A clone of one of the Spider-Men is looking to make a life for themselves, but it may come with a steep price. Spider-Man fans have a love/hate relationship with the word “clone,” dating all the way back to the controversial ’90s storyline “Clone Saga.” The event introduced Peter Parker’s clone Ben Reilly, who at one time replaced Peter as Marvel’s prominent Spider-Man, and his “brother” Kaine. Miles Morales even had a “Clone Saga” that resulted in three clones of him being made. As these various clones attempt to strike out on their own, one of them is looking to build a life separate from their predecessor. WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28. Continue reading at your own risk!
Videos by ComicBook.com
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28 comes from the creative team of Cody Ziglar, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Bryan Valenza, and VC’s Cory Petit. It’s Part Two of “Webs of Wakanda” as Miles Morales journeys to the African nation of Wakanda to get Black Panther’s help to rid himself of the vampire curse he received in Blood Hunt. While Miles, Black Panther, and Shuri ask the Panther God Bast for assistance, Miles’ clone Shift is back in Brooklyn pretending to be him at school. Just because you’re a superhero doesn’t mean you don’t have other responsibilities, and Miles can’t afford to let his side job get in the way of his education. Luckily, Shift can shapeshift and fill in for Miles at Brooklyn Visions Academy.
[RELATED: Deadpool vs. Spider-Man Spills Pools of Blood in Marvel Crossover]
Shift has been hanging out with Miles Morales’ best friend Ganke, who can help Shift if he ever gets into a situation where he might be discovered not to be Miles. Getting to hang out at school and be around Miles’ friends is rubbing off on Shift, to the point where Ganke suggests that if Shift is getting this much joy from having a life, maybe he should start living one too. This is what we call a side story that is setting up something larger for down the line.
Miles Morales’ clone is stepping out on his own
Shift is one of three clones of Miles Morales, and is the only survivor. Shift’s siblings were Selim (Miles spelled backward) and Mindspinner, who were all created by the Assessor. Selim turned out to be the rotten apple of the group, with Shift getting Miles’ good qualities. Mindspinner had six arms and six eyes resembling an actual spider. Shift has been a welcomed addition to the Miles Morales: Spider-Man supporting cast, and Miles has even introduced Shift to his parents and baby sister.
But instead of staying hidden away from prying eyes, Shift is getting a feel for what it would be like to have a life. His English may be a bit broken, but he can form coherent sentences and he also has Miles’ Spider-Man abilities. Shift rescues a baby from being hit by a car in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28, and also gets a round of applause from the crowd as encouragement. We can easily see how Shift adopts his own civilian identity, similar to how Ben Reilly took the names of Peter Parker’s uncle and aunt to make a name for himself. The only question is if this is the right thing for Shift to be doing.
Bad things usually happen to Spider-Man clones
Ben Reilly is a perfect example of what can happen when a Spider-Man clone has good intentions that turn out badly. Ben filled in for Peter as Spider-Man during the “Spider-Man Beyond” storyline, which ended with Ben having his memories messed with and turning down a villainous path. He adopted the name Chasm and has been tormenting Spider-Man ever since.
One can picture a scenario where jealousy pops up between Miles and Shift, sending brother against brother. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen since Selim filled the role of evil Spider-Man clone for Miles. Shift’s life could improve tremendously by having one separate from Miles. Right now he’s already a Spider-Man clone success story.
