Spider-Man: Far from Home is nearly upon us, and it has me wondering what could be in store for the future of the franchise, and I'm not talking about Miles Morales. Time to break out your long boxes, and see if you have these four minor keys with major potential.
The speculation game (not to be confused with the waiting game, the quiet game, the Hunger Games, or Chutes and Ladders) is my all-time favorite pastime, and I have a new one for you: Ben Reilly and the Clone Saga could be on the MCU's green-screened horizon. Here's my logic.
For weeks, I've predicted that Norman Osborn will not only be in the MCU, but he will become the linchpin of Phase Four and beyond, much like Thanos in the first three cinematic phases. You can read up on my Osborn theories in "Norman Osborn: the MCU's Next Thanos?" and "Invest in These Four Keys Today."
To accomplish this, I imagine Marvel Studios going with the modern Norman Osborn who, in the comics, returned from the dead in the 1990's Clone Saga, which introduced Ben Reilly, aka Scarlet Spider. While I picture Osborn bringing the Dark Avengers to movie screens, I also see him playing a substantial role for Spider-Man in particular, and this could be how he terrorizes Peter in a way far different from previous Spider-Man films.
The MCU has established that their wall-crawling hero varies greatly from Sony's iterations. He has Stark-tech suits, a sidekick in Ned Leeds, and even the MCU Aunt May and M.J. are original takes on those respective characters. Clearly, Marvel Studios is aiming to take Peter Parker on a journey that audiences have never seen in live action, and the Clone Saga would fit that agenda. While it may seem like a long shot, there are hints in Spider-Man: Homecoming that Kevin Feige and company have the Clone Saga on their radar.
The best part about collecting the clone/Ben Reilly keys is that none of them are in demand at the moment. The first appearance of the clone is averaging less than $100 for everything from a 9.0 and below, and it's the most expensive in the set. Even if my theory doesn't pan out, you've still got five issues of one of the most polarizing chapters in Spider-history.
The roots of the Clone Saga were planted in 1973. In this story, Spider-Man came face-to-face with his doppelganger, with each believing he was the real Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The clone was created by Miles Warren, who was revealed to be the Jackal. By the end of the issue, the Spider-Men would join forces and defeat the Jackal, though the clone would die.
Speaking of Miles Warren, a subtle connection to him has already been made in the MCU. In Homecoming, Peter's physics teacher is Monica Warren, who is Miles' wife in the comics.
Remember how I said none of these issues were pricey? Here we have a first appearance in a classic ASM issue, and at a 9.6 it's only averaging $321 so far this year.
In 1994, the clone idea was revisited, and Peter Parker's copy from ASM #149 was resurrected. This is the clone's first appearance as Ben Reilly, who we discovered had been living a quiet life up to that point. As far as debuts go, this isn't a budget-breaking issue. In a standard cover, it's averaging just $88, and the collector's edition has a modestly higher fair market value of $135.
Marvel had bigger plans for Ben Reilly, and he was given his own superhero identity, the Scarlet Spider. He dons a solid-red costume with a light-blue hoodie and takes to crime fighting, eventually getting his own series. In Homecoming, Peter's original, low-budget suit is very similar to the Scarlet Spider's costume; where Ben's suit is red with a blue hoodie, Peter's is mostly light blue with a red hoodie. Is it a simple nod to the Scarlet Spider or is there a plan to bring Ben Reilly into the MCU?
A year after his semi-debut, Ben took over as Spider-Man beginning with Sensational Spider-Man #0, serving as the title character in 1996. The story was that Norman Osborn, in his never-ending obsession with torturing Spider-Man, manipulated Peter into believing that Ben had been the original Spider-Man all along. This prompted Peter to step away from the red and blue spandex and give the job to Ben. The change would only last for a year, and the Green Goblin killed Ben in Spider-Man #75.
