10 Best Comics For Spider-Man Fans Who Loved the Clone Saga

The Clone Saga was a very interesting era for Spider-Man fans. Though it has long since ended, Marvel has published plenty of great comics that serve as sequels and spin-offs to the Clone Saga. Characters like Kaine Parker and Ben Reilly have found fame as Scarlet Spider and beyond, and both emerged during that era.

The concept of the Jackal creating clones of both Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy to manipulate and torture Peter Parker sounds incredible on paper. Unfortunately, the Clone Saga soon spiraled out of control, lasting far longer than it should have, with diverging story arcs spread across half a dozen Spider-Man comic titles. Fans of the Clone Saga should check out more comic arcs that feature clones, conspiracies, and mayhem starring Spider-Man, the X-Men, and more.

10 Madelyne Pryor & Ben Reilly United for Revenge

Dark Web (November 2022) by Zeb Wells, Christopher Cantwell, Gerry Duggan, Adam Kubert, Ed McGuinness, Bryan Hitch & more

Marvel’s Dark Web X-Men and Spider-Man crossover event starred two of the most famous clones in comics: Madelyne Pryor (clone of Jean Grey) and Ben Reilly. Madelyne headlined the Uncanny X-Men‘s “Inferno” event as the Goblin Queen, while Ben was the star of the ’90s Clone Saga. Both returned as villains in Dark Web.

Marvel fans have been split regarding reactions to Ben Reilly’s villainous choices. Fans weren’t too happy with Ben’s path as the Scarlet Spider and Dark Web doubled down on the decisions made in the Amazing Spider-Man “Beyond” era. Regardless, fans of both the Clone Saga and “Inferno” should, on some level, gain some satisfaction from seeing Goblin Queen and Chasm team up and invade New York with an army of demons.

9 A New Spider-Man Clone Saga For Modern Comics

Ultimate Spider-Man‘s “Clone Saga” (February 2007) by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Drew Hennessy & Justin Ponsor

Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man reboot recreated many of Spider-Man’s most famous comic book stories, from the symbiote saga to the birth of the Sinister Six and even the Clone Saga.

Peter Parker was the star of the show, with his clones as supporting cast members. One of Peter’s clones became a version of Jessica Drew in the Ultimate Universe. Fans who loved the ’90s Clone Saga will appreciate the condensed format of the Ultimate Spider-Man‘s own take on the storyline.

8 The Original Uncanny X-Men’s “Clone Saga”

“Inferno” (October 1988) by Louise Simonson, Chris Claremont, Bret Blevins, Marc Silvestri, Walt Simonson & more

While Spider-Man experienced his clone saga in the early-mid 1990s, the X-Men lived through their own clone chaos in the 1980s with one of the most famous Uncanny X-Men comic arcs, “Inferno.” The “Inferno” event is less clone-focused, instead emphasizing Madelyne Pryor’s rise in Hell as Marvel’s new Goblin Queen, working with Mister Sinister.

Like Spider-Man’s Clone Saga, Marvel split “Inferno” into story arcs that spanned all the X-Men comic titles at the time. These arcs showcased the original X-Men teaming up again and Magik’s role in Limbo as the New Mutants tried to help her. Madelyne, a clone of Jean Grey and one of the most prominent clones in Marvel Comics, was the cause of the Inferno event.

7 Ben Reilly & The Jackal Create A New Clone Saga

“Clone Conspiracy” (October 2016) by Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Jim Cheung, R. B. Silva, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Jamal Campbell & Irene Strychalski

Dan Slott’s “Clone Conspiracy” story arc is a successor to the ’90s Clone Saga. Years after Ben Reilly sacrificed himself to save Peter Parker’s life, withering to dust and confirming he was the clone, the original Scarlet Spider returned, this time as a new variant of the Jackal. “Clone Conspiracy” was divisive, like many comics about clones, but it delivered an interesting concept, taking Peter’s “no one dies” promise to dangerous new levels.

As the Jackal, Ben Reilly completely took over Miles Warren’s operation, using the villain’s cloning technology to recreate all past heroes and villains who had died before, resurrecting them. The Jackal resurrected Gwen Stacy, George Stacy, Rhino, and almost Uncle Ben. For all its faults, “Clone Conspiracy” asks provocative questions that stretch the limits of Spider-Man’s responsibilities to his loved ones.

6 Superman’s “Clone Saga” Of The 1990s

“Reign of the Supermen!” (June 1993) by Gerard Jones, Dan Jurgens, Karl Kesel, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson & Roger Stern

Not a Spider-Man comic or even a Marvel comic, “Reign of the Supermen” was one of the best comics of the 1990s and is still regarded as a highlight in Superman’s decades of publication. While fans grew tired of Spider-Man’s clone chaos, unsure if Peter Parker or Ben Reilly was the clone, DC fans enjoyed a much simpler, tighter story across Superman and Action Comics.

After Superman died fighting Doomsday, four people attempted to fill his shoes: the Eradicator, Steel, Superboy and the Cyborg-Superman. “Reign of the Supermen” didn’t ask, “Which of these Supermen is the real one?” Instead, it answered why Clark Kent, the man beneath the cape, is so crucial to the success of Superman, both in comics and to readers in the real world.

5 A More Condensed Spider-Man Clone Saga

Spider-Man: Life Story (March 2019) by Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, John Dell & Frank D’Armata

Spider-Man: Life Story is not inherently a comic about clones, but Ben Reilly and Miles Warren play a large part in the miniseries. Life Story is about a Spider-Man universe without a sliding timeline, meaning Peter Parker and all of Marvel’s characters age in real-time

As men in their mid-40s who shared so many life experiences, Peter Parker and Ben Reilly are truly brothers in every sense in Life Story, making Ben’s death at the hands of Morlun all the more tragic. Life Story captured the heart and emotion missing from much of the ’90s Clone Saga, buried in the chaos of clone armies, bait and switches, and invading symbiotes.

4 Spider-Man Clones Team-Up In Spider-Verse

Scarlet Spiders (November 2014) by Mike Costa, Paco Diaz & Israel Silva

During the original Spider-Verse comic event, Peter Parker and Doctor Octopus led a main team of Spider-People against the Inheritors, who seemingly achieved immortality in their hunt across Marvel’s multiverse. A small black-ops team of Spider-People was tasked with destroying the Inheritors’ cloning facility. Naturally, Kaine’s Scarlet Spider, Ultimate Jessica Drew, and an alternate Ben Reilly — who never stopped being Sensational Spider-Man — volunteered.

Poetically, Spider-Man’s clones from across the Spider-Verse destroyed the villains’ cloning pods and helped save the Spider-People across the multiverse. Scarlet Spiders also gave readers another heroic sacrifice involving Ben Reilly, cementing him as one of the best heroes to wear the Spider-Man mask.

3 Mister Sinister Remakes The Marvel Universe In His Image

Sins of Sinister (January 2023) by Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, Si Spurrier, Lucas Werneck, Paco Medina, Patch Zircher & Alessandro Vitti

While not a Spider-Man comic, Sins of Sinister was an amazing follow-up to Jonathan Hickman’s X-Men run. Built on the foundations established in Hickman’s Krakoa era following the events of House/Powers of X, Sins of Sinister stars Mister Sinister and the X-Men, so, naturally, cloning is involved as well.

Mister Sinister and the Jackal are Marvel’s premiere cloning scientists. In Sins of Sinister, Mister Sinister successfully manipulates Moira’s mutant powers to grant himself infinite possible futures in which he remakes the world in his image, creating a world of Sinisters. Sins of Sinister is every bit as wild as the Clone Saga, but it isstreamlined and condensed into a very well-written, digestible story arc.

2 Kaine Becomes The New Scarlet Spider

Scarlet Spider (January 2012) by Christopher Yost, Ryan Stegman, Michael Babinski & Marte Gracia

Ben Reilly wasn’t the only notable clone born during the Clone Saga. Fans fell in love with Kaine, the “Frankenstein’s monster” of the ’90s Clone Saga who served as the Scarlet Spider’s antagonist for many of his earliest comic appearances.

Years later, Kaine became the new Scarlet Spider, honoring his brother’s mantle. The second volume of Scarlet Spider, starring Kaine, presented an incredible character arc where Kaine learns to be a better, more caring person like Spider-Man. Characters who loved Kaine as a villain in the ’90s Clone Saga will enjoy watching him grow as a hero in Scarlet Spider.

1 The Untold Stories Of The Sensational Spider-Man

Ben Reilly: Spider-Man (January 2022) by J.M. DeMatteis, David Baldeón & Israel Silva

Ben Reilly has returned many times since his death at the end of the ’90s Clone Saga. However, many later appearances saw Ben Reilly as the villain, creating an army of clones as the Jackal, defying death as the anti-hero Scarlet Spider, or losing his sanity and becoming Chasm. Ben Reilly: Spider-Man took readers back to Ben’s brightest days as the Sensational Spider-Man.

The five-issue Ben Reilly: Spider-Man miniseries was an incredible blast from the past. The only thing wrong with the series is its length. Seeing Ben Reilly back as Spider-Man, expanding that time period was incredible and proved how much better Ben Reilly is as a hero rather than an antagonist to Peter.