BLOOD BROTHERS (1996)

The last official crossover of the Clone Saga before the grand finale (there's one more unofficial crossover to go). The man who believed he was Peter Parker all this time had been revealed as a clone, while the real Peter (having renamed himself Ben Reilly) thought he was created by the Jackal but had since reclaimed the Spider-Man identity.

But with more clone skeletons showing up, maybe things aren't as straight-forward as that. Especially now that the skeleton of another Spider-Man has turned up. Could Ben and Peter both be clones?

Note: This is not to be confused with the 1998-1999 Blood Brothers crossover starring Cable and X-Man.

Recommended Reading:
[The Complete Clone Saga Chronology]

The now-powerless Peter Parker sells the posed photos of Spider-Man with the skeleton of another Spidey to J Jonah Jameson. Out of costume, Ben Reilly comes to terms with the revelation that his girlfriend, Jessica Carradine, is the daughter of the burglar who shot his Uncle Ben.

Jessica takes a photo of Ben changing out of his costume like some sort of pervert. He confronts her, but she sees this as a chance to get her revenge on Spider-Man. Peter and Ben bury the skeleton and argue over the validity of Seward Trainer's test that 'proved' which of them was the real deal...

Jameson gloats over the front page of the Daily Bugle showing Spider-Man with the half-Spidey-masked skeleton. But Ben's got enough problems with his secret being out and not having his rent money. Mary Jane pleads with Peter not to investigate the skeleton.

Seward Trainer seems to be working with the creepiest new bad guy in town. A cyborg team called Cell-12 attack Peter and MJ , beating Peter to a pulp in the process. Ben Reilly returns to his apartment to find the words "we know who you are" scrawled on the floor and heads to the Daily Grind to find it in flames....

Mary Jane stands by Peter's decision to stay in New York, despite Cell-12's warning. Ben confronts Jessica, believving her to be responsible for the attack on his home and workplace. Cell-12 and their boss, the Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale), beat the living boogers out of Spider-Man. And Seward Trainer admits to being a proper treacherous bellend.

As if MJ hadn't had enough of fixing Peter up, now she's nursing a battered Ben Reilly. He tries to reason with Jessica again, but gets nowhere and only returns to Peter in time for another Cell-12 attack. Peter and Spider-Man try to rescue Trainer from the Hobgoblin, but he doesn't seem all that keen on coming with them. It's lucky this story's six parts instead of four or they'd never have been able to make it so repetitive.

Peter and Spidey find out Osborn Industries are funding the Hobgoblin. Luckily, that Green Goblin dude Norman Osborn is long dead so he can't have anything to do with all this. The Molten Man investigates the corruption at Osborn Industries only to run into Spider-Man for a case of mistaken identity with less-than-hilarious consequences. By pure chance, their fight crashes into the lab where Seward Trainer is restoring Gaunt.

The entire supporting cast seem to be talking about the long-dead Norman Osborn, for some reason. Can't imagine why. Back at Osborn Industries, Spidey, Peter and the Molten Man fight Gaunt who hints that he's fought Spider-Man before and that he's working for someone higher up the chain. Gaunt and Seward Trainer are caught in an explosion in the final battle. But they're later seen discussing the outcome with a pair of angry talking gloves...

Follow the story in:
Sensational Spider-Man #4
Amazing Spider-Man #411
Spider-Man #68
Spectacular Spider-Man #234
Sensational Spider-Man #5
Amazing Spider-Man #412

Fallout:

Spider-Man Unlimited #12 (1996) The Clone Saga continues; Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson-Parker and J Jonah Jameson next appear; Jameson gets hold of the skeleton, publicly reveals it as Peter Parker's.
Spider-Man #69 (1996) Hobgoblin, Gaunt, Cell-12, Joe Robertson, Shirley Washington and Devon Lewis next appear; Hobgoblin is defeated by Spider-Man and imprisoned.
Spider-Man Team-Up #3 (1996) Spider-Man teams up with the Fantastic Four.
Green Goblin #8 (1996) Liz Osborn next appears.
Sensational Spider-Man #6 (1996) Jessica Carradine and Desiree Winthrop next appear; Jessica makes peace with her father's ghost and decides against revenge on Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: Redemption #1 (1996) Normie Osborn next appears; Ben Reilly is reunited with Janine Godbe just as Kaine returns.
Spider-Man: Redemption #2-4 (1996) Ben Reilly and Kaine have their final confrontation; Kaine and Janine turn themselves in to the police.
Green Goblin #10 (1996) Gaunt next appears.
Spectacular Spider-Man #235 (1996) Spider-Man fights Will O'The Wisp; Peter begins showing signs of clone degeneration.
Amazing Spider-Man #413 (1996) Spider-Man has a rematch with Mysterio and Armada; Peter hides the clone degeneration from Mary Jane.
Daredevil #354 (1996) Spider-Man teams up with Daredevil.
Spider-Man #70 (1996) Mary Jane calls an ambulance when Peter takes a turn for the worse during The Promise.
Amazing Spider-Man #417 (1996) Spider-Man learns the truth about Judas Traveller; Gaunt kills Scrier.
Spectacular Spider-Man #240 (1996) Seward Trainer and the man behind the angry gloves next appear; Trainer is killed by Gaunt's mystery boss during Revelations.
Sensational Spider-Man #11 (1996) Gaunt is revealed as the Robot Master during Revelations.
Amazing Spider-Man #418 (1996) Norman Osborn is revealed to be the mystery man behind the entire Clone Saga during Revelations.
Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1 (1997) The Hobgoblin (Macendale) is shot dead in his cell.
Daredevil #361 (1997) Molten Man next appears.