10 Comics Changed Due To Fan Backlash

8. The Saga Of... The Clone Saga

Clone Saga
Marvel Comics

Just the mere mention of the words "The Clone Saga" will send shivers up the spine of comic book readers of a certain vintage.

From 1994 to 1996, The Clone Saga caused headache after headache as Marvel Comics tried to breathe new life into their Spider-Man property. Bringing Peter Parker clone Ben Reilly fully into the fold, the main crux of so much of The Clone Saga revolved around whether Ben was a clone of Peter, or whether Peter was a clone of Ben. Added to that, there were also several other Spider-clones involved, with tinkering aplenty from the nefarious Jackal.

Shockingly, there was a moment in time where writer Terry Cavanagh was moving forward to establish that Peter Parker was indeed the real clone. Yes, Ben Reilly, aka the Scarlet Spider, had always been the real Peter.

Fans rejected that notion, with it effectively pissing away all that they'd come to know and love about the Spider-Man who'd debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 back in 1962. Due to this fan backlash, the decision was made to change things up... so that both Peter and Ben were somehow clones.

By the time all was said and done, there would be the revelation that Norman Osborn had orchestrated this whole farce - and that, yes, Ben Reilly was a clone, and yes, Peter Parker was the real, err, Peter Parker.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.