Seward Trainer

Seward Trainer was a geneticist who met Ben Reilly during Ben’s time away from New York City. During these lost years Ben and Seward became close friends. Ben first met Seward in rural Vermont. Ben helped Seward retrieve some valuable information from a sealed vault. Ben ripped open the vault with his bear hands. Seward seemed to be Ben’s only friend in the world. However all was not what it appeared to be.

As revealed in the Osborn Journals, Seward Trainer was actually the lab assistant of the late Miles Warren (aka the Jackal). Norman Osborn sent a member of the ancient order of the Scrier to observe Trainer. Scrier discovered that Trainer had been stealing the notes on cloning from Warren’s own computer files. He planned to build a reputation for himself on those stolen files. Scrier confronted Trainer with this and Seward was logically afraid. After all, Warren had already killed one lab assistant, Anthony Serba. Scrier agreed to keep quiet in return he told Seward he would call on him in the future for a favor. When Warren cloned Spider-Man and engineered the fight between Peter and the clone, Scrier worked behind the scenes. He had Trainer tamper with the Jackal’s equipment so that when it examined the two Parkers, the clone would read as the original Spider-Man. In addition, the real Peter Parker would read out as the clone. After the battle at Shea Stadium, Peter Parker tossed the body of the supposedly dead clone down the smokestack. Warren retrieved this body, believing it to be the real Peter Parker. He tampered with the clone’s mind sending him out into the world. Warren thought he had succeeded with stripping Spider-Man of his life and identity.

After the events at Shea Stadium, Seward’s role in the clone saga was not over. Scrier ordered him to monitor the clone and keep track of his whereabouts. What the Scrier did not suspect was that Trainer would begin to bond with Ben Reilly. He became his friend and mentor. When Aunt May had her stroke Ben left his life on the road and came back to New York City. Not long after his friend and mentor came back as well. Norman Osborn again needed Trainer’s help in his master plan. He sent Mendel Stromm (who at this time was known as Gaunt) to bring Seward back into the fold. Stromm ordered Trainer to tamper with his own genetic equipment. He also ordered Trainer to restore his deteriorating body. Seward, since he was friends with Reilly, at first refused. However, Gaunt threatened to reveal to Ben all of what Seward had been keeping from him in the last few years. Seward had no use but to comply with Gaunt’s demands. When Ben and Peter came to Seward for a test to prove who was real and who the clone was, the test proved Ben was the real Spider-Man. This sent Peter over the edge and Peter joined up with the Jackal for a short time. However, Ben and Peter eventually teamed up to defeat the Jackal.

After Peter left New York for Portland, Ben stayed with Seward until he could find a place of his own. Ben continued to fight super villains as the Scarlet Spider including a new female Doctor Octopus. It turned out that the new Doc Ock was actually Carolyn Trainer, Seward’s own daughter. She hated her father and tried to kill him several times. She was able to sent Seward’s own mind into cyberspace thus leaving his body as an empty shell. Seward was eventually returned to his body thanks to Ben. However, Carolyn eventually ruined the Scarlet Spider’s reputation. Ben had to then adopt the identity of Spider-Man. Soon after when Ben and Peter were investigating Osborn Industries, they discovered Seward Trainer was working with Gaunt. Ben cut off his ties to Seward and felt naturally betrayed. He could not believe his friend and mentor would betray him. During the Revelations storyline, Osborn’s master plan was wrapping up. Seward tried to escape from Osborn’s clutches and warn Ben before Osborn could strike. However, Osborn sent a fully revived Gaunt to track down Trainer. Seward was murdered by Gaunt before he could warn Ben. This act proved that Seward had wanted to do the right thing. However, Seward simply ran out of time.