WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: No Way Home, now playing in theaters.
One of the most intriguing Spider-Man arcs has been Marvel’s Clone Saga, with the controversial event in the ’90s dividing fans big time. There, the Jackal produced clones such as Ben Reilly and Kaine in a harrowing tale that left Peter Parker wondering if he was the real deal or a clone himself. It’s influenced modern stories, appearing in various cartoons, but due to the complex nature of the story and huge cast, many felt this would be too complicated for the big screen. However, given what happened with Andrew Garfield’s Peter in Spider-Man: No Way Home, there is potential for a remixed Clone Saga in his reality.
Garfield has indicated he’d be up to return as Peter in the universe Marc Webb created, especially as he found the light again after Gwen Stacy’s death. “[…] Peter and Spider-Man, those characters are all about service, to the greater good and the many,” he told Variety. “He’s a working-class boy from Queens that knows struggle and loss and is deeply empathetic. I would try to borrow Peter Parker’s ethical framework in that, if there was an opportunity to step back in and tell more of that story, I would have to feel very sure and certain in myself.”
Now, at the heart of his story is rediscovering his identity after he went berserk and pummelled villains in New York. Seeing as he’s more self-aware and a good Spidey again, it’d be interesting if he went back home to find another Spidey usurped him with this doppelgänger being Chameleon. Webb indicated in the past he would have liked to use Kraven the Hunter in future movies, and seeing as Chameleon is Kraven’s half-brother in the comics, there’s room for Sony to tweak and use the Master of Disguise instead if the studio wants to push forward in this universe.
This fake Spidey running riot could work twofold in that he could corrupt the Big Apple into accepting a more brutal, violent style of vigilantism, allowing Peter to try to save the soul of the city by showing them aggression isn’t the way. More so, he would test Peter, who may be betrayed over seeing how NYC loves this evil Spidey. It’d provide an identity crisis similar to what Netflix did with Daredevil when Bullseye masqueraded as him.
This is also something DC did with Red Hood and other fakes imitating Batman, leaving the heroes questioning their methods and the people they’re trying to save. Furthermore, it would allow Peter to shine as bright as ever, not giving into what the public wants, but what they need: salvation and a moral compass.
Imitating Spider-Man would also provide the Chameleon room to move about, committing crimes in secret as no one would suspect Spider-Man of such acts. He’d have a free pass, and honestly, who better to imitate than the webhead? Chameleon has done this in cartoons already, and has worked with the Osborns, so it’s easy to see Webb’s Chameleon do just this, using the Osborn empire to outfit himself with tools to be the wall-crawler.
It’d be the ultimate theft, kidnapping Peter’s identity, and rather than cloning and scientific plots, it would ground things into one streamlined saga that would certainly have J. Jonah Jameson and the Daily Bugle keeping a watchful eye on Spidey’s evolution. Simply put, as someone who just got his essence back, Peter would be up against the wall trying to keep his symbol pure and as uncorrupted as possible.
To see how a Clone Saga could be set up for Sony, Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters.
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