Cloning characters is a common theme in Spider-Man comics, and, in this tradition, Peter has had his fair share of genetic copies. Many of these doppelgangers were made by the supervillain known as the Jackal. He is a mad scientist who seeks to create a clone capable of killing the wall-crawling hero. The cloning in Spider-Man comics took off in the 1990s with the “Clone Saga,” an infamous and convoluted storyline. Part of the reason for its infamy is that the story suggested that Peter himself may be a clone, an idea that has been discredited. Although the story isn’t that well-regarded, Marvel has since made many Spider-Clones, both heroes and villains, that have become fan-favorites and integral parts of Peter’s life and Spider-Man storyline.
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In the most recent issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, two new versions of Spider-Man and Peter Parker are introduced, with both claiming that the other is an imposter. The story is still ongoing and it’s unclear as to whether there are one or two clones. Stories like this have produced numerous duplicates of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man over the years.
11) Spider-Clone Army
The appropriately named storyline “Maximum Cloneage” features dozens of Spider-Man clones. The Jackal created this army to battle the heroic Spider-Man clone, Ben Reilly, aka Scarlet Spider. None of these clones could speak or exhibited any personality beyond acting as mindless soldiers for their creator. Ben teamed up with Kaine, a fellow webslinging hero, to fight them. However, this alliance proved to be unnecessary as the clones were unstable and almost immediately melted into a puddle of mush. They were not the Jackal’s finest work.
10) Web-Man
Web-Man is Marvel’s equivalent of DC Comics’ dumb clone supervillain, Bizarro. Web-Man doesn’t exist within the main Earth-616 continuity but was instead introduced in the child-friendly Spidey Super Stories, otherwise known as Earth-57780. Doctor Doom created the color-inverted version of Peter by using a Twin Machine to manifest an evil doppelganger of the wall-crawler. However, in contrast to Peter’s brilliance, Web-Man is a complete idiot. Peter used this to his advantage and quickly outsmarted and defeated Web-Man by destroying Doom’s Twin Machine, which caused the dark mirror doppelganger to vanish into nothingness.
9) Guardian
Another of the Jackal’s failed experiments, the Guardian is a hulking behemoth whose every moment is a waking nightmare. The Guardian suffers from cellular degradation, meaning that his cells are slowly falling apart. But at the same time, he has a healing factor where his body heals itself as quickly as it dissolves. His waring cellular degradation and healing factor creates a never-ending cycle that leaves the Guardian in constant pain. The Jackal released this monstrous clone out of stasis to destroy Peter Parker and Ben Reilly when they infiltrated the villain’s base. However, after initially overpowering the duo with his superior strength, the Guardian’s healing factor became overtaxed from the fight. And when his healing factor became exhausted, the Guardian’s body to broke down and he died. For this clone, death was a mercy.
8) Jack
The Guardian’s best friend, Jack, was one of the Jackal’s very first clones of Spider-Man. However, Jack also suffered from a less-severe case of cellular degradation, making him short, bald, and frail. The Jackal used the clone as his lab assistant and routinely abused and mocked him. The villain had his servant taunt Peter and Ben and make them question which of the two was the clone, and which was the original. Eventually, Jack became sick of the abuse and betrayed the Jackal by helping Peter and Ben. Jack gave Ben what he thought was proof that Peter was actually the clone. Jack then suddenly succumbed to his cellular degradation and melted into a puddle, unaware that he had given Ben false information.
7) Spidercide
Spidercide was the third clone created by the Jackal in the “Clone Saga” to kill Peter and his clones Ben and Kaine. Spidercide like the previous Jackal clones was made to believe himself to be the real Peter Parker. But after everything that happened with fellow clones Ben and Kaine, no one else shared this delusion. Jackal designed Spidercide to be a hulking behemoth who far more violent than his predecessors. He possesses all the powers of Spider-Man, but his body is also malleable, allowing him to use his body to stretch and create sharp weapons. Spidercide can also mutate between a solid and a liquid state at will. Spidercide has since become a frequent enemy of Ben and other Spider-People.
6) Isotope Accelerator Spider-Man
Have you ever wondered what Spider-Man would be like if he didn’t have his Peter Parker alter-ego? Well, the answer is that he’d be a brash and egotistical jerk. During a lab accident involving a Neogenic Recombiner device, the wall-crawler was split into two separate entities: the superpowered Spider-Man and the powerless Peter Parker. Spider-Man fought crime, while Peter finally had the opportunity to relax. Unfortunately, it turned out that Spider-Man lacked the sense of responsibility of the original. He caused millions in property damage during his escapades and put many people in danger. Eventually, the powerless Peter managed to use the Neogenic Recombiner to reunite them. This Spider-Man clone showed why Peter needs his civilian persona to keep himself grounded and humble.
5) Doppelganger
One of the most visually striking clones of Spider-Man, Doppelganger is a twisted abomination that is more beast than man. During the “Infinity War” storyline, the supervillain Magus used the Infinity Gauntlet to create an army of nightmarish versions of Marvel superheroes. Doppelganger was one of those nightmares. This mindless and animalistic creature died along with the other clones at the end of “Infinity War,” but the villain Demogoblin resurrected him to be his minion. Doppelganger later became a loyal henchman and pet to Carnage and joined him in his city-wide killing spree during the “Maximum Carnage” storyline. Since then, Doppelganger has appeared sporadically but is still one of the most twisted versions of Spider-Man to have ever been created.
4) Superior Octopus
When the villain Doctor Octopus was dying, he swapped bodies with Peter and became the Superior Spider-Man. Doc Ock was a far more vicious protector than Peter and had no qualms about using excessive and even lethal force on criminals. However, it turned out that the mind swap wasn’t as successful as Doc Ock intended. Peter’s consciousness still resided within his body and fought for control. Eventually, with a change of heart due to his time as a hero, Doc Ock willingly returned to Peter his body and let himself die. Of course, this wasn’t the end for the mad scientist. He transferred his mind into a clone body of Peter and became the villain Superior Octopus. For a brief period, Doc Ock returned to heroics to save Aunt May from Norman Osborn. He also allied himself with the Spider-People from across the Multiverse to battle the vampiric villains known as the Inheritors. However, as of now, Doctor Octopus’s original body has been restored, the clone body has been abandoned, and he is back to being a villain once again.
3) Ultimate Spider-Clones
The Ultimate Universe had its own version of the “Clone Saga,” with Doctor Octopus producing numerous clones of Peter Parker with various degrees of success. Some of these clones followed in their originals’ footsteps and became heroes. The heroic clones included a gender-swapped version named Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, and the six-armed hero referred to as Tarantula. However, there were other clones that Doctor Octopus created, who became villains, such as the giant tail-wielding Scorpion and the severely deformed and mentally unstable Kaine. Doctor Octopus isn’t the only person in the Ultimate Universe who made a Spider-Man clone. The scientist Kurt Conners accidentally created a volatile organism by combining his DNA with that of Peter’s and the Venom symbiote. This creature dubbed “Carnage” went on a rampage and killed Gwen Stacy. The Ultimate Universe is often applauded for creating a superior version of the infamous “Clone Saga,” because its narrative was more focused than its predecessor.
2) Kaine
The very first Spider-Man clone created by the Jackal, Kaine, first appeared as a mysterious villain that tormented Ben Reilly from the shadows. As with many of the Jackal’s clones, Kaine experienced cellular degradation, causing him to suffer from severe facial scarring and mental instability. This condition also had unexpected benefits. Kaine possesses enhanced strength, endurance, and an acidic touch. His Spider-Sense also is so potent that he can catch brief glimpses into the future. However, despite these upgrades, Jackal considered Kaine to be a failure due to his deformities and disavowed his creation in favor of Ben Reilly, who Jackal revered as the superior clone. Kaine became envious of Ben Reilly and tried for several years to murder him. He ultimately was thwarted by Peter. However, eventually, Kaine recognized the Jackal as the source of his problems and teamed up with Ben to stop the villain for good. Kaine then began his long road to redemption and became a close ally of Ben and Peter. Kaine is the current holder of the Scarlet Spider mantle. Although he is a violent anti-hero, Kaine still tries to be a better person.
1) Scarlet Spider
The most famous and successful clone of Spider-Man is Ben Reilly, aka Scarlet Spider. The character was introduced in the “Clone Saga” arc. Ben believed himself to be the original Peter Parker because he shared all Peter’s memories. Initially, he and Peter came into conflict over which one of them was the original and who was the clone. However, the two put aside their differences when they realized that they shared the same sense of justice. They worked together to fight villains like the Jackal, with Ben taking on the superhero name “Scarlet Spider.” Eventually, Ben discovered that he was indeed the clone, but nonetheless, he decided to continue his heroic endeavors. Over the years, Ben has been one of Peter’s closest allies and has even donned the Spider-Man mantle when Peter has become incapacitated or was out of town. Ben has also died and been resurrected over thirty times – a tradition in comic books. Part of what makes Ben such a fascinating superhero is the complex themes of identity that are explored as Ben comes to terms with his existence as a clone and tries to become his own person. Sadly, however, this character progression, as of now, has stalled. Ben has turned into the villain Chasm after his numerous resurrections left his mind fractured and violently unstable. Hopefully, someday soon Ben’s mind can be restored and he can return to being the hoodie-wearing wall-crawler we all know and love.
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