Web of Spider-Man #119
Web of Spider-Man #119 is the first appearance of Kaine — the Jackal's earliest, flawed attempt at cloning Peter Parker — a character who would become one of the Clone Saga's most enduring creations, eventually headlining his own Scarlet Spider series nearly two decades later. The issue also serves as the third chapter of 'The Exile Returns,' the foundational arc that established Ben Reilly's identity as the Scarlet Spider independent of Peter Parker, giving the Clone Saga its own narrative lane across two Spider-Man titles. In a single issue, writer Terry Kavanagh seeds three major threads simultaneously: Ben's early moral growth as a hero, Kaine lurking as a dangerous unknown in the shadows, and the Scarlet Spider's first genuine confrontation with Venom — a pairing the real Spider-Man had conspicuously avoided through a non-aggression pact that Ben knew nothing about. That structural irony — the clone doing what the original refused to do — gave the story a pointed edge that resonated well beyond its Clone Saga context.
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The issue was written by Terry Kavanagh and penciled by Steven Butler, with inks by Randy Emberlin, colors by Kevin Tinsley, letters by Steve Dutro, and editorial oversight from Eric Fein and Danny Fingeroth under editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco. It was published with a cover date of December 1994 (on-sale October 4, 1994) as part of Marvel's coordinated Clone Saga rollout, in which the four Spider-Man monthlies were divided editorially: Amazing Spider-Man and Spectacular Spider-Man followed Peter Parker, while Web of Spider-Man and the adjectiveless Spider-Man title tracked Ben Reilly. Some copies were distributed in a factory polybag containing a Marvel Milestone Edition facsimile of Amazing Spider-Man #150 — the issue that originally 'killed' Ben Reilly's clone predecessor — along with a proof-of-purchase checklist card tying all four Spider-titles together as a promotional bundle.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Kaine (Kaine Parker), the Jackal's initial, degeneration-afflicted clone of Peter Parker, created by writer Terry Kavanagh and penciler Steven Butler.
- Kaine's defining trait — the 'Mark of Kaine,' a corrosive touch that burns his handprint into victims' faces — is introduced here; former editor Glenn Greenberg later confirmed in interviews it was conceived as an analog to Spider-Man's wall-clinging ability.
- The issue is the third chapter of the four-part 'The Exile Returns' arc (titled 'Echoes of Silence'), which ran across Web of Spider-Man #118–119 and Spider-Man #52–53 in November–December 1994.
- Kaine would go on to become the second Scarlet Spider, starring in his own ongoing series beginning with Marvel Point One (November 2011) and Scarlet Spider vol. 2 (2012), and made his cinematic debut in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
- The story also features the first appearance (voice only) of Seward Trainer and the first appearance of supporting character Gabrielle Greer, Ben Reilly's neighbor.
- The issue was polybagged with a Marvel Milestone Edition facsimile reprint of Amazing Spider-Man #150 — the very issue in which the original clone of Spider-Man was seemingly destroyed — along with a proof-of-purchase checklist card for all four concurrent Spider-Man titles.
- The story was later collected in Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Saga Epic Book 1 (Marvel, 2009) and the Spider-Man Epic Collection: The Clone Saga, making it accessible in trade paperback.
- The full creative team: writer Terry Kavanagh; penciler Steven Butler; inker Randy Emberlin; colorist Kevin Tinsley; letterer Steve Dutro; editors Eric Fein and Danny Fingeroth; editor-in-chief Tom DeFalco.
Cast · 7 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Ben has already been beaten pretty badly by Venom. Is he ready to take him on again? And who is the mysterious Kaine?
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).