During The Clone Conspiracy, we learned that Ben Reilly cloned his creator Miles Warren/the Jackal as a way of punishing him for every evil deed he’s committed over the years. After all, how better to make him suffer than leaving the villain to doubt whether or not he’s actually real? Well, in today’s The Amazing Spider-Man #24, the unleashed Carrion virus left the real Miles still standing and he then set out to get revenge on Ben.
This led to a confrontation between the two which saw the Jackal destroy all of Ben’s cash and passports, effectively stopping him from being able to go and start a new life. After a brutal confrontation between the two, the former Scarlet Spider (who will soon return to that role in a new series) decided to murder his creator, setting him on a path very different to Peter Parker.
As you can see below, he also renounces Spider-Man’s memories, something which essentially makes him a whole new character moving into his solo ongoing. It’s also worth noting that Ben has been left scarred from the events of The Clone Conspiracy, a sign perhaps that Doctor Octopus did indeed escape in the perfect clone created by the Scarlet Spider after he took over the mantle of the Jackal and attempted to “save” the world.
Ben has been left in a very strange place moving forward, as he’s now hovering between hero and villain status similar to the last Scarlet Spider, Kaine, and we’re excited to see how things play out from here.
The Amazing Spider-Man #24 is now on sale and the fallout from all this will be picked up on in Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider.
