Spider-Man and X-Men's Most Notorious Clones Are Finally Teaming Up
Warning: Spoilers forFCBD 2022: Spider-Man/Venom ahead!
The ending of the Free Comic Book Day 2022: Spider-Man/Venom story «Lost in the Mail» revealed that Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly, in his new villainous identity as Chasm, is teaming up with the X-Men villain Madelyne Pryor in the upcoming Dark Web event. Ben Reilly and Madelyne Pryor are both clones of major Marvel characters who have experienced great traumas, making their team-up together actually make a whole lot of sense.
Ben Reilly's shocking heel turn into the evil Chasm has come as a surprise for fans of the Spider-Man clone, as it seemed like he had finally found redemption and purpose in the pages of the most recent Amazing Spider-Man run. Clearly his trauma over being just a copy of Peter has gotten the best of him. Similarly, Madelyne Pryor was only just revived on Krakoa after being dead for some time and it seems like she might have returned as her non-demonic human self...for about one page, before it became clear that it was indeed the Goblin Queen who had been resurrected by the X-Men.
Related: Spider-Man 2099's Return is a Triumph (Review)
Both Ben and Madelyne's biggest stories came in the '80s and '90s, with Pryor starring in Inferno while Reilly was at the center of the much-aligned Clone Saga. It seems like the upcoming Dark Web event will be a fascinating combination of these two major plots. The FCBD 2022: Spider-Man/Venom story «Lost in the Mail» — written by Zeb Wells with art by John Romita Jr. and Scott Hanna — features the newly healed Peter Parker battling a mailbox that has come to life, seemingly possessed by a demonic entity. Clearly this is a reference to 1989's Inferno event that saw the Goblin Queen and the Limbo demon N'astirh
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