My name is Kaine. And death was the only thing I'd ever known. I am a monster, but once...once I asked myself if things could be different. If now that I wasn't dying, I could truly live. That I could find a home. Friends. Love. I have my answer. Not every story has a happy ending. Not every sin can be redeemed. This is who I am. I'm done trying to be something I'm not. I'm done trying to be a hero. 
- —Kaine Parker[src]
History
Birth
The clone that would come to be known as Kaine was the Jackal's first attempt at cloning Peter Parker. Initially thought to be a success, Kaine eventually became deformed due to a flaw in the cloning process. As he continued to degenerate, he was left further deformed and mentally unstable.
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The Jackal went on to create another clone, the man who would become Ben Reilly. When the Jackal used Reilly against Peter, the ensuing battle left Reilly and the Jackal (really a clone of Warren) for dead. They both managed to survive; the Jackal placed himself into suspended animation in a cloning pod to awaken later, and Reilly left New York upon realizing that he was the clone.
Behind the scenes, Norman Osborn managed to have the files on Ben and Peter switched, so that the Jackal would think Peter was the clone and Ben was the real deal. Consulting the Jackal's files, Kaine believed the same, so he followed Ben Reilly throughout his 'exile'. For a time, he found love in the arms of police detective Louise Kennedy of Salt Lake City, but when he discovered she was working for the criminals, Kaine's increased cellular degeneration pushed him even further towards insanity. After killing Louise (although a part of him still loved her), Kaine continued to stalk Ben, making it appear as though Janine Godbe, the woman Ben had come to love, had committed suicide and then framed Ben for various murders that Kaine had committed, as Kaine and Ben had the same fingerprints. Kaine hoped that by doing this, he would be able to give Peter, whom he still believed to be the clone, the life which Kaine could never have.
Return to New York
When Ben returned to New York to visit a sick Aunt May (later revealed to be a genetically-altered actress), Kaine followed. By this time, Kaine had become a feared and respected mob hit-man. When he discovered that Ben was in the city, he hounded him to try and prevent Ben from involving himself in Peter's life. It was at this time that Kaine's enhanced spider-sense warned him that someone would kill Mary Jane and because of this Kaine went on a killing spree--killing anyone who seemed a potential threat. Among those he killed were villains Doctor Octopus, and the Grim Hunter. This attracted the attention of Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider, while the wave of killings was put up on police bulletin boards nationwide, leading to Kaine's distinctive M.O. being recognized in Salt Lake City by Louise Kennedy's ex-partner, who immediately left for New York to bring the killer to justice.
Kaine fighting Ben Reilly
Trial of Peter Parker
Peter wanted Kaine to stand trial for what he had done, but Kaine initially refused. The two fought and ended up getting dragged into a mock trial where Spider-Man was on trial, Kaine was his defense attorney, Carnage was the prosecutor, several Ravencroft Institute inmates were the jury, and a powerful being known as Judas Traveller was the judge. During the one-sided trial, Kaine tried to physically fight off all those who were against Spider-Man, before Traveller returned them to their previous place of battle. Peter was eventually imprisoned for Kaine's crimes, as he, Kaine, and Ben Reilly all had the same fingerprints, but after a period of time Ben took his place in prison.
After an incident involving a super-powered villainess named Stunner, a weakened Kaine still refused to confess to his crimes. Spider-Man responded by knocking Kaine out and webbing him up before heading to the courthouse. Kaine reawakened before they arrived, and struggled again with Spider-Man, while still refusing to confess. At this point, Kaine admitted that he had done everything to protect Peter's life and revealed that he was the first clone of Peter, now partially degenerated. Spider-Man decided that if Kaine would not reveal the truth, then he would reveal his true identity to the entire courtroom and end everything. Kaine pleaded for Peter not to do this, and before Peter could reveal the truth, Kaine confessed to the murders and left the "Mark of Kaine" on the Judge's podium; he was then taken into custody.
Maximum Clonage
After the trial, Peter and Ben decided once and for all to determine the identity of the real Peter Parker. They used Seward Trainer's lab to do the test, and found that Ben was the original and Peter the clone. However, Seward had altered the results while under the influence of Norman Osborn. This pushed Peter over the edge and, in a fit of rage, he struck Mary Jane when she tried to stop him from killing Ben. Ashamed of what he had done, Peter fled the lab.
After Peter accepted that he was the clone and Ben was the true Peter Parker, he allied himself with the Jackal. Kaine refused to let him throw his life away, though, and he confronted the Jackal with the full intent of destroying him. The Jackal manipulated Kaine's mind once more, leading him to believe that he could be cured of the flaw triggering the degeneration process. Once the Jackal revealed that he had lied again, Kaine left, feeling rejected. He went back to Mary Jane for answers, and after a conversation about power and responsibility, Kaine returned to the Jackal's lab in time to assist Ben in a battle against numerous Spider-clones. In the ensuing battle, Kaine saved the Jackal from Spidercide, but was then impaled on a masonry spike. When Peter asked why Kaine had sacrificed himself, Kaine simply replied, "You gave me life." Curisouly, the Jackal then placed Kaine in a regeneration pod. When the pod was next seen, it was empty.
The Return of Kaine
During Reilly's time as Spider-Man, some of the world's strongest fighters were pitted against one another in a fighting competition called the Great Game, a fighting tournament on which wealthy people placed wagers to amuse themselves.
One of the Game's main sponsors, James Johnsmeyer, found the pod containing the revived Kaine, and decided to initiate him into the competition, sending the Rhino to fight him. After Kaine's refusal and escape (with the help of his temporary partner Shannon), Johnsmeyer still attempted to involve Kaine by allowing other Game competitors Joystick and Polestar) to attack him. Spider-Man interfered in the skirmish, but was side-tracked by Joystick and Polestar while Kaine gave the Rhino a near-fatal beating before escaping with Shannon. Before they were able to get away, Spider-Man had managed to tag Shannon with a tracer, and he pursued them once Polestar and Rhino were taken into custody. Spider-Man found them moments before the police arrived, but after an incident that threatened to kill the officers, Kaine and Shannon escaped again.
This time, Kaine's destination was Johnsmeyer's headquarters. Spider-Man found them once again after Kaine managed to single-handedly destroy all of Johnsmeyer's rooftop security defenses, but once inside, Johnsmeyer revealed that Shannon, who had been working for Johnsmeyer during the entire ordeal, had been manipulating and deceiving Kaine. Kaine, not wanting to become anyone else's puppet, tried to kill Shannon, but was dissuaded by Spider-Man. Kaine left, vowing to take down every sponsor of the Great Game.
Kaine's Redemption
During a later encounter with Ben Reilly, in which Janine Godbe returned to the man she loved, Kaine finally let go of his hatred for his brother, even saving Ben's life after nearly leaving him to die in a burning diner. Encouraged by his brother's example (and finally acknowledging Ben as his brother rather than his foe), Kaine handed himself over to the law, as Janine, who was wanted for the murder of her abusive father, did the same.
Several months later, however, he escaped from jail alongside other super-powered criminals. Kaine broke out to try and stop Norman Osborn after finding out that he was still alive and had masterminded the Clone Saga, and briefly worked against Osborn's agents in southern Europe.
Fighting Peter Parker
Dark Reign
Kaine later returned to New York City, attacking Spider-Man as he tried to track down Raptor. He revealed that he had sought Raptor out, hoping that he could cure his cellular degeneration, and attacked Spider-Man to keep him from the villain.
When Raptor attacked Harry Osborn and Peter's cousins at Aunt May's house, Kaine appeared, having been working with Raptor the whole time. He exposed Peter's identity as Spider-Man, then stated that Peter was a clone of Reilly and should be killed since he was the closest thing to Ben. Peter beat Raptor into unconsciousness and escaped. Raptor had lied to Kaine about being able to cure his degeneration to gain an ally in his quest for revenge. Furious, Kaine broke his neck, seemingly killing him.
Grim Hunt
Kaine was attacked by Alyosha and Ana Kravinoff for being associated with spiders. However, seeing that he wasn't a true spider, the duo decided to punish him by keeping him alive. Nevertheless, they wounded Kaine severely enough that he fleed to Peter Parker's apartment in search of help. Peter hid him in the bathroom, then left to stop the Kravinoffs. When Kaine next appeared, he had shaved his face and cut his hair, and resembled Peter (albeit with a badly scarred face). When Spider-Man was 'killed' while resurrecting Kraven, it was discovered that it was actually Kaine in disguise, and that he had given his life to save Peter.
Kaine as Tarantula.
At the end of the Grim Hunt, Kaine was buried as a Parker, but was later seen rising from the dead with mutated features, including extra eyes in a spider-like pattern on his forehead, with the Jackal saying "Rise, cursed one. Rise... Tarantula." Kaine was then further changed by the Jackal into a tarantula-like creature, with his face resembling that of a spider, and four spider-legs growing from his back.
Spider-Island
Kaine in the Spider-Stealth costume fighting the Queen
The Jackal made him the first of his army of individuals to use during the Spider-Island event. Kaine, however, followed the Jackal merely because he was under his control. In his final confrontation with the original, Spider-Man threw him into a tank filled with "the cure", a concentration of Anti-Venom's symbiote, which was intended to help cure the people of Spider-Island. The cure did more than return Kaine from being a monster, it also stabilized his DNA and made him a perfect clone of Peter Parker, similar to Ben Reilly. Kaine then helped with the retaliation against the Spider Queen, Adriana Soria, in Central Park, moving past Peter Parker's ethical limitations by using lethal force against the Queen.
Becoming the Scarlet Spider
Earning money from both stopping robbers and committing robberies, Kaine started a trip around the USA to enter Mexico. During his stay in Houston, Texas, he saved a young girl, Aracely, from human traffickers and left her in a hospital[3]. A super-powered villain came after Aracely, and Kaine felt that he had to save her instead of leaving Houston. In a scarlet suit similar to Spider-Man's, Kaine faced the Salamander and managed to defeat him, being named by him as "Araña Escarlata" ('Scarlet Spider' in Spanish). When the people at the scene cheered him and told them they needed a hero, Kaine's sense of responsibility for Aracely led him to stay in Houston as Scarlet Spider[1].
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The new Scarlet Spider
In subsequent adventures, Kaine found himself pitted against the Assassins Guild, the Watchdogs, and Ana Kravinoff, who tried to kill him in order to free her father from the curse of immortality.
Minimum Carnage
After Kaine was alerted about Carnage's return and his trip to Texas in order to retrieve something from a NASA research center, Kaine tried to stop him. Kasady managed to use a interdimensional transport called the Prometheus Pit with the help of beings from the Microverse, transporting him there. Venom, who also was following Carnage's steps, joined Scarlet Spider in the search for Kasady, and they were transported to the Microverse by the Prometheus Pit.[4]
Separated once they passed through the Pit, Kaine was found by a healer called the Redeemer, who was wanted by the Marquis Radu, the leader of Carnage's allies. After betraying his allies, Carnage killed them and started searching for Marquis Radu, crossing paths with Kaine and the Redeemer. Both Scarlet Spider and Kasady were captured and bought to Marquis Radu's base alongside Venom, who had been captured previously along with his allies, the Enigma Force (a team of adventurers who were trying to capture Carnage as well).
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Kaine reborn
The Venom and Carnage's symbiotes were replicated and used to create an army which could allow Radu to control the Microverse. Carnage managed to take control over the symbiote army and used it to escape to the regular universe, where he was finally defeated by the combined efforts of Venom and Scarlet Spider, thanks to a special weapon the Enigma Force had given them. After being stung by the Scarlet Spider, Cletus' wounds were cured, but he was left in a catatonic state. The symbiote was now in full control of his body, but Kasady and his symbiote were sedated and incarcerated[5].
The Other
After a young victim of human trafficking was found dead, Kaine started hunting down and eradicating human traffickers from Houston, and vowed to use his powers to hunt down monsters like his old self. During his crusade, he found himself facing Carlos Lobo and his sister, who had been responsible for Aracely's abuse[6].
During a battle against the Lobos, Kaine was killed. His body was wrapped in a cocoon made of spider-webs, in a fashion similar to when Spider-Man had died after facing Morlun. Kaine found himself in a vision talking with Ero, who explained that he was the one who had resurrected Kaine after Kraven's Grim Hunt, in order to allow Kaine to embrace him, as Peter Parker had refused his offer. Kaine didn't wanted to become "the Spider", or a monster greater than the one he had already been, and he initially denied Ero's offer. But as Aracely still needed his help, he had no choice but to embrace the Other, and was reborn with augmented powers and a more arachnid-like appearance[7]. Kaine forced the Lobo brothers to flee, as he left Carlos in a death-like state. But with his human nature gone, Kaine almost made Aracely his prey, before she managed to use her powers to make Kaine's human side resurface, reverting him to his human form[8]. Kaine returned to his 'normal' lifestyle, as he also started a relationship with Annabelle Adams, the bartender of the Four Seasons Hotel[9].
Finale
After settling a debt with the Assassins Guild[10] and facing the Jackal and Spider-Man (Otto Octvius), Kaine was confronted by Kraven the Hunter, who began to torture him while dressed as Ben Reilly[11]. Kraven wanted to force Kaine to kill him, in order to break the curse that made him unkillable, for which he kidnapped Kaine's friends in order to motivate him. In the end, Kaine delivered a fatal blow to Kraven's chest, paralyzing his heart. Then, using the same attack, Kaine brought him back to life, supposedly still breaking the curse[12].
During Kraven's attack, Donald Meland was fatally injured, prompting Wally Layton to search for Kaine's records to try to arrest him. When Wally confronted Kaine in his Four Seasons room, Shathra was revealed to have pinned Kaine down at the same time that Zoe Walsh blew up the room with a bazooka; Zoe did this for revenge against Kaine, who had put her father into a coma weeks ago[13]. Kaine managed to rescue everyone in the room (Wally, Annabelle, Aracely, and even Zoe), while killing Shathra. Having turned into a form controlled by the Other in order to defeat Shathra, Kaine realized he had to stop pretending to be a hero, and left Houston.
While living off of money stolen from criminals, Kaine and Aracely moved to Mexico in order to discover Aracely's origin[14].
New Warriors
Later, in Mazatlan (Mexico), Kaine became the Scarlet Spider again to help Aracely save some tourists from muggers at her insistence. After that, while relaxing at the beach and discussing issues of life, powers and the responsibility they entail, the pair found a dantesque view as blood colored the water and the corpses of Atlanteans and Deviants began to emerge to the surface along an armed blue-skinned girl. She told them she was Faira Sar Namora of Atlantis and that she was seeking heroes. [15]Attributes
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Powers
Kaine possesses various superhuman attributes as a result of his unique physiology. As a clone of Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Kaine began his life with powers identical to Spider-Man's, though some of these powers were altered as a result of Kaine undergoing cellular degeneration. Once cured of his tarantula mutation and his cellular degeneration, his powers were reduced to around Peter Parker's strength. After embracing The Other, Kaine resurfaced with new augmented abilities.
Superhuman Strength: Like Peter Parker, Kaine possesses superhuman strength. Initially, his strength was equal to Spider-Man's, and he could lift approximately 10 tons. Over time and further mutation, Kaine's physical strength has dramatically increased to the point of being able to lift up to 30 tons. He has proven to be able to beat the Rhino unconscious and hold his own against Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, and Spidercide at the same time. Following his reset of powers from being cured of his degeneration, along with embracing the Other, it is assumed his strength level is roughly around class 20, similar to when Peter had joined with the Other. His strength extends into his powerful leg muscles, allowing him to leap heights and distances in excess of human capability. Unlike Peter Parker, Kaine generally has no restraints on using his super-strength against enemies with typical human durability, and as such, is capable of severely injuring enemies with normal attacks.
Superhuman Speed: Kaine is capable of running and moving at speeds that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Stamina: Kaine's augmented musculature is much more efficient than that of a normal human being. As a result, his muscles produce lesser amounts of fatigue toxins during physical activity than do those of ordinary humans. He can exert himself physically at peak capacity for at least several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.
Superhuman Durability: Kaine's body is tougher and more resistant to some types of physical injury than that of a normal human. Kaine's bodily tissues are resistant to powerful impact or blunt force trauma. He can withstand impacts, such as falling from several stories, being repeatedly struck with superhuman force or by several powerful energy blasts, that would severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no injury himself.
Superhuman Agility: Kaine's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. In spite of his increased size and mass, Kaine is still just as agile as Spider-Man.
Superhuman Reflexes: Kaine's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are more efficient than those of an ordinary human by a factor of fifteen.
Wall-Crawling: Kaine is also able to stick to virtually any surface and crawl across it just as Spider-Man is capable of. His mental control over this ability has been increased to such a degree, he can rip a wall down just by tugging at it hard enough with his palms.
Mark Of Kaine: This same attribute has also resulted in deformity in his hands. He can channel this same energy endothermically through his hands and leave a severe burn mark on a person by making skin-to-skin contact with them. He typically leaves this mark across a person's face, though it is presumed he can do the same to other parts of the body. Non-offensive usage of this power allows Kaine to easily burn his long hair (along with his beard) to a shorter length without burning himself in the process.
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Controlling spiders
Sting of Kaine: Kaine originally had two retractable claws on the back of each hand that were similar in over-all appearance to the natural bone claws of Wolverine. The exact composition of Kaine's claws was not known, but they were extremely sharp. Combined with his great strength, Kaine was able to cut most conventional materials, up to and including some forms of metal. After his powers were altered on Spider-Island, he had individual bone-like stingers which extended from his fore-arms. They resemble the stingers that Peter acquired in the story-line 'The Other'.
Nightvision: After Spider-Island, Kaine possessed night vision.
Biological/Organic Webbing Generation: Kaine has the ability to organically produce his own silk webbing from glands within his forearms, limited by his body's health and nutrition.
Psychic Alignment with Arthropods: Kaine has an unknown method of creating a psychic alignment with his environment; specifically, a more empathic and sympathetic relationship with spiders and insects. While connected to the varying populations of spiders, he was unable to communicate with them directly or command them.
The Other: When under pressure, Kaine transforms into a monstrous arachnoid controlled by the Other[14].
Abilities
While Kaine has had no formal training, he is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant, and uses an unusual type of free-style technique similar to that of Spider-Man, though Kaine has no qualms against fighting in a more brutal style. It allows him to make full use of his strength and agility. Kaine is also as intelligent as Spider-Man, and, presumably, has the same level of creativity and knowledge of chemistry. While he does not use web-shooters, he is capable of creating and using them should he choose to do so.
Kaine knows how to speak a little bit of Spanish and Japanese.[16]Paraphernalia
Equipment
Notes
- Though never explicitly stated within the story, in interviews afterwards the creators revealed that the Mark of Kaine was meant to be analogous to one of Spider-Man's powers, namely the ability to cling to walls.
- It is unclear as of yet, but it seems that after Kaine's encounter with Anti-Venom's 'cure', Kaine's personality has changed to be more like Peter's, aside from just being a perfect clone. He shows this through his use of humor in response to Peter's, the "Parker Brothers" comment, and calling dibs on Peter's stealth suit (he didn't want to use the standard costume, due to him being killed the last time he used it, during the Grim Hunt story-line).
- He is shown to hate his superhero name, possibly due to it last being used by Ben Reilly, a fellow clone. It is noted that Ben was also not very fond of the name, due to it being given to him by the press.
- It was revealed that Madame Web locked the stealth suit's look to red, preventing Kaine from changing it back to black (this is why he was called the "Scarlet Spider").
- Kaine's new-found powers (stingers, organic webbing, etc.) resemble the rebirth which Peter went through during the events of "The Other". It is later revealed that it was Ero who gave them to him.
- Kaine is possibly Catholic.[14]
See Also
- 161 appearance(s) of Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 13 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 26 minor appearance(s) of Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 29 mention(s) of Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 7 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 207 image(s) of Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 50 quotation(s) by or about Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 10 victim(s) killed by Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
- 6 item(s) used/owned by Kaine Parker (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #2
- ↑ Spider-Man #61
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Minimum Carnage: Alpha #1
- ↑ Minimum Carnage: Omega #1
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #13
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #14
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #15
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #16
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #19
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #21
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #23
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #24
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #25
- ↑ New Warriors (Vol. 5) #1
- ↑ Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2) #12.1
- ↑ Spider-Geddon Handbook Vol 1 1
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