Highlights
- The Clone Saga, a notorious Spider-Man storyline, lasted for over two years and involved multiple clones and manipulations by The Jackal and Norman Osborn.
- The Clone Saga is widely hated due to its convoluted plot, failure to follow through on story decisions, and the controversial moment of Peter Parker hitting his pregnant wife, Mary Jane.
- The MCU could potentially introduce a one-film Clone Saga in Spider-Man 4, with the opportunity to bring in new Spider characters and explore the dynamic of Peter facing a Spider-Menace.
With the MCU in a rather precarious position, those behind the scenes are likely examining the many storylines they have planned out. While there is no telling what storylines the MCU will take on next, there are plenty of famous and infamous storylines they could adapt. One of the most notorious of those storylines comes from the pages of Spider-Man, and it’s known as the Clone Saga.
While it stands out as one of the most reviled comic book storylines of all time, especially considering how long it lasted, it may seem impossible for the MCU to do their own take on it. While the MCU has used major stories for inspiration before, they tend to shy away from the lesser-loved tales. The thing is, taking a hated storyline and morphing it into something excellent could create the buzz and be the win that the MCU needs with Spider-Man 4.
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What Was The Clone Saga?
Clone Saga Fast Facts:
- Saga Version: Second
- Publication Dates: October 1994 – December 1996
- Creative Team: Terry Kavanagh, Joey Cavalieri, Todd Dezago, J. M. DeMatteis, Tom DeFalco
- Major Characters: Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, The Jackal, Norman Osborn
Officially kicking off in October of 1994 and not reaching its conclusion until more than two years later in December of 1996, the Clone Saga might as well be described as an epic. This was not the first major clone story Spider-Man had, but it is by far the most notorious despite its commercial success. Essentially, the entire saga is about Spider-Man and a variety of clones including Ben Reilly and Kaine in the midst of being manipulated by The Jackal, and ultimately, Norman Osborn.
Back in the seventies, Spider-Man had battled The Jackal and a Spider-Man clone that the villain had made, with the clone seemingly killed in the battle. Flash forward to the nineties and that clone is back as Ben Reilly, but along with him, The Jackal and the original failed Spider-Man clone Kaine. The clone confusion didn’t end there, as eventually the villain Spidercide would be added into the mix among a variety of other incredibly nineties villains. Eventually, it was revealed that the Peter Parker everyone had grown with over the years had been the clone the entire time, with Ben Reilly being the real Peter Parker and Spider-Man.
This revelation actually caused Spider-Man to not only relinquish his title as the hero but also retire altogether. At this time, Mary Jane had become pregnant, so it seemed like the perfect time for the wall-crawler to retire to make way for the new, albeit technically original, hero. After many years of long-winded plots, bizarre character decisions, and a whole host of awful twists, it was revealed that previously believed to be dead Norman Osborn was the true villain.
With the reveal of Osborn as the true villain, fans also got the reveal that Peter Parker was actually the real Spider-Man all along. This was made clear upon Ben Reilly’s death, although Norman Osborn does essentially spell it out anyway. Continuing the schemes, Peter and Mary Jane would believe their baby to have died while it had actually been taken to Europe. The battle with Osborn and the death of the clone Spider-Man Ben Reilly is generally regarded as the true finale of the second and massive Clone Saga.
Why Is The Clone Saga So Hated?
The Clone Saga is hated for so many reasons that it can be hard to adequately include them all. The first would be the sheer length of the storyline that consumed Spider-Man comics for more than two years. Another complaint about the storyline is that the decisions that were made throughout were never followed through with, including the death of Aunt May, creating an overly complicated story for no reason. Perhaps the biggest complaint Spider-Man fans have about the saga is the horrendous moment in which Peter Parker does the most out-of-character thing possible, hitting his pregnant wife, Mary Jane.
Making things all the worse, Mary Jane really didn’t seem to be bothered by what the supposed love of her life had just done. This moment alienated a lot of fans from the character for years to come, and it’s seen as one of the biggest missteps in the character’s history. The shocking thing is that the reception of this saga hasn’t stopped Marvel, as they wound up writing a new clone saga for the new Spider-Man Miles Morales just a short while ago back in 2021, even having this to say in a Marvel article leading up to the event:
“…“Miles’ CLONE SAGA is a story that has been months, even years, in the making. We’ve been planting its seeds throughout the series, from the horrors of being abducted by the Assessor to the confrontations and sacrifices of the Ultimatum epic. Moments from the past will come back to haunt Miles, and the events of the story will ensnare everyone from his baby sister to Peter Parker (who knows a thing or two about dealing with clones). The ramifications will be felt for years, and it all starts in April!”
How Could The Clone Saga Work In The MCU?
|
MCU Spider-Man Movies: |
Release Date: |
Box Office: |
Budget: |
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Spider-Man: Homecoming |
July 7, 2017 |
$880.2 million |
$175 million |
92% |
|
Spider-Man: Far From Home |
July 2, 2019 |
$1.132 billion |
$160 million |
90% |
|
Spider-Man: No Way Home |
December 17, 2021 |
$1.922 billion |
$200 million |
93% |
With Peter facing a fresh slate in Spider-Man 4, the room for a Clone Saga is all there. If Miles Warren (The Jackal) is an obsessive professor at Peter’s new college, a one-film Clone Saga is possible. This would be made all the more possible if, during Peter’s time at the new school he made some new friends, like the MCU’s versions of Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy. A movie like this would introduce plenty of new Spider characters to the MCU, including high-profile clones like Ben Reilly and Kaine.
All that would be required is a storyline that sees Peter happy in his new life, only for a Spider-Menace to pop up and start ruining his reputation, something that could end up with him fighting a weird cameo hero. The simplest villain motivation for something like this would be Miles Warren having some kind of obsession over Gwen Stacy, resulting in him trying to make clones of both her and her new close friend Peter (much like in the original clone event in the comics). Warren could just intend to clone Peter in order to get him kicked out of school, only to learn that he is Spider-Man, kicking off all of the hijinks.
There wouldn’t need to be any long-winded storyline if the clone Peter first fights is a perfect copy, something that would require Tom Holland to pull double duty. From there, fans could be left scratching their head as to which Peter is the real one, only to be rid of that specific clone by the movie’s close to ensure there is no confusion. The best part? Peter doesn’t need to hit any innocent girls and Norman Osborn doesn’t necessarily need to be involved, although this story certainly would offer the MCU a lot of flexibility for a new fantastic version of the villainous Norman Osborn, better known as the Green Goblin.
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