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The short answer
Behind the promise of resurrection stands Ben Reilly, turned into a messianic Jackal after hundreds of deaths and rebirths. His copies of Gwen Stacy or Doctor Octopus stay unstable and remotely controlled. Kaine and Superior Spider-Man help Peter see the trap; we break the plot down below.
Contents
The Clone Conspiracy: when Spider-Man's dead come back to haunt the present
What if the ghosts of the past were not just memories? In the arc Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy, Marvel plunges Peter Parker into a dizzying spiral where science, loss and ethical dilemma collide head-on. This story marks the return of characters everyone thought were gone… but at what cost?
It all starts with New U Technologies, a bio-engineering company that promises to revolutionise medicine by bringing the dead back to life through cloning. When one of Parker's colleagues is 'resurrected', Spider-Man smells danger. Because behind these miracles hides a face from the past: Ben Reilly, the very first clone of Peter Parker, now wearing the mask of the new Jackal.
Warped by pain and by the experiments he endured, Ben is convinced he is doing good. He offers Peter the chance to bring back every loved one he has lost: Jean DeWolff, Gwen Stacy, the Doctor Octopus and many other iconic figures come back… but are they really themselves?
That moral dilemma hits Peter right in the heart. Can he trust copies, however perfect? Can he deny a second chance to the people he loved so much? And above all: what happens if these clones turn unstable?
The tension rises as reality cracks open. This first act of the arc raises a devastating question about grief, humanity… and the unforeseen consequences of scientific progress.
🔬 To dig deeper into the ethics of cloning
read our article on the Clone Saga, the story that laid the foundations for this one
🧟♂️ For those who love seeing iconic characters return
our collection of Spider-Man figures features Gwen, Octopus and even the Jackal, our web-slinger blankets or our posters.
🎬 And to see how death is handled on screen
explore the page devoted to every Spider-Man film
Ben Reilly, the fallen clone: between ideal and nightmare
The key to the plot lies in the tragic arc of Ben Reilly. Brought back himself by the original Jackal's cloning experiments, Ben goes through hundreds of deaths and resurrections, slowly destroying his mind. That suffering is what gives birth to his dark new identity: a Jackal rebuilt for a new era, messianic, but deeply unstable.
His vision? To give every individual a second life, free from suffering. He offers a utopia that looks benevolent, one where nobody would ever die again. But that utopia hides a terrifying truth: every clone is wired into a control technology, and can be wiped out in an instant.
Peter Parker, torn between compassion for his 'brother' and the duty to protect humanity, quickly senses the danger. The chaotic past of the clones resurfaces, and the spectre of his earlier mistakes hangs over every decision.
But Ben is not the only danger. Among the clones back from the dead, some nurse grudges, others are not what they seem. Beloved figures such as Gwen Stacy or Captain Stacyconfront Peter with his own guilt and with heartbreaking moral choices.
The story then tips into a paranoid, almost horror-tinged atmosphere, where the line between reality and mental manipulation blurs. Who is real? Who is not? And what is left of the human soul once death becomes optional?
To explore Peter's moral dilemmas, dive into our article on Sins Rising, another story where the hero's psychology is
Dead No More: the temptation of a resurrected past
In this central phase of the arc The Clone Conspiracy, everything tips over. Peter Parker, rational as he is, faces a deeply emotional dilemma: what do you do when the people you have lost stand in front of you again? Because it is no longer only Doctor Octopus or Ben Reilly who come back… it is also Gwen Stacy.
Through the technology developed by New U, the Jackal promises a world where nobody truly dies. The idea sounds noble… but it masks a terrifying reality. Every clone is unstable, every return is a flawed copy threatened with violent degeneration. This cloned utopia quickly becomes a biotech nightmare.
Peter, already haunted by loss, wavers. Can he believe in this miracle? Can he accept that Gwen is really back? Or is it only a decoy, an emotional weapon built to break him?
The dangers are not only internal. The unstable clone virus threatens to spread. The world is on the brink of collapse, and only the intervention of allies such as Kaine or Superior Spider-Man finally opens Peter's eyes. This is no miracle. It is a trap.
Visually, the tension rises too. Jim Cheung's artwork and his dynamic panel layouts underline the confusion, the urgency, the fear. And for fans of the dark, tormented look of this arc, our Spider-Man T-shirt collection features designs inspired by Kaine, Octopus and the clones in crisis.
By this point, Clone Conspiracy stops being a simple science-fiction story. It becomes a meditation on grief, on unfinished grief, and on the dangerous temptation to repair the irreparable. Peter understands that to protect the future, he has to refuse the illusions of the past.
Consequences and legacy: the price of truth
The ending of 'The Clone Conspiracy' is as brutal as it is necessary. Peter Parker realises that the man behind the mask of the Jackal is none other than Ben Reilly, once his clone and his ally, now eaten away by pain, genetic manipulation and a twisted quest for resurrection.
Faced with that truth, Spider-Man does what he does best: he chooses responsibility. He refuses the illusion of a world without death, without end, without suffering. He destroys the New U laboratories, ends the epidemic of degenerating clones and confronts Ben, not with hatred, but with compassion.
The world may not remember the story of the clones. But for Peter, every lost face, every false hope, every tear carries weight. Gwen, Ben, Jean DeWolff, Uncle Ben… they are still there, in his memory. Not as mistakes to be corrected, but as lessons woven into the web of his life.
In conclusion, Clone Conspiracy belongs to the line of Spider-Man's major story arcs, alongside Last Remains.
To take the experience further, dive into our pillar page devoted to Spider-Man's major story arcs or browse our products inspired by this saga in the Spider-Man merchandise collection, from clone figures, exclusive artwork and Ben Reilly costumes.
Because if Spider-Man cannot bring the dead back, he keeps their memory alive with every swing into the void.
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Unmasking the Jackal Peter realises that Ben Reilly is hiding behind the mask.
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Destroying New U He destroys the laboratories and ends the clone epidemic.
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Confronting Ben He fights him with compassion, not with hatred.
