The Clone Saga (Marvel's Clone Wars)

• Core Identity: The Clone Saga is a sprawling, multi-year Spider-Man epic from the 1990s (with roots in the 1970s) that fundamentally challenged Peter Parker's identity by suggesting he was a clone and that his genetic duplicate was the true original.
• Key Takeaways:
• Role in the Universe: Initially a self-contained 1970s thriller, the Clone Saga was resurrected in the 1990s to become one of the most ambitious, controversial, and lengthy storylines in spider-man's history. It served to deconstruct the hero's identity, explore themes of authenticity and memory, and introduce a new generation of spider-themed characters.
• Primary Impact: Its most enduring legacy is the introduction of two critical characters into the Marvel mythos: ben_reilly, the heroic Scarlet Spider, and kaine_parker, the tortured, flawed first clone. While heavily criticized for its convoluted plot and editorial indecision, the saga remains a defining, if polarizing, chapter in Peter Parker's life.
• Key Incarnations: The Clone Saga is almost exclusively an Earth-616 (Prime Comic Universe) event. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has not adapted this storyline. Instead, the MCU has explored similar themes of identity and alternate selves through the multiverse, most notably in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought different versions of Peter Parker together, rather than genetic clones.

The term “Clone Wars” in Marvel is most synonymous with the Spider-Man “Clone Saga,” a story told in two vastly different eras. The genesis of the concept lies in the Bronze Age of comics. Writer Gerry Conway, seeking to create a deeply personal and shocking story for Peter Parker, conceived a plot where Spider-Man's deceased first love, gwen_stacy, would seemingly return. This idea evolved into a cloning plot orchestrated by a new villain with a personal connection to both Peter and Gwen. In The Amazing Spider-Man #144 (May 1975), readers were introduced to Professor Miles Warren, Peter's biology professor, who was secretly the villain known as the jackal. The storyline culminated in The Amazing Spider-Man #149 (October 1975), featuring a dramatic confrontation between Spider-Man and his own perfect clone. The story concluded with the apparent death of the clone, seemingly a closed chapter in Spider-Man's history. For nearly two decades, it was. In the mid-1990s, the comic book market was in a different state. Seeking to boost sales and shake up the Spider-Man titles, Marvel's editorial team decided to revisit this classic story. The initial plan, spearheaded by editor Danny Fingeroth and writer Terry Kavanagh, was a short, three-month arc to reintroduce the clone. The character returned in Spectacular Spider-Man #217 (October 1994), revealing he had survived his supposed death and had been living in exile for five years under the name Ben Reilly. The storyline proved to be an immense sales success. This success, however, led to editorial mandates to extend the story indefinitely. The central mystery—“Who is the real Peter Parker?”—was deliberately prolonged, leading to a sprawling, multi-year narrative that crossed over between all active Spider-Man titles: The Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, and numerous one-shots and miniseries. The saga introduced a host of new characters, including Kaine, Spidercide, and a new Doctor Octopus. It is infamous for its many plot twists, red herrings, and a period where Ben Reilly actually took over the role of Spider-Man, believing himself to be the original. The fan backlash against the prolonged mystery and the decision to replace Peter Parker was significant, and Marvel eventually moved to conclude the storyline in late 1996, revealing the entire scheme to be the master plan of a resurrected norman_osborn.

The in-universe origin of the Clone Saga is a tragedy born from obsession and scientific genius twisted by grief. The First Saga (1970s): Professor Miles Warren was a brilliant but emotionally unstable professor of biology at Empire State University, where Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy were his students. He developed a secret, paternal infatuation with Gwen. When she was tragically killed by the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn), Warren's mind shattered. He blamed Spider-Man for her death, unaware that the hero was his own student, Peter. Driven by grief and a desire for revenge, Warren delved into the forbidden science of cloning. Having obtained DNA samples from both Gwen and Peter before her death, he perfected the process. He created a perfect clone of Gwen Stacy to reclaim his lost love and a perfect clone of Peter Parker to destroy the man he held responsible for her demise. Dubbing himself the Jackal, he orchestrated a complex psychological war against Spider-Man. The climax occurred at Shea Stadium, where the Jackal forced Spider-Man to fight his clone, with the life of ned_leeds hanging in the balance. The two Spider-Men were perfectly matched in every way—powers, skills, and even memories up to the point of cloning. The battle ended when a bomb detonated prematurely, seemingly killing both the Jackal and the clone. Peter Parker, unwilling to know for sure which of them was the original, left the body of his doppelgänger to be disposed of in a smokestack, solidifying in his own mind that he was the true Peter Parker. The Second Saga (1990s): Unbeknownst to Peter, the clone survived the explosion and the fall. He awoke in the smokestack and, realizing that Peter needed to live his life without the constant doubt of his existence, chose to walk away. He adopted the name Ben Reilly (Ben from his uncle, Reilly from his aunt's maiden name) and spent five years wandering the country, building a life for himself while wrestling with his identity as a “copy.” Ben was eventually forced to return to New York when he learned that Aunt May had fallen gravely ill. His return coincided with the appearance of Kaine, a violent and mysterious figure with powers similar to Spider-Man's. It was revealed that Kaine was the Jackal's first clone of Peter Parker, a flawed prototype suffering from cellular degeneration, which caused him physical and mental agony but also granted him enhanced strength and a clairvoyant “mark.” The Jackal also returned, revealing he had created an army of Spider-Clones and that his previous death was faked. He dropped a bombshell that shook Peter to his core: Ben Reilly, the clone, was actually the original Peter Parker, and the Peter who had lived for the last five years, married Mary Jane Watson, and fought as Spider-Man was the clone. Scientific tests, manipulated by the Jackal, seemed to confirm this. Shattered by this revelation and with Mary Jane pregnant, Peter decided to retire and pass the mantle of Spider-Man to Ben, allowing him to reclaim the life he had been denied. Ben Reilly became the new official Spider-Man, while Peter and Mary Jane moved to Portland to start a family. This period saw Ben facing new villains and old, trying to live up to the legacy he now believed was his. The saga reached its chaotic peak in the “Maximum Clonage” storyline, where countless clones ran rampant through New York. The entire convoluted affair was ultimately revealed to be a masterfully orchestrated plot by Norman Osborn, the original Green Goblin, who had also faked his death years prior. Osborn had manipulated the Jackal, faked the scientific tests, and orchestrated the entire saga from the shadows to mentally destroy the man he hated most. In the final confrontation, Ben Reilly was impaled by the Green Goblin's glider while protecting Peter. As he died in Peter's arms, his body rapidly decomposed into dust—the ultimate, undeniable proof of clone degeneration. This sacrifice proved, once and for all, that Ben was the clone and Peter was the original.

There is no direct adaptation of the Clone Saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The concept of a genetic duplicate of Peter Parker created by a villain has not been introduced. However, the MCU has explored the thematic core of the Clone Saga—a hero confronting an alternate version of himself—through the narrative device of the multiverse. In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), the MCU's Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) meets two other versions of Peter Parker from different cinematic universes (played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield). This event serves a similar narrative function to the Clone Saga:

• Challenging Identity: The MCU Peter is forced to see what he could become, both heroically and tragically, through the experiences of his variants.
• Shared Trauma: The Peters bond over their shared sense of responsibility and the loss of their respective loved ones (Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy), much like how 616-Peter and Ben Reilly were connected by their shared memories and love for Aunt May and MJ.
• Defining the “True” Hero: By interacting with his alternates, the MCU Peter solidifies his own moral code and what it means for him to be Spider-Man, just as 616-Peter had to reaffirm his own identity in the face of Ben Reilly.

While the mechanism is multiversal rather than genetic, the result is thematically parallel. It allows the story to ask, “What makes you, you?” without the convoluted biology and controversial plot points of the 1990s comic event. Future MCU projects could potentially introduce cloning, but as of now, the multiverse remains its primary tool for exploring doppelgänger narratives.

The Clone Saga's most lasting contribution is its cast of characters, who represent different facets of Peter Parker's identity.

Ben Reilly is the central figure of the saga besides Peter himself. As a perfect clone, he possessed all of Peter's powers, memories, and scientific intellect. His five years in exile, however, forged a distinct personality. He was often more emotionally volatile and less burdened by the immense history of tragedy that Peter carried, though he was haunted by his own sense of being an “imposter.”

• As the Scarlet Spider: Ben's first heroic identity in New York. He wore a simple, iconic costume consisting of a red bodysuit and a blue, sleeveless hoodie with a large spider emblem. His primary weapons were modified web-shooters that included “impact webbing” (small, expanding web-pellets) and “stingers” (paralytic darts).
• As Spider-Man: When he took over the mantle, Ben designed a new, updated Spider-Man suit. This costume was a significant departure from the classic design, with larger spider emblems on the front and back, web-shooters worn on the outside of his costume, and different eye lenses.
• Legacy: Ben's death was a heroic sacrifice that cemented his status as a true hero, not just a copy. His character was so popular that he was eventually resurrected years later, becoming a globetrotting anti-hero and, for a time, the corporate-sponsored Spider-Man of the Beyond Corporation before returning to his Scarlet Spider identity.

Kaine was the Jackal's first attempt at cloning Peter Parker. The process was unstable, resulting in a slow cellular degeneration that left him scarred, mentally unstable, and in constant pain.

• Powers and Abilities: Kaine's flawed genetics gave him powers that diverged from Peter's. He was significantly stronger and faster. He did not need mechanical web-shooters, as he could produce organic webbing. His most fearsome abilities were:
  • The Mark of Kaine: A corrosive touch that could burn a handprint-shaped scar onto his victims' faces. He initially believed it was a tool for murder, but it later evolved into a way to manipulate matter.
  • Precognitive Flashes: He would receive chaotic, violent visions of the future, often involving the death of someone close to Peter.
• Character Arc: Initially, Kaine acted as an antagonist, a dark mirror to Peter. He was obsessed with protecting Peter from what he believed was the “true” clone, Ben Reilly, leading him to stalk and murder enemies of Spider-Man. Over time, particularly after being cured of his degeneration, Kaine underwent a profound redemption arc. He moved to Houston, took up the mantle of the Scarlet Spider himself, and became a brutal but effective hero in his own right, even joining the new_warriors.

The ultimate architect of the saga's inciting incident. Miles Warren's entire motivation stems from his unrequited love for Gwen Stacy and his irrational hatred of Spider-Man for failing to save her.

• Intellect: Warren is a genius in the fields of genetics, cloning, and biology. He was able to perfect a cloning process that not only replicated a person physically but could also download their memories into the new body, creating a psychologically perfect duplicate.
• Obsession: His defining trait is his all-consuming obsession. He sees his clones not as copies, but as genuine resurrections, particularly in the case of Gwen. His plans are often theatrical and designed to cause maximum psychological torment for Peter Parker.
• Evolution: Over the years, the Jackal has returned multiple times, often splicing his own DNA with that of an actual jackal, giving him enhanced senses and physical abilities. In later storylines, he masterminded a global pandemic using the Carrion virus.

The “Maximum Clonage” era introduced a plethora of other clones, often to the story's detriment, to emphasize the chaos of the Jackal's plans.

• Spidercide: A clone who could manipulate his body's mass and shape, making him a formidable physical threat. He was manipulated by a mysterious figure known as the Scrier.
• Guardian: A clone with dense skin, super-strength, and a terminal case of clone degeneration who died protecting the Jackal's hidden base.
• Jack: A diminutive, goblin-like clone who served as the Jackal's loyal henchman.

As there is no Clone Saga, there are no clones to analyze. The “variants” from No Way Home serve as analogs:

• “Peter-Two” (Tobey Maguire): An older, more seasoned Peter Parker who has found a way to make his life with Mary Jane Watson work. He represents a potential future of stability and experience.
• “Peter-Three” (Andrew Garfield): A Peter Parker still consumed by grief and rage over the death of his Gwen Stacy. He represents a darker path the MCU's Peter could have walked, one where he “pulled his punches” less. His redemption comes from saving the MCU's MJ, healing a part of his own past trauma.

The 1990s Clone Saga was not a single event but a rolling series of interconnected storylines. Key moments that defined its trajectory include:

1. The Return: Ben Reilly, as the Scarlet Spider, saves Peter Parker, forcing Peter to confront the man he thought died five years ago.
2. The Mark of Kaine: Kaine's brutal murders of Spider-Man's old foes (like Doctor Octopus and the Grim Hunter) establish him as a deadly new player and draw the attention of both Peter and Ben.
3. The Trial of Peter Parker: Peter is arrested for Kaine's crimes due to their identical fingerprints. He is forced to rely on Ben to protect the city as the Scarlet Spider while he clears his name.
4. The “Original” Reveal: Seward Trainer, a scientist and friend to Ben, presents “conclusive” evidence that Ben is the original and Peter is the clone. This is the saga's most pivotal (and later, retconned) moment.
5. Maximum Clonage: A massive, chaotic crossover where the Jackal unleashes his clone army on New York, forcing Peter, Ben, and Kaine into an uneasy alliance to stop him.
6. Ben Reilly as Spider-Man: Peter steps down, and Ben takes on the full responsibility of being Spider-Man, complete with a new job, new supporting cast, and a new costume.
7. Revelations: The final arc where Norman Osborn reveals himself as the mastermind. He confesses to faking the clone tests and killing Seward Trainer to cover his tracks, all part of a long game to destroy Peter's spirit.

The conclusion of the Clone Saga in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 (December 1996) had immediate and long-lasting consequences.

• Immediate Fallout: Peter Parker, having witnessed Ben's death and Osborn's return, was forced back into the role of Spider-Man, now with the added burden of his greatest foe being alive. The storyline involving Peter and MJ's baby, May Parker, was resolved ambiguously, with Osborn's agent seemingly causing a stillbirth, though it was later revealed the baby was abducted by Osborn's agents. This plot point would not be fully resolved for years.
• Fan Reception: The saga's conclusion was met with relief by many fans who had grown tired of its convoluted nature and disliked the replacement of Peter Parker. However, the character of Ben Reilly had gained a significant fanbase, who were disappointed by his death. The saga is often cited as a prime example of editorial meddling and a story that buckled under the weight of its own commercial success.
• Long-Term Impact: Despite its controversial reputation, the Clone Saga has had a profound and lasting impact on the Spider-Man mythos.
  • Character Rebirth: Both Ben Reilly and Kaine were eventually resurrected in modern comics. Ben's return was controversial, but Kaine's redemption arc as the new Scarlet Spider was widely praised by fans and critics.
  • Thematic Resonance: The saga's core themes of identity are frequently revisited. The concept of “Spider-Clones” is now a permanent fixture in Spider-Man's rogues' gallery and story potential.
  • “What If?” Scenarios: The saga's unresolved plot thread of baby Mayday Parker directly led to the creation of the MC2 universe (Earth-982), where she grew up to become spider-girl, one of Marvel's most popular and enduring alternate-reality characters.

The 1975 story by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru is a masterclass in psychological superhero drama. The Jackal's plan is intimate and cruel. He kidnaps Ned Leeds and lures Spider-Man to Shea Stadium. There, he presents Spider-Man with his perfect double. The fight is brutal because it's a fight against oneself—every move is anticipated, every weakness known. The true horror for Peter is the Jackal's taunt that he has no way of knowing which of them is the original. The clone's final act, pushing Peter out of the way of a bomb, suggests he possessed the same core heroism. Peter's decision to dump the body in a smokestack without confirming his own authenticity is a defining moment, showing his desperate need to believe he is the real one to continue living his life.

This 1994 four-part storyline relaunched the saga. It re-establishes Ben Reilly not as a villain, but as a mirror image of Peter who has been forged by a different life. The arc's power comes from Peter's reaction. He is horrified, then angry, then slowly comes to see Ben as a brother. The storyline coincides with Aunt May's hospitalization and eventual “death” (later retconned), which pushes Peter to a breaking point. When the tests “prove” he is the clone, his entire life is invalidated in an instant. His decision to give the mantle to Ben is not one of defeat, but of responsibility—to his unborn child and to the man whose life he believes he stole.

This mid-1995 crossover is often seen as the point where the saga jumped the shark. It begins with the shocking “death” of Spider-Man at the hands of Kaine and the Jackal's reveal of a city-wide “clone bomb.” The storyline is defined by its chaotic energy, featuring hundreds of Spider-Clones, the introduction of Spidercide, and the Jackal's insane plan to replace humanity with his clone creations. While a commercial success, its labyrinthine plot and the sheer number of identical-looking characters made it a difficult read. It showcases the creative excess of the 1990s comics industry and the editorial pressure to constantly escalate the stakes, often at the expense of coherent storytelling.

This was the grand finale. The “Revelations” arc, running through all four Spider-Man titles, finally tied up the loose ends. The mastermind was revealed to not be the Jackal or some new entity, but Norman Osborn, Spider-Man's ultimate nemesis, returned from the dead. This single reveal re-contextualized the entire two-year saga as a personal attack on Peter Parker. Osborn's genius was not in the cloning, but in the psychological manipulation. The final battle in Spider-Man #75 is one of the most emotional in the character's history. Ben Reilly's death is a perfect heroic sacrifice. In his final moments, as his body dissolves, he tells Peter, “You're the man, Peter… you're Spider-Man.” His disintegration provides the concrete, visual proof that the entire ordeal is over, allowing Peter to finally and definitively reclaim his identity.

The Ultimate Marvel universe presented a radically different, and much more contained, Clone Saga. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, this version was a direct result of Doctor Otto Octavius's government-sanctioned work for the CIA, attempting to replicate the Super-Soldier program that created Captain America, using Peter Parker's DNA as a template.

• The Clones: The clones were unstable and monstrous. Kaine was a disfigured, super-strong version who tried to “protect” Mary Jane. Another clone had six arms (a nod to the 616 “Six-Arms Saga”). Jessica Drew, a female clone of Peter, retained all his memories and became the hero spider-woman. A clone of Gwen Stacy was fused with the Carnage symbiote.
• Ben Reilly: In this universe, Ben Reilly was not a clone but an African-American lab assistant of Dr. Curt Connors who was involved in the experiments.
• Resolution: The saga was a tight, suspenseful thriller that concluded with most of the flawed clones dying and Peter reasserting control of his life, with Jessica Drew surviving to become a major character in the Ultimate universe.

The beloved 1990s cartoon adapted elements of the Clone Saga in its fifth season, but in a heavily streamlined fashion. The Spider-Man clone was created by Miles Warren, but the story was intertwined with Hydro-Man. The clone initially believed himself to be the original and battled Spider-Man. However, due to the cloning process being unstable, he eventually began to degenerate and sacrificed himself to stop a larger threat, dissolving into dust. Ben Reilly and Kaine did not appear, and the central mystery was resolved within a few episodes, sparing it the convoluted nature of its comic book contemporary.

This miniseries by Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley presented Spider-Man's life in real-time, with one issue for each decade from the 60s to the 2010s. The Clone Saga is depicted as the major event of the 1990s. In this version, Norman Osborn creates the clone after faking his death. The clone returns, and after a brief but intense period of confusion, Peter and his clone realize the truth together. The clone, accepting his nature, takes the name Ben Reilly and agrees to work with SHIELD, leaving Peter's life. It presents the emotional core of the saga—Peter confronting a version of himself—without the audience-frustrating mystery and red herrings, treating it as a mature, character-defining moment.

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