Although Amazon Prime Video canceled the "Spider-Noir" series after just one season, it now appears that another new series is in development within Sony Pictures' Spider-Man Universe. It has been unclear how Sony and Amazon planned to handle their batch of Marvel characters. "Spider-Noir" was the first work from the series of shows Sony and Amazon developed around the Spider-Man Universe to actually reach audiences. After a chaotic development period, many originally planned series ultimately never made it to screen.
And now, this new Spider-Man series proposal is quite bold. Not only is the concept wild, but it also adapts one of the most controversial and notorious storylines from Marvel Comics over 30 years ago.
Amazon is developing the "Spider-Man: Clone Wars" series
It is reported that Amazon Prime Video is currently "close to officially ordering" a new Spider-Man TV series, which will adapt the famous "Clone Saga" arc from the Spider-Man comics. The series is written by Kelvin Yu, who has worked on "Bob's Burgers" and "American Born Chinese." Other details about the series remain under wraps.
Like "Spider-Noir," it is expected that this series will undergo "significant adjustments" when adapting the comics. What is known so far is that the main characters of the series will be Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker. Both are clones of Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but they ultimately took very different paths, becoming a superhero and an anti-hero respectively.
Interestingly, current leaks about the series even contradict each other. Some reports state that the series will revolve around Ben Reilly and Kaine gradually discovering the truth that they are clones, forcing them to confront their "false identities" while dealing with other out-of-control clones. Another version suggests that the series will completely deviate from the original comics, focusing on the adventures of Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker under new identities.
This news also aligns with a recent report. It is said that Sony and Amazon Prime Video are currently developing at least four Spider-Man-related TV series simultaneously, including one project written by Kelvin Yu. As the concept of this series gradually comes to light, it raises curiosity about what bolder projects Sony and Amazon might still be considering. One thing is certain: both companies are clearly preparing to delve deeply into Spider-Man's vast roster of characters, so it seems no longer surprising what kind of Spider-Man spin-off series might appear in the future.
What is the Spider-Man "Clone Saga"?
The "Clone Saga" was a major storyline in the Spider-Man comics launched between 1994 and 1996, with its roots tracing back to "The Amazing Spider-Man" #149 in 1975. In that story, Peter Parker discovered that the true identity of the mad villain "The Jackal" was his biochemistry teacher, Professor Miles Warren. Obsessed with Gwen Stacy's death, Warren went insane and blamed Peter Parker/Spider-Man for her demise.
Warren mastered cloning technology and successfully cloned Gwen, then kidnapped Spider-Man and created a clone of him. The two Spider-Men fought fiercely but eventually put aside their differences to join forces and save everyone, with the clone seemingly sacrificing himself in the process.
By 1994, Marvel Comics made a major twist to the story, bringing back "The Jackal" and the Spider-Man clone who seemed to have died years ago. The "Clone Saga" further revealed that the Peter Parker who left the Clone War was actually the clone. The real Peter Parker had survived and changed his name to "Ben Reilly," starting a new life for himself.
However, the plot twists didn't end there. A mysterious assassin named "Kaine" subsequently appeared and was revealed to be another clone of Peter Parker, specifically the original prototype clone. Due to flaws in the cloning process, Kaine gained some abnormal abilities but also suffered severe physical degradation and gradually descended into mental instability.
After the "Clone Saga" ended in the 90s, Kaine, also known as Kaine Parker, gradually became a recurring character in the Spider-Man universe. Later, his genetic defects were cured, and he eventually became another perfect clone nearly identical to Peter Parker, while also frequently interacting with Ben Reilly.