To say Spider-Man has been the protagonist of many controversial comic book storylines would be an understatement. There was that time Peter Parker struck a deal with the devil to save Aunt May's life at the cost of losing his marriage. And who can forget that time when Marvel killed Peter and had Otto Octavius replace him as the definitive and superior version of Spider-Man? Though fans have learned to love that iteration of the character over the years, it wasn't initially that way. But if we're talking about controversies, there's no bigger example than Peter Parker's clones.
Ben Reilly's whole deal is to cause controversy (and sometimes rage) among Spider-Man fans. One moment, he can act like a true and honest hero, convincing us that he can really change and be a force for good. At the next moment, he sides with the Goblin Queen to unleash literal demons in New York City.
Ben Reilly is like any toxic relationship you can think of, except 10 times worse. As if that wasn't enough, Peter's other clone, Kaine Parker, is also a very divisive character. So what if I told you the man responsible for creating them both might appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
Yes, we're about to enter very controversial territory here.
The Jackal will reportedly appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Some know him as Miles Warren, many call him Jackal, and Spider-Man fans hate him for being the guy who cloned Gwen Stacy to make Peter Parker suffer (this writer is Spider-Man fans). As if that wasn't enough, he is also responsible for cloning Peter Parker, thereby creating both Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker. Love him or hate him, it appears we're about to watch his live-action debut.
Renowned insider Alex Perez teased that the Jackal will appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and scooper Cryptic HD QUALITY doubled down on this information by stating that he's also heard Miles Warren will appear in the film. Could we be about to witness an adaptation of the infamous Clone Saga? Well, Tom Holland hinted so all the way back in 2017 during an interview with CinemaBlend:
"There are so many things we have not seen in Spider-Man yet ... I want to use bad guys never seen in movies. The first films were so traditional, and so scrupulously followed the character's classic plot, so there's a lot of stuff left in stock. The Clone Saga, for example. It would be so cool. I could play seven characters. That means seven checks! And I like the idea of having characters in front of Spider-Man who have the same powers as him."
Granted, chances are that Spider-Man: Brand New Day won't dive directly into the Clone Saga story. After all, Tombstone and Scorpion will have a major role in the movie, while it has been rumored that The Hand will act as the main antagonists. With so many characters in play, the more likely scenario is that Miles Warren will be relegated to a simple cameo.
We're about to go into Peter's college phase in the MCU, with reports even suggesting that Bruce Banner could be one of the wall-crawler's professors. If that were to be the case, then Miles could be another college professor as well. But will his appearance be a simple nod to the comic book world, or is Marvel planting the seeds for a bigger, more controversial story further down the line?
Venom, Kingpin, Tombstone, and even The Prowler are some of the villains that will reportedly take the spotlight in the new, upcoming Spider-Man trilogy. With that in mind, it seems unlikely that The Jackal will get to create clones of Peter Parker or Gwen Stacy in the MCU anytime soon, especially given how divisive those storylines have turned out to be in the comic book world. However, we'll have to wait and see what surprises await the wall-crawler, but with a bit of luck, Marvel will stay away from dangerous territory just in case.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day will be released on July 31, 2026.