The late 90s weren't a great time for the comic book industry, either creatively or in terms of sales. Marvel Comics was on the brink of bankruptcy, and in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man, it sometimes felt as though the publisher had gone creatively bankrupt.
Through a highly convoluted series of events, Peter Parker discovered that he was a clone and that the real Peter, now going by Ben Reilly, had spent five years on the road, pursued by another twisted doppelganger, Kaine. Peter stepped away to spend more time with his wife, Mary Jane, and the baby she was carrying, leaving Ben—who went by "Scarlet Spider" for a time—to resume being Spider-Man.
Fans rejected the change (unwilling to accept this new Spider-Man and that the past five years had been stories revolving around a clone), leading to a retcon where Peter was confirmed as the real deal. As for Ben, he turned to dust.
Tom Holland recently expressed his fandom of the Ultimate Clone Saga, a similar story that makes some changes for the better and some for the worse. The actor would like to adapt elements from that down the line, and we'd suggest turning to the original tale and focusing on the following points to deliver a Spider-Man movie like no other...
5. At Its Core, The Clone Saga Is A Great Story
The Clone Saga features some dreadful moments. Those included the apparent kidnapping/death of baby May Parker, pretty much everything with Judas Traveller, and the many times the story became almost unbearably muddled as Marvel Comics attempted to figure out what the heck it was doing.
Take all that aside, though, and the idea of a resurrected Green Goblin enacting his revenge on Peter by making him doubt his own existence through The Jackal's cloning experiments is an effective hook. As a whole, the premise was great; the execution, however, was often flawed.
The horror of learning that he's a clone so soon after his Aunt May's death breaks Peter, and when Marvel Comics eventually course-corrected, his journey to establishing that he was the real Spider-Man made for thrilling reading. Of course, as all this was happening, we got to spend time with Ben Reilly...
4. Ben Reilly's Story Arc
As much as fans didn't want Ben to take Peter's place, it was a blast discovering how he'd spent his five years away from New York. Then, when he returned and became the Scarlet Spider, we got to spend time with a very different Spider-Man who had to rediscover his responsibility.
Eventually becoming the official Spider-Man, Ben took on all manner of threats and developed a bond with Peter that saw them consider each other brothers. He'd even make the ultimate sacrifice for his "clone," only to eventually be resurrected by The Jackal years later.
More than two dozen deaths and resurrections pushed Ben into madness. Fortunately, he found redemption and became Spider-Man again...only to lose many of Peter's formative memories and become the villainous Chasm. Not everything here worked, but enough did to make Ben a fascinating character in his own right (and a hero whose story deserves to be told).
3. Tom Holland Can Pull Double Duty
So, how can this storyline be brought into the MCU? It goes without saying that a lot of changes should be made, both to improve on the source material and to make it fit into this live-action franchise.
The prospect of Tom Holland playing Peter Parker and Ben Reilly is hugely exciting to us, especially if the latter has the same baggage as his comic book counterpart. Ben isn't just Peter with blonde hair, and exploring the emotional complexities of these characters as they argue over who is "real" and the mental toll doubting their entire reality takes on them would allow Holland to excel.
Miles Morales could come into play somewhere, and we'd love to see Sony take the actor's advice by introducing Jessica Drew. In the Ultimate Universe, she's the female clone of Peter Parker, and given that they're non-identical, she would be a great role for a rising star actress.
2. ...Or Make That Triple Duty
Kaine is a failed Peter Parker clone who descends into madness and villainy after being left horribly scarred and in constant pain. He'd eventually see the error of his ways and, through a set of typically convoluted circumstances, become the hardened, badass Scarlet Spider.
Given that Kaine is an imperfect clone, another actor could step in to lead a spin-off franchise, though we'd love to see what Holland could do as this villain. However, he's also far from the only threat that we'd like to see step into the wall-crawler's world from this era.
There's the duplicitous Seward Trainer, his daughter Carolyn—the new female Doctor Octopus—and obviously The Jackal himself. Obsessed with Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, the college professor is a twisted psychopath who'd benefit from a present-day makeover without the '90s cheesiness.
1. The Green Goblin's Return
In some ways, Marvel Studios has already laid the groundwork for The Clone Saga. Aunt May's death has seen Peter fully embrace being Spidey, and the mystery of the hero's origin story surely opens the door to some sort of cloning reveal or connection.
Crucially, the MCU's Spider-Man has crossed paths with the Green Goblin. Whether Willem Dafoe's Variant somehow influenced Earth-616's Norman Osborn or the MCU finds another way to bring the Green Goblin back, revealing him as the mastermind behind the Clone Saga would be significant. Anything is possible after Avengers: Secret Wars.
In the comics, we learned that he wanted to destroy Peter in revenge for his son's death and orchestrated the entire Clone Saga to do so. Returning to New York, he engaged both Spider-Men in battle, leading to Ben throwing himself in front of the Goblin's glider to save Peter. He then crumbled to dust, confirming he was the clone all along. That was quite the shocker at the time and would be amazing to see on screen.
Do you think The Clone Saga should be adapted for the MCU? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.