion inadvertently helped cover-up a multiple homicide committed by a CEO named Jason Halifax by destroying the mansion where the bodies were stashed in the ensuing conflict.]]
* CorporateConspiracy: [[spoiler: Maxine Danger reveals that the Beyond Corporation's ''entire'' Hero Division is actually a giant FalseFlagOperation designed to control the news cycle by capitalizing on the collateral damage caused by superhero fights, as the media would be so distracted by the superpowered spectacle that the incidents which ''actually'' need attention will continue to fly under the radar. This also gives the Beyond Corporation the ability to destroy incriminating evidence through [[FieryCoverUp controlled devastation of an area]] and nobody would be the wiser since the damage will be written off as typical [[DestructiveSaviour superhero shenanigans]].]]

-->[[spoiler:'''Marcus:''' But to do what your talking about. Superheroes wouldn't be enough. You'd need villains too.]]

* CorporateSponsoredSuperhero: Ben is now acting as the Beyond Corporation's Spider-Man and has their backing and support in his crime fighting.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Several scenes imply that the Beyond Corporation is using heroes like Ben to gather information about superhuman abilities for less than noble reasons. The exact reasons haven't been revealed, and a few Beyond staff have had PetTheDog moments where they've passed up collecting information for noble reasons. [[spoiler: It's later confirmed that Beyond is indeed an EvilInc that plans to use both superheroes and supervillains as pawns to help cover up major scandals and corporate secrets on their behalf. And the Assessor, the villain responsible for [[TraumaCongaLine physically and psychologically torturing]] Miles Morales, is actually one of their underlings.]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: To keep Ben under control, [[spoiler: Kafka has erased some of his key memories, including the circumstances of Uncle's Ben death. When the Goblin Queen attacks, Kafka is horrified that Ben just runs off rather than fight her. Too late, Kafka realizes that maybe Ben isn't going to be such a hero when he no longer remembers ''why'' he became a hero in the first place.]]

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Issue #86 reveals that Beyond erased Ben's memories of the events of ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'' so they could have a "squeaky-clean" Spider-Man at Ben's insistence. Ashley Kafka stopped that. However, when Beyond attempts this again, they accidentally ''break'' Ben. Issue #87 seems to suggest all of his Peter Parker-related memories are now gone. #90 confirms it to be true as he leaves Mary Jane alone to deal with the Queen Goblin.]]

** This Beyond Corporation doesn't seem to be the same interdimensional beings that perplexed ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, instead being a legitimate corporation. [[spoiler:If Monica Rambeau's appearance in issue #78 is any indication, something might be off.]]
** #78 Beyond, which shows them specifically focused on acquiring what is revealed to be [[spoiler: the "Heartstar Between Galaxies" responsible for [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} The Captain's]] powers,]] indicates that their interests may overlap more with their past incarnation than they let on. It's also heavily implied that they're gathering a lot of information about superhuman powers for less than noble reasons. Colleen Wing and Misty Knight are suspicious of them, and notably don't tell their Beyond handler about retrieving the aforementioned power source.

* MeaningfulRename: '''[[DefiedTrope Defied]]'''. As part of their collective effort to enforce their total control over the Spider-Man trademark, the Beyond Corporation tries to get Ben to convince Miles on their behalf to change his name to [[AtrociousAlias "Striker" or "Stinger"]] which apparently tested well with their focus groups. Not only does Ben completely dismiss his employer's orders, he makes peace with Miles after a team-up and gladly continues referring to the younger wallcrawler as "Spider-Man" out of respect.

* TheMissusAndTheEx: Felicia Hardy (Black Cat) checks in on Peter in the hospital from outside their window initially while Mary Jane and Aunt May are inside, coming inside to sit by Peter’s bedside. Contrary to their past antagonism, MJ and Felicia bond and Mary Jane insists that Felicia to stay with them, as any support they could get is appreciated.

* NeverMyFault: Upon learning that the rights to Spider-Man were among the remnants of Parker Industries bought up by the Beyond Corporation, Otto Octavius immediately blames Peter for the situation - ignoring that the only reason Parker Industries was in such a position was [[ComicBook/SecretEmpire Otto attempting to steal the company back whilst aligning himself with Hydra as they took over the United States]]. Furthermore, it was ''Otto's idea'' to have the Spider-Man identity and likeness be submitted as a corporate owned intellectual property in the first place. Meaning that if anything was to happen that could cause him to lose control of his corporation, the rights to the Spider-Man IP could easily fall out of his hands.

** In issue #81, Miles Morales straight up calls Ben an imposter and is utterly appalled when he finds out that he's working for the very corporation that's trying to sue him over the rights to the Spider-Man mantle. While Miles does eventually chill out after teaming up with Ben to take out a rampaging plant monster, he still doesn't approve of Ben's affiliation with Beyond.

** The villains Peter and Ben fight in their brief team-up are the U-Foes, a group of supervillains that fight the Hulk more often than not.

** #78 Beyond is pretty much one giant love letter to ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, with Mindy and Colleen fighting absurd and seemingly random enemies with an equally absurd arsenal, non-stop jokes, and caption box commentary galore. The combination of the two working for the Beyond Corporation and how [[spoiler: the item they were sent to retrieve is the source of [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}The Captain's]] powers,]] make it unlikely that this is a coincidence.

* SuperiorSuccessor: Deconstructed. On the surface, Ben seems to be having a far better time as Spider-Man when compared to Peter. Ben has a [[MySuitIsAlsoSuper better suit]] and [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys gadgets]], an entire [[MissionControl support-team]] backing him, a stable [[CrimefightingWithCash lucrative income]] and [[SleekHighRiseApartment sleek living conditions]] thanks to his contract with Beyond, and successfully rekindled his relationship with his [[LoveInterest old flame]] Janine. However, many characters who personally knew the original Spider-Man such as Felicia Hardy and Miles Morales see Ben as a SketchySuccessor and a SellOut whose continued affiliation with Beyond will ultimately prove to be his downfall. [[spoiler: Ben's critics are eventually proven right as its revealed that Beyond only chose to make him their Spider-Man because he's [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter easy to manipulate]] and can [[{{Brainwashed}} mentally reprogram]] him if he's too defiant.]]

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Averted. Ben is given sessions with Dr. Kafka in order to help process the struggles of superhero life.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Several scenes imply that the Beyond Corporation is using heroes like Ben to gather information about superhuman abilities for less than noble reasons. The exact reasons haven't been revealed, and a few Beyond staff have had PetTheDog moments where they've passed up collecting information for noble reasons.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Issue #86 reveals that Beyond erased Ben's memories of the events of ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'' so they could have a "squeaky-clean" Spider-Man at Ben's insistence. Ashley Kafka stopped that. However, when Beyond attempts this again, they accidentally ''break'' Ben. Issue #87 seems to suggest all of his Peter Parker-related memories are now gone.]]

* NotSoDifferent: In the ''Mary Jane/Black Cat'' special, both MJ and Felicia realize how similar they are in Peter's life, allowing the two girls to bond more.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: [[spoiler: Issue #86 reveals that Beyond erased Ben's memories of the events of ''ComicBook/DeadNoMoreTheCloneConspiracy'' so they could have a "squeaky-clean" Spider-Man at Ben's insistence. Ashley Kafka stopped that. However, when Beyond attempts this again, they accidentally ''break'' Ben.]]

** This Beyond Corporation doesn't seem to be the same interdimensional beings that perplexed ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, instead being a legitimate corporation. [[spoiler:If Monica Rambeau's appearance in issue #78 is any indication, something might be off.]] #78 Beyond, which shows them specifically focused on acquiring what is revealed to be [[spoiler: the "Heartstar Between Galaxies" responsible for [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} The Captain's]] powers,]] indicates that their interests may overlap more with their past incarnation than they let on. It's also heavily implied that they're gathering a lot of information about superhuman powers for less than noble reasons. Colleen Wing and Misty Knight are suspicious of them, and notably don't tell their Beyond handler about retrieving the aforementioned power source.

* NeverMyFault: Upon learning that the rights to Spider-Man were among the remnants of Parker Industries bought up by the Beyond Corporation, Otto Octavius immediately blames Peter for the situation - ignoring that the only reason Parker Industries was in such a position was [[ComicBook/SecretEmpire Otto attempting to steal the company back whilst aligning himself with Hydra as they took over the United States]].
** Otto's attempt of a hostile takeover of Parker Industries is actually irrelevant to the root cause of the problem. It was ''Otto's idea'' to have the Spider-Man identity and likeness be submitted as a corporate owned intellectual property in the first place. Meaning that if anything was to happen that could cause him to lose control of his corporation, the rights to the Spider-Man IP could easily fall out of his hands.

-->'''Ben:''' Alright folks, Spider-Man is here! Let me at that bad guy!
-->'''Firefighter:''' Huh? That thing is ''[[TheCavalryArrivesLate gone]]''. We're dealing with the wounded.
-->'''Ben:''' Where did Rhizome go?
-->'''Elderly Woman:''' Rize--''who?'' I'm looking for my grandmother's jewelry in here. My daughter is supposed to get married in it.
-->'''Kid:''' And I'm trying to find my homework. Are you here to help, Spider-Man?
-->'''Ben:''' I...''Uh''...Well...See...[[NotInMyContract That's not my assignment.]]
-->'''Young Woman:''' ''Assignment?'' Who the '''hell''' are you?!

** Colleen Wing and Misty Knight, the Daughters of the Dragon, show up as well, last seen together over in ''ComicBook/NickSpencersCaptainAmerica''.

* ContinuityNod: When Ben asks about his Scarlet Spider costume, he's told that it looks like a fourteen year old designed it. More or less, Ben ''stole'' this variation way back in ''Ben Reilly, The Scarlet Spider''.

* LetsYouAndHimFight: Ben is forced by the Beyond Corporation to fight Miles, as he is an “unregistered Spider-Man” since the corporation owns the trademark for the Spider-Man name after buying up some of Parker Industries holdings.

* PretenderDiss: In the tie-in for ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfDoctorStrange'', Felicia makes it quite clear that Ben is no Spider-Man and he doesn't have the right to be. Even when the story ends, she only gives him a begrudging "You're Spider-Man... ''for now''."

* BatFamilyCrossover: So far, the Beyond era is slated to affect ''ComicBook/MilesMoralesSpiderMan'', following Miles Morales’ fight with Ben.

* EnemyMine: Deeming it as the only option left that can save Peter, Aunt May seeks the help of ComicBook/DoctorOctopus.

** #78 Beyond is pretty much one giant love letter to ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, with Mindy and Colleen fighting absurd and seemingly random enemies with an equally absurd arsenal, non-stop jokes, and caption box commentary galore. The fact that [[spoiler: the item they were sent to retrieve is the source of [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}The Captain's]] powers]] indicates this isn't a coincidence.

** This Beyond Corporation doesn't seem to be the same interdimensional beings that perplexed ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, instead being a legitimate corporation. [[spoiler:If Monica Rambeau's appearance in issue #78 is any indication, something might be off.]] #78 Beyond, which shows them specifically focused on acquiring what is revealed to be [[spoiler: the "Heartstar Between Galaxies" responsible for [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} The Captain's]] powers, indicates that their interests may overlap more with their past incarnation than they let on.]] It's also heavily implied that they're gathering a lot of information about superhuman powers for less than noble reasons. Colleen Wing and Misty Knight are suspicious of them, and notably don't tell their Beyond handler about a major power source they find.

** This Beyond Corporation doesn't seem to be the same interdimensional beings that perplexed ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, instead being a legitimate corporation. [[spoiler:If Monica Rambeau's appearance in issue #78 is any indication, something might be off.]] #78 Beyond, which shows them specifically focused on acquiring what is revealed to be [[spoiler: the "Heartstar Between Galaxies" responsible for [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} The Captain's]] powers, showing that their interests may overlap more with their past incarnation than they let on.]] It's also heavily implied that they're gathering a lot of information about superhuman powers for less than noble reasons. Colleen Wing and Misty Knight are suspicious of them, and notably don't tell their Beyond handler about a major power source they find.

** This Beyond Corporation doesn't seem to be the same interdimensional beings that perplexed ComicBook/{{Nextwave}}, instead being a legitimate corporation. [[spoiler:If Monica Rambeau's appearance in issue #78 is any indication, something might be off.]] #78 Beyond, which shows them specifically focused on acquiring what is revealed to be [[spoiler: the "Heartstar Between Galaxies" responsible for [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} The Captain's]] powers, showing that their interests may overlap more with their past incarnation than they let on.]]