image

Clone

Clone

A staple of science fiction and super hero genres. The clone is an artificially produced genetic copy of an already existing creature. Many clones retain the original's characteristics and powers, but often result in warped and unstable characteristics.

Name:
Clone
Aliases:
Start year:
1957
First issue:
Alarming Tales (1957) #1
cover

Overview

Cloned characters have been a staple in comic books for so many years, it is currently difficult to discern when the first appearance of a cloned character was. Usually a clone can be used to create emotional confusion & turmoil for a character (such as the effect of the Gwen Stacy clone in Spider-Man's personal life) or clones have been mass produced (such as the Clone Troopers from Star Wars).

Cloning characters often leads to confusing storylines, which new creative teams find difficult to follow. This has led to clones being created from characters who are already cloned, and even the genetic manipulation of the clone to change characteristics and even gender. However, the one staple of a clone is that they must be an artificially created life form based on the genetic template of a pre-existing life form. A clone does not have to be based on a human character, but as many characters are either human or humanoid then the majority of known clones appear to be human.

Clones in Comics

Alphabetically listed are characters who have been cloned, followed by the characters who are their clones.

Image

  • Cabbot Stone: Bloodstrike.

DC Comics

  • Bart Allen: Inertia.
  • Doomsday: Doomsday Clones, Doomsboy.
  • Guardian: There have been several clones of Guardian. Most of these clones have gone by the Guardian codename.
  • Newsboy Legion:
    • Tommy Thompkins: Tommy
    • Anthony Rodriguez: Big Words
    • Johnny Gabrielli: Gabby
    • Patrick MacGuire: Scrapper
    • Walter Johnson: Flip
  • Guy Gardner: Joe Gardner.
  • Morgan Edge: Morgan Edge Clone (devised in the Evil Factory).
  • Superman: The Silver Age Bizarro.
  • Superman & Lex Luthor: Superboy.
  • Superboy: Match.
  • Supergirl: Bizarro Supergirl.

IDW Publisher

  • Big Boss: Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, Solidus Snake.

Marvel Comics

  • Cable: Stryfe.
  • Emma Frost: Stepford Cuckoos (Celeste, Esme, Mindee, Phoebe and Sophie Cuckoo)
  • Gwen Stacy: Gwen Stacy clone.
  • Jackal: Carrion, himself.
  • Jean Grey: Madelyne Pryor.
  • Kraven: Xraven.
  • Magneto: Joseph.
  • Marauders: Themselves (Mr. Sinister cloned all his henchmen).
  • Mojo: Mojo II.
  • Mr Sinister: Miss Sinister, himself.
  • MVP: KIA, Michael, Patrick & Van.
  • Professor Xavier: Himself (transferred his psyche into a cloned body, when his real body was dying).
  • Shigeru Ezaki: Mace.
  • Silver Surfer: Cosmic Messiah.
  • Spider-Girl: Mayhem.
  • Spider-Man: Jack, Guardian, Kaine, Ben Reilly, Spidercide.
  • Ultimate Spider-Man: Ultimate Scorpion, Ultimate Spider-Woman, Ultimate Kaine, Ultimate Tarantula.
  • Venom: Venom Clone.
  • White Tiger: She-Cat.
  • Wizard: Thirty-Two.
  • Wolverine: X-23.

Dark Horse

  • Jango Fett: Clone Army, Clone Trooper, Boba Fett.
  • Emperor Palpatine: Himself.
  • Ripley: Herself.

Notable Story Arcs

  • The Clone Saga.
  • Ultimate Clone Saga.
  • Maximum Clonage.
  • Clone Wars.

Issues

March 1958

October 1958

May 1960

September 1961

March 1962

February 1965

March 1965

November 1969

April 1970

October 1970

January 1971

February 1971

March 1971

April 1971

May 1971

June 1971

July 1971

September 1971

October 1971

November 1971

December 1971

Volumes

1937

1938

1939

1941

1949

1954

1958

1960

1963

1965

1966

1968

1972

1973

1974

1976

1978

1980

1981

1982

1984

1986

1987