Kaine is easily one of the most interesting characters to come out of the “Clone Saga” of the ‘90s. He pops up in the earliest Ben Reilly stories first as a shadowy background figure and later as an outright antagonist.
One of the first things we learn about the character is that he’s plagued with visions of Mary Jane being murdered. We don’t yet know what his connection is to Peter and Ben, but it’s established that he knows who both of them are. It’s also quickly established that he’s an extremely deadly and efficient killer as we see him dispatching mobsters, muggers, and the like with ease.
While Kaine is off establishing his bona fides as a dangerous adversary, Ben is doing his best to be a superhero as the Scarlet Spider. He has a brief but well executed battle with Tombstone in Web of Spider-Man #120, and he follows that up with a vicious encounter with the Grim Hunter (Vladimir Kravinoff, the son of Kraven) in Spider-Man #54. There’s also the beginnings of a relationship between Ben and Betty Brant during these early Scarlet Spider solo issues (as well as some minor confrontations between the Scarlet Spider and J. Jonah Jameson). Ultimately all of this serves as an appetizer to Ben squaring off with Kaine in Web of Spider-Man #121.
Ben and Kaine finally go head to head in Web of Spider-Man #121, and Ben instantly recognizes him. Clearly these two have a history. Kaine gets the upper hand and seems prepared to deliver the coup de grace when he’s interrupted by the Grim Hunter. The fight between the two villains picks up in Spider-Man #55. The entire issue is just one long knockdown drag out fight that ends with Kaine killing Kraven’s progeny. The reason for this seems pretty simple: the easiest way to elevate the status of a new villain is by having them defeat an existing villain.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker was busy dealing with Doctor Octopus and news that Mary Jane is pregnant in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man. Doctor Octopus is ultimately arrested as is tradition. While en route to jail the transport vehicle is attacked by everyone’s new favorite villain: Kaine. Remember when I said the easiest way to gas up a new villain is to have them kill an established one? Well few Spider-Man villains are more established than Doctor Octopus. To really drive the point home, the “fight” barely lasts three pages as Kaine avoids Otto’s tentacles then calmly snaps his neck with one hand. In the span of a few issues Kaine has suddenly gone from total unknown to the top of the supervillain food chain (Side note: there is a really fun story in Spider-Man Unlimited #9 from Tom Lyle and Ron Lim where Hobgoblin, Mysterio, Vulture, Electro, Shocker, Beetle, and Scorpia team up to try and take out Kaine before he comes for them next).
Following the death of Doc Ock, the Spider-Man line of books really shifts into what is remembered as the “Clone Saga.” Up until now Ben and Peter have been leads in two titles each, but from this point forward all of the books in the line will feature both characters (and Kaine) dealing with clone related shenanigans. First, Ben meets a character calling himself Jack who is wearing the Jackal’s old costume and a disfigured clone of Peter Parker referred to as the Guardian (who looks very similar to Kaine). Ben is promptly defeated by the Guardian, but Peter arrived to assist his brother. Together they confront Jack and the Guardian (while Kaine watches from a distance). At this point we learn that the disfigurement of the Guardian is a result of a defect in the cloning process. All clones eventually deteriorate and die prematurely (and painfully). The Guardian has reached the end of his life and is dying from this deterioration. Jack takes off his mask to reveal that he too is a clone of Peter Parker and beginning to deteriorate as well.
It’s at this point that the architect of all of this is revealed: Miles Warren, the Jackal. That’s right, folks! He’s back! This time he has altered his genetic code so that he looks like a jackal (as in he looks like a green goblin-like creature because Miles Warren has apparently never seen a jackal before).
As much as I despised the original version of the Jackal, this one is markedly improved. This new Jackal has the speed, strength, and agility to fight both Peter and Ben at the same time. He also wears a full length leather jacket which is much better than his last outfit. Also, the bowl cut and mustache are gone from his teaching days. He also has plenty of pithy quotes and sarcastic comments. Unfortunately, he also still has a thing for Gwen Stacey and drops a double major reveal on our protagonists: Gwen Stacey is alive (obviously a lie) and both Peter and Ben are clones (possibly a lie but less obvious). All of this is just Miles being a jerk for his own amusement. Gwen is quickly revealed to be a clone and deteriorates almost immediately, and Ben and Peter flee Jackal’s lab with the help of Jack.
Things start getting increasingly messy at this point, but here are the main details that are important to know going forward: Kaine and Jackal know each other. They both know a strange cloaked figure with chalky white skin named Scrier. Ben and Peter are both confused as to which one is the real Peter Parker and which one is a clone (or both). There’s a third person who escapes from Jackal’s lab who is either another clone of Peter Parker or the real Peter Parker. Got all of that?
Right in the middle of this is the “Planet of the Symbiotes” storyline that doesn’t really affect the main story, so I won’t cover it here. It’s a pretty fun Venom story though. We also get the death of Aunt May in Amazing Spider-Man #400. I’ll discuss this issue separately from the rest of the “Clone Saga” later because it’s one of the best single issues of a Spider-Man comic ever made, and it deserves its own spotlight. Suffice to say this is a major moment in the lives of both Peter Parker and Ben Reilly.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker is arrested and charged with murder for multiple victims found in Utah. All of these murders were actually committed by Kaine, but fingerprint evidence links the murders to Peter. Kaine’s identity has yet to be revealed at this point, but it should be pretty obvious what’s going on here. Kaine also kidnaps Mary Jane to protect her from the death that plagues his visions. This does not sit well with any of our trio of Spider-Men. All three end up teaming up to go find Mary Jane. Ben is in his Scarlet Spider suit, the newest Peter Parker is in the classic Spider-Man suit, and our primary Peter Parker (alliteration for the win!) is wearing a cobbled together costume with parts of the old black costume.
Our most recent Peter wearing the classic Spider-Man suit is revealed to be a clone with an unstable genetic structure (and mind). He begins to morph and mutate and attacks both Kaine and Ben while the real Peter (maybe?) rescues Mary Jane. The unstable clone dies (maybe?), and Kaine escapes. Peter is still being accused of murder while this is all happening, and several issues are devoted to his trial. This storyline concludes when Kaine finally reveals who he is and confessed to the murders. It turns out Kaine is the first clone of Peter Parker! Even more shocking than that, Ben isn’t a clone at all. He’s the real Peter Parker. The one we’ve been reading since the 1970s has been the clone the entire time.
It turns out that Kaine’s hatred of Ben Reilly is a combination of jealousy for him being the original Peter Parker and a perverse sense of loyalty to the clone and a need to protect his happiness at all costs. Kaine is a perversion of the things that make Peter (and Ben) great. He is filled with self loathing, but he takes that loathing and turns it outwards towards others instead of trying to better himself or adopt a true sense of responsibility. Even his idea of responsibility is tied to bringing misery and pain to others.
Shortly after his identity is revealed, Kaine is presented front and center in a limited series from J.M. DeMatteis and John Romita, Jr. called Spider-Man: The Lost Years. It focuses on what Ben Reilly (and Kaine) had been up to before they both returned to New York and became entangled in Peter Parker’s life.
We follow Ben as he travels the country by motorcycle and helps those in need that he finds along the way. Meanwhile, Kaine is stalking Ben on his journey intent on ensuring he never realizes that he is the original Parker and stays as miserable as himself. During this time, Ben falls for a red headed waitress named Janine Godbe (clearly he and Peter have a type) while Kaine becomes involved with a corrupt detective working for the mob named Louise Kennedy (unbeknownst to Kaine).
Ben begins moonlighting as a masked vigilante while Kaine begins to deteriorate physically, leaving him with the scars we see now. The series serves to show these two men follow wildly different paths as they are presented with obstacles. Ben begins carving his own path to heroism while Kaine becomes more and more consumed with rage and violence. When Kaine learns that Louise is corrupt he loses any last vestige of hope and compassion. Conversely, Ben learns that Janine is going by a pseudonym. Her real name is Elizabeth Tyne. She’s been on the run ever since she killed her abusive father as a teenager. While Ben has found something to live for in his relationship to Janine (I’ll be calling her Janine going forward as that’s what she calls herself), Kaine has only found more pain and disgust with himself from the revelations with Louise. He ultimately murders her while she is threatening Ben and Janine and leaves his first ever “Mark of Kaine” on her face. This becomes his calling card going forward. It’s a byproduct of his supercharged wall crawling ability that Peter has. It’s so strong that it burns a handprint on the faces of his victims and disfigures them.
This is the unofficial conclusion to the first full arc of the “Clone Saga” for me. Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker are now fully fleshed out characters with clear motivations and character traits. They are both tragic figures responding to their lots in life in radically different ways. Everything these two characters do for the remainder of the ‘90s and their relationship to each other is forged here.
Now there is just that one little detail to deal with: who is the real Peter Parker?