Spider-Man’s Infamous Clone Saga Is Heading to Live-Action TV, and Peter Parker May Not Even Be Invited

Few comic storylines have started as many arguments among Spider-Man fans as the Clone Saga. A Spider-Man Clone Saga series would have sounded like a fever dream to anyone who lived through the original run, which took over Marvel’s Spider-Man books between 1994 and 1997.

The storyline saw Peter Parker replaced as Spider-Man by his own clone, Ben Reilly, before Marvel reversed course in 1996 and revealed the long-running Peter was the real Spider-Man after all. It sold well at first, but it dragged on for months as more and more clones piled up.

Now, Deadline reports exclusively that Prime Video is closing in on a series order set in Sony Pictures’ Universe of Marvel Characters, based on the second Clone Saga arc focused on Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker. Reps for Amazon MGM Studios and Sony TV declined to comment.

The news lands less than a month after Prime Video canceled ‘Spider-Noir’ following one season. That series arrived in May with all 8 episodes at once and earned 11 Emmy nominations, winning 4.

Nicolas Cage’s hero in that show was also named Ben Reilly. In the comics the Noir character is Peter Parker, and the identity was swapped for TV because of rights carveouts.

Amazon and Sony TV kept developing multiple projects under their pact when ‘Spider-Noir’ was axed, and one was reported to be nearing a series order. The Ankler had revealed that 4 unnamed series were already in contention.

Kelvin Yu, known for ‘American Born Chinese’, is set to write the show. Amy Pascal, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who oversee the universe for Sony TV and executive produced ‘Spider-Noir’, are expected to executive produce alongside Yu.

The project is still untitled. It is expected to get a linear debut on Amazon’s MGM+ in addition to streaming on Prime Video.

According to the reporting, the show would follow Ben and Kaine as they come to terms with their newly discovered identities as clones while also facing other clones. One of those could be Spidercide, an evil clone of Peter Parker.

Deadline also flagged conflicting information. Some sources say the series may alter the origins of Ben and Kaine as clones, and that they could take on new identities. Deadline warns the show may make significant changes to the comics story.

That would fit the rights situation. The comics version could include Peter Parker, and these shows cannot use him for rights reasons. Nerdist, meanwhile, guesses that the show might end up titled ‘Scarlet Spider’, though that is pure speculation for now.

Both characters trace back to a botched obsession. A professor named Miles Warren becomes fixated on Gwen Stacy and blames Spider-Man for her death, which leads to the cloning experiments.

Kaine came out of the first attempt, which went wrong and left him with cellular degeneration. Ben came from the more successful second attempt, and Kaine resents being cast aside for him. In the comics, Kaine is an imperfect clone with hideous scars and a hand that can burn people on contact.

Ben has proven far more durable. He became the Scarlet Spider and has stayed a prominent part of Spider-Man comics for decades, while Kaine is a much deeper cut. Ben even popped up in a small role in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’.

Industry insider Daniel Richtman claims the show is a buddy-cop-style affair in the vein of ‘Lanterns’, with the two leads learning they are clones as the central mystery. That detail comes from his source and is unconfirmed.

Still, a two-hander built around a pair of mismatched clones has real appeal. It offers a way into Spider-Man’s world that leans on the characters rather than the costume, which is exactly what Sony’s Marvel TV slate needs after a short-lived first swing.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.