Miles Morales will suffer through his own version of the “classic” Spider-Man story The Clone Saga this spring, and it promises to be even more gruesome than the original. Writer Saladin Ahmed has already begun planting the seeds for this new arc, and said that the story will not be a continuation or rehash of the ’90s storyline where Peter Parker faced off against multiple cloned versions of himself.
The Clone Saga is one of the most notorious stories in Spider-Man’s long history, and is not exactly looked back on favorably by most fans. It all started in one short tale from The Amazing Spider-Man #149 in 1975, when Peter faced off against a Spider-Man clone created by the Jackal. That story was wrapped up in a single issue before being revisited in 1994, when Spidey’s clone Ben Reilly returned claiming that he was the original. This set off a storyline that stretched for nearly three years and involved Peter finding out he’d been a clone the whole time, Ben taking over as Spider-Man, cyborgs, spinoffs, Norman Osborn, and more clones than you can shake a stick at. It was a convoluted mess that launched with no real plan and represented everything that’s confusing about comics continuity.
Marvel has dropped a trailer for the new Clone Saga event, which will kick off in April with Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25. Not much has been revealed about who is behind the gang of clones ravaging the city, only that they will present a serious threat to Miles both in and out of costume. The trailer shows a number of different Miles clones with different deformities, including enlarged limbs and spider legs. Ahmed has also cryptically said that one of the clones “likes knives.”
Like the original Clone Saga, it will pick up on elements from previous stories, specifically Miles’ abduction by the Assessor in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8, as well as his face-off against a clone of his own in issue #18. Unlike the ’90s Clone Saga, however, this story is not just picking random and disparate stories from the past and connecting them with clones. Ahmed said he has been planning this for some time, including elements that he’s known about since he first started writing the character. “Other pieces have sort of presented themselves along the way. But I think confronting another version of one’s self is one of the most compelling motifs in super hero comics.”
Miles will have help from a friend who has some experience dealing with clones, as Peter Parker will naturally be making an appearance in the new Clone Saga. When Miles and Peter first met each other way back in 2012’s Spider-Men, the older Spider-Man tried to warn his younger counterpart about the dangers that came with this territory. “Don’t let anyone clone you. Seriously,” Peter said. Readers will see how Peter Parker will respond to Miles not following his advice when the new Clone Saga kicks off in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #25, written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Carmen Carnero, which goes on sale April 28.
