By now, most people have heard that Marvel is bringing back the Scarlet Spider. On January 22, 2012, Chris Yost and Ryan Stegman will be launching a new series. Except it won't be Ben Reilly, the previous Scarlet Spider, starring in the series, but instead, his nemesis, Kaine.'
During the infamous Clone Saga, Kaine played a big role in simply being a thorn in the sides of Spider-Man and Ben Reilly. His hatred for Spider-Man and Ben is a complicated one based on misinformation and his imperfect creation at the hands of the Jackal. In recent years, Kaine has shown that there is more Peter Parker in him than previously thought possible.
With the opportunity to reinvent himself and to truly be the hero he always wanted to be, Kaine's road to redemption has just begun. There may be strong fan demand for the return of Ben Reilly as Scarlet Spider but it's clear that Kaine will prove to be the center of some interesting stories.
== TEASER ==
Kaine is mostly known for wearing purple and black, having a messed up face and wanting to kill Ben Reilly. He was the first semi-successful Peter Parker clone created by the Jackal. Because he was not a perfect clone, he had some actual genetic flaws. When he started showing signs of the clone degeneration flaw, Jackal threw him away as if he was nothing. This and a little mental instability drove Kaine into becoming a villain in the pages of the Spider-Man comics.
Imagine what it would be like to be created as a clone. Once it turned out he wasn't perfect, his 'father,' the Jackal' had no use for him. Especially after Ben was created and was the first perfect clone, without the degeneration flaw (which is why I never could accept that it was actually Ben that died - see my rant from earlier this year).
What many believe is his hatred towards Ben was pure jealousy. It's easy to believe that Kaine hated Ben because he was the perfect clone while he was flawed and discarded. Kaine actually believed that Ben was the true Peter Parker after Norman Osborn switched the lab results without Jackal realizing. They thought Ben was the original and Peter was the clone. Kaine believed he was going after the original and that his clone 'brother' deserved a life.
Over time, Kaine started becoming less of an actual Spider-Man villain. The biggest change came during Kraven the Hunter's return in The Grim Hunt story arc.
After being hunted by Ana and Alyosha Kravinoff, a badly beaten Kaine made his way to Peter's place to warn him that they were going to kill all the "spiders." Kaine had tried telling Peter to simply take off and run from Kraven and his deranged family. Peter was pretty let down that Kaine's instincts were to run while his were to fight considering they shared the same DNA.
Peter went off to do his part in prevent the slaughter of others and Kaine gave himself a makeover and healed from his attack. This was Kaine's moment to fully become a hero. Spider-Man was momentarily defeated and Kaine stepped up. He knocked out Peter and took his costume in order to confront Kraven.
Kaine sacrificed his life and was killed only to be resurrected by the Jackal and the Queen for her Spider-Island scheme. Mutated further, Kaine was forced to follow Jackal's orders and nearly destroyed the spider-virus cure needed to revert all of Manhattan from spider-forms back to human. Kaine was stronger and faster than Spider-Man.
Kaine was about to release a toxin into the cure. The two fought and Kaine ended up falling into the cure. He was now free from the Queen's control and no longer suffered from the clone degeneration. The cure was supposed to wipe out his spider-powers as well but somehow he managed to keep them (along with the spider-stingers Spider-Man had in The Other story arc).
Spider-Man and Kaine were both instrumental in defeating the Queen and freeing all of New York City.
Kaine was now a hero. Cured from the clone degeneration and able to work side-by-side with Peter, this could have been the beginning of a Spider team-up that we haven't seen in a while. Kaine was a hero...but he was still a killer. This wasn't necessarily something other heroes could overlook.
Is it necessary for Kaine to leave New York City? Couldn't his emergence from the pool with the cure that rid him of the clone degeneration also be a rebirth for the man? He no longer resembled the man called Kaine and could easily create a new superhero identity and start over.
Instead, he left to go where Spider-Man, or Peter Parker, wasn't a common site. Hitting the road and on the run from his dark past, is some ways, his new path is similar to the one Ben Reilly had to take.
Is Kaine to blame for the bad things he did or could it be blamed on the mental instability he suffered from the clone degeneration? He has proven himself to be a hero. He has Spider-Man's blessings. It's time for him to earn the rest of his redemption and taking on the mantle of the Scarlet Spider will aid him in his journey.
The new chapter in Kaine's life will be an interesting and exciting one (even if I still want to see the return of Ben Reilly as well).