Would the Clone Saga have worked if Marvel treated it as a legacy?

[Kevinroc]

The 1990s Spider-Man Clone Saga is infamous among Spider-fans for many reasons. One of those reasons were to have an unmarried Spider-Man. Marvel attempted to create interest in Ben Reilly by claiming he was the original Peter Parker. And, as the story goes, that is what caused one of the biggest problems with the arc. But what if Marvel had treated The Clone Saga as a passing the torch story? And Ben was the inheritor of the Spider-Man legacy? (We have to recall that at the time, DC had successfully pushed Wally West as The Flash and Kyle Rayner was clearly making waves as Green Lantern.)

[Frontier]

I think we still would have had Peter come back.

He's too big of a character, and too intrinsic to Spider-Man, to not be in that role.

But there may not have been as much fan vitriol directed towards Ben as there was in that story.

[Kevinroc]

I think we still would have had Peter come back.

He's too big of a character, and too intrinsic to Spider-Man, to not be in that role.

But there may not have been as much fan vitriol directed towards Ben as there was in that story.

Eventually Barry Allen and Hal Jordan came back. Eventually Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson stopped being Captain America.

Sometimes it isn't about whether the original comes back or not.

[Frontier]

Eventually Barry Allen and Hal Jordan came back. Eventually Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson stopped being Captain America.

Sometimes it isn't about whether the original comes back or not.

Like I said, there probably would not have been as much going against Ben if he wasn't being portrayed as the "real" Peter Parker while he was actually replacing Peter.

But I also think Peter would probably have come back as soon as he did. Maybe Ben still would've been killed off, maybe not, but I don't think the ending of the Clone Saga would have been that different (although maybe they would not have had to have brought Norman back).

[Pav]

My one wish - if I could go back and change things - would be for the writers to have never decided that Ben was the real Peter. It's probably not realistic that the writers (and many readers) would be okay with Spidey being a clone indefinitely, but knowing what we know now, I think Ben would've stood a better chance of not being killed off.

Bob Harras wanted him dead and disintegrated to prove that Peter was authentic, after all.

-Pav, who knows hindsight is 20/20...

[Havok83]

The 1990s Spider-Man Clone Saga is infamous among Spider-fans for many reasons. One of those reasons were to have an unmarried Spider-Man. Marvel attempted to create interest in Ben Reilly by claiming he was the original Peter Parker. And, as the story goes, that is what caused one of the biggest problems with the arc. But what if Marvel had treated The Clone Saga as a passing the torch story? And Ben was the inheritor of the Spider-Man legacy? (We have to recall that at the time, DC had successfully pushed Wally West as The Flash and Kyle Rayner was clearly making waves as Green Lantern.)

Peter Parker was in many ways the face of Marvel in a way that the Green Lanterns and Flash never were for DC

[Huntsman Spider]

Peter Parker was in many ways the face of Marvel in a way that the Green Lanterns and Flash never were for DC

Yeah, that would be Superman and/or Batman for DC. Spider-Man for Marvel is right up there with those two.

[Kevinroc]

Peter Parker was in many ways the face of Marvel in a way that the Green Lanterns and Flash never were for DC

Should I have compared it to Batman: Knightfall?

[Frontier]

Should I have compared it to Batman: Knightfall?

Well, in that story the replacement was always intended to be seen as "bad" so that the original could ultimately defeat and overcome once they came back.

Probably not the best example for Ben Reilly .

[Kevinroc]

Well, in that story the replacement was always intended to be seen as "bad" so that the original could ultimately defeat and overcome once they came back.

Probably not the best example for Ben Reilly .

Dick Grayson was also Batman for a while in the 1990s.

[Mister Mets]

It could've worked as a way to launch a new title/ character, but not as a way to replace Peter Parker.

[Tuck]

DC had successfully pushed Wally West as The Flash and Kyle Rayner was clearly making waves as Green Lantern.)

Barry and Hal weren't the originals either.

[boots]

It could've worked as a way to launch a new title/ character, but not as a way to replace Peter Parker.

yeah, that was the trend in those days with usagent, war machine and thunderstrike. weirdly, it might have made ben less popular or enduring with fans than his actual demise.

[Kevinroc]

Barry and Hal weren't the originals either.

Did someone not tell DC that? Because they certainly don't act like they aren't these days.

[boots]

My one wish - if I could go back and change things - would be for the writers to have never decided that Ben was the real Peter. It's probably not realistic that the writers (and many readers) would be okay with Spidey being a clone indefinitely, but knowing what we know now, I think Ben would've stood a better chance of not being killed off.

Bob Harras wanted him dead and disintegrated to prove that Peter was authentic, after all.

-Pav, who knows hindsight is 20/20...

i do wonder what different writers thought at the time. the spider-man team was 100% on board (budiansky who was on the fence eventually wanting to spin off an entire lost years franchise, which suggests commitment. then he flip flopped again a month into the new status quo).

dan jurgens was reportedly not a fan of ben's despite writing the character's first issue as spider-man proper and handling him better than most.

busiek was apparently not bothered either way, and was ok with his untold tales of spider-man retroactively becoming ben's untold tales (though fans could see them as being both ben and peter's shared past)