05x12 - Chapter I: I Really, Really Hate Clones

[bunniefuu]

We have traveled a long way...

...through time and space.

Look at what has happened.

[ Distant dog barking ]

Now where'd the Beyonder go?

And where am I?

Fifth Avenue?!

It can't be.

How long have I been gone?

What's happened here?

Aunt May!

No. All of Queens?

Astoria, Forest Hills.

All just destroyed.

Aunt May.

Your Aunt May exists
no longer in this world.

I've had it with you, Beyonder.

I want some real answers.

Who's responsible for
this devastation?

- Who?!
- You are, Spider-Man.

- What?!
- You are.

What kind of sick joke are
you playing now, Beyonder?

Whoa! Spider-sense.

Danger!

Uh-oh.

Nice shot, brother goblin.

Stick with me, boy.

By the time we've
leveled Manhattan

I'll have made a real
goblin out of you!

The Hobgoblin.

And the Green Goblin together

destroying the city?

Have they gone
completely insane?!

This is J-3 emergency radio

broadcasting from the
Daily Bugle building.

We continue our report on
Spider-Man's w*r against the city.

I just hope the national guard

will rescue us from
this criminal siege.

Sorry.

This program is canceled
due to low ratings.

Huh?!

There was no one
left in the city to listen.

Let go of him, you...

Our boss wants the
microwave broadcaster

on the roof of J-3
Communications.

But it seems to have a
substantial security system.

- Don't, Jonah! Don't help them!
- No!

Talk, or I'll give
your right-hand man

his severance pay.

I can deactivate the security
system with my palm print.

Excellent.

We don't need you anymore.

[ Screaming ]

Got you!

Hey, what's the big
idea, Robertson?

I'd do a lot more if I could.

Jonah was right all along.

I don't know what
you're talking about?

I'm talking about the
destruction of this city.

And those goblins you sent
to attack Jonah and me.

The goblins? In the Bugle?

[ Yelling ]

Now you're gonna pay
for what you've done.

Why did you do that?

Let's see.

You level Manhattan,
destroy Queens.

Why would I be mad at you?

[ Grunts ]

But we did what you told us to.

What?!
I never told you to do anything.

Goblin. This spider-creep
must be the other one

the boss warned us about.

The "other one"?

Yes!

I think you're right.

[ Grunts ]

But a good goblin never falls
for the same trick twice.

[ Coughing ]

We have what we need here.

Finish the job, Hobgoblin.

With pleasure.

[ Laughing ]

Uh-oh.

I can't believe it.

The Bugle...

...destroyed.

My life's work... ruined!

Oh, quit whining.

Thanks so much.

You!

I was right about you all along

but I never dreamed
you'd go this far.

I'd love to hear
your whole tirade

but not right now.

Hey!

Now I see what's been taking
those idiot goblins so long.

I wondered when you'd
turn up again, dear clone.

And in my costume, no less.

That voice!

He sounds like... me!

Oh, how I despise you.

And for that reason

you must be obliterated.

You see, I really...

...really hate clones!

He looks like Carnage, but...

...he has my costume.

My voice!

[ Grunting ]

[ Laughing ]

He's squeezing me so hard.

I can't breathe!

What? No!

Where...?

[ Moaning ]

Aah...

Beyonder!

What's wrong?

Are you...

Are you all right?

No. He is very, very weak.

How could he be,
with all his power?

Because he's not in
our home dimension.

His power is diminished
the longer he stays here

in this unfamiliar reality.

You must rest and let my
life-support system

rejuvenate you as
much as it can.

Madame Web,
tell me what's going on.

I need your help.

You must help yourself.

But that does not mean
you will be alone.

Look.

Am I going mad?

This is the one that's
supposed to be our leader?

Give me a break.

I should be in
charge of this group.

I'm the real Spider-Man.

I don't know what kind
of mind game this is

but I'm the real Spider-Man.

The real Peter Parker.

Guess again.

See, Pete, old buddy?

We're just as
genuine as you are.

But...

...how can that be?

Madame Web says that we're
each from different dimensions.

Reality is like a river

that splits off into many
parallel tributaries.

These spider-men are
from parallel realities

each as legitimate as yours.

They are all you

with some slight differences.

Don't let these worry you, Pete.

They're just a little souvenir

from my last fight with Doc Oct.

You mean to tell me that

you all share my life

and my spider-powers?

[ Clears throat ]

Well, uh, not quite all of us.

I don't have your
life or your powers.

So, who are you, then?

You wouldn't believe
me if I told you.

Let's just say I'm here to help.

Although I'm not prepared
for anything like this.

We were all kind of caught
in the middle of things.

I'm having a little mutation
problem right now.

Whoa!

I don't think I even
want to hear your story.

All of you must hear the
Scarlet Spider's story

for this is his reality we're in.

That monster you
encountered was his twin.

Behold.

My name is Ben Reilly.

I'm related to this
reality's Peter Parker.

- How?
- I'm his clone.

Or... maybe he's my clone.

We're not sure.

This dimension's Peter Parker
had it pretty rough.

He had already lost uncle Ben.

Then Aunt May passed away.

That nearly unbalanced his mind.

But then Parker's path crossed
with a brilliant scientist.

An expert in genetic cloning.
His name was...

Miles Warren!

Ah, I see you've met him.

Well, he cloned Spider-Man.

To make matters worse,
the clone escaped.

I thought I was that clone.

I tried to stay
out of Peter's life

by taking on a new identity.

I dyed my hair,
changed my name to Ben Reilly.

But I had no memory of
where I really came from.

Warren had robbed me of my past.

I understand what
you've been through.

Warren created a
clone in my reality

who had the same problem.

Peter, I've come back to you.

Mary Jane!

[ All cheering ]

Oh, but I... oh!

Mary Jane, what's the matter?

I'm not the real Mary Jane?

That is so, my dear.

Why didn't you just
tell me I was a clone?!

The cloning process
has proven unstable.

You're coming apart.

Mary Jane...

No!

It's too late.

Warren! Warren,
where the blazes are you?!

Forget it, tiger.

I want you to know
just one thing.

If any part of me

is anything like the
real Mary Jane Watson

she loves Peter Parker more
than anything in the world.

More... than... anything!

[ Screaming ]: No!

Mary Jane!

I might make some
startling advances.

I hate him for what he did.

So did my world's Peter Parker.

But he hated me,
the clone, even more.

When I became a costumed hero,
the Scarlet Spider,

that really made him angry.

But the next big blow came
from Dr. Curt Connors.

He discovered that according
to our genetic structures

it might be Peter who
was the clone, not me.

That news pushed Peter
Parker over the edge.

Now he hated me with a passion.

This is starting to sound
like a bad comic book plot.

It gets worse.

I was trying to stop one
of the Kingpin's crimes.

He had created some kind of
interdimensional transporter

which would make him
invincible as a criminal.

No sooner had I arrived

when my... other showed up.

I thought he was there to
help me, but he wasn't.

He wanted me out of the
picture, permanently.

Then, from some other
dimension, it appeared.

That's the Carnage symbiote!

Drawn by Peter's hatred,

it bonded with him somehow

and drove him completely insane.

So this reality we're
in is your reality.

But what does it have to
do with the rest of us?

What's our stake in this?

Or yours, for that matter?

Behold.
Look into the future.

Tell me what you see.

A portal has been opened.

The dish stolen from
J-3 Communications

is magnifying the incendiary device
attached to the transporter,

and it's about to go off.

No!

Spider-Carnage will link a
matter disintegrator b*mb

to Dr. Ohn's time portal device.

The blast will be magnified

and will enter other dimensions.

It will not only
destroy this reality

but every reality
across space and time.

I have already seen it happen.

If this has already happened,

how are we standing here?

When the destruction
reached my home dimension

I used all my powers
to roll back time.

It taxed me to the extreme.

We are now in this
reality's past.

Spider-Carnage has not
detonated the device yet.

You must stop him.

Wait. You can transcend time.

Why don't you just
go back to the past

and prevent any of
this from happening?

Although Madame Web
and I are beings

who can pass through
different realities,

we are powerless...

[ Groans ]

We cannot stay
in this one reality

to keep anything
we change stable.

It takes all of this machinery

for us to remain
in your dimension

for as long as we have.

And once we leave,

it will be as if we had
never been here at all.

The Beyonder decided that
Spider-Men from other realities

would have to find a
way to stop this one.

In other words, only
he could stop himself.

My companion, Madame Web,

traveled to your dimensions
to prepare you for this task.

You were all tested

but only one of
you proved worthy

to be the leader of this team.

You.

Me?

Yes, you.

I object.
I think I should be the...

Silence!

We took you to our dimension

and created the
secret w*r to test you

and see if we were right.

Behold!

Spider-Man, get out of here!

No, we have to get
the Lizard back.

He's my friend.

We've got to help the rebels.

The robots are pounding them.

Hold on, Doom.

We're not your pawns.

You can't possibly control

the godlike abilities
you've stolen.

You might place us
all in great danger

if you don't give that power up.

Who amongst you has ever wanted
to give up their superpowers?

I have, 'cause I've
learned time and time again

that with great power

there must also come
great responsibility.

We were right.

It's up to all of you now.

Even my survival
depends on your victory.

So we're here to
fight for all reality.

Okay. Spider-men,
we don't have much time.

We'd better get going.

What about him?

He doesn't have any powers.

Hey, guys,
don't cut me out of this.

This is the adventure
of a lifetime.

No way.

I'm sorry, but he's right.

We can't endanger you.

And I'm sorry I
was angry with you.

Rest assured,
I won't let you down.

All right, boys. Let's do it.

Smythe, what is keeping
Spider-Carnage and those goblins?

They were due back hours ago.

I warned you not to
trust any of them.

We got delayed.

We ran into another Spider-Man.

What is this all about,
Spider-Carnage?

It's that clone
I told you about.

All that matters is the
few more hours I need

to assemble my ultimate weapon.

Think of it.

We'll use it to take control
of people's minds.

Then we'll rule
the entire world.

You have secured the final
part that you required?

Of course.
My device will be ready soon.

And then, we'll really
get what we deserve.

All of us.

[ Laughing ]

This device he is building,

is it what he says it is?

I need time to analyze it fully.

Keep an eye on him.

He is a powerful ally,
but he is more evil

than anyone I have
ever encountered.

I don't get it.

We can swing through the air.

Why are we sneaking
in the front door?

Because, Spider-Carnage
won't expect it

and that makes him vulnerable.

Trust me.

We need to disable the alarm

and observation systems.

No problem.

One of my companies designs
security systems like this.

You own your own companies?

Who do you think built
this armored suit?

In my world,
I'm a multi-billionaire.

Aren't you?

Uh... let's keep moving, okay?

Kingpin, it's Spider-Man.
Five of him!

Five? But I thought
there was only one clone.

It appears our visitors have
disabled the security systems.

Green goblin, Hobgoblin

we are under attack from inside.

A laser built right
into your armor?

It's my own design.

I only wish I was able to bring
my giant spider-robot

on this mission with us.

Did he say,
"his giant spider-robot?"

Nice.
What do you call that stuff?

Impact webbing.

Why didn't I think of that?

Got you.

Maybe, but can you keep me?

A gas m*ssile will
take care of him.

No, wait!

Why did you do that?

What were you thinking?

Hey, relax.

This will all work out.

Things always do.

What a foolhardy nut.

It's as if he doesn't
even consider failure.

You have to be
careful, Beyonder.

I must help them.

Even if it means the end of me.

Hurry! Thanks to the
Hobgoblin fumbling,

we don't have much time!

If we're cautious enough,

we can by-pass them and...

Sorry, I never shy
away from a fight.

Maybe 'cause I never lose.

Hey, wait!

Impetuous, isn't he?

Try obnoxious.

These look like sonic grenades.

They'll come in handy.

This is too easy.

A paralyzer ray.

I can't move.

Hey, stop. No!

Gentlemen, stop right there.

You were right.

The clones do seem
to be multiplying.

Stop them!

Three more sonic grenades
should do the trick.

No!

My mutation disease...

...it's flaring up.

Not now!

Let's use this distraction
to get out of here!

What's happened to him?

He's mutated into a man-spider.

I've been through this.

We're in trouble.

[ Roaring ]