Kaine

Opening this review by stealing a joke: Peter Parker's clones each embody an aspect of his most dominant personality trait: Ben Reilly is passive, Kaine is aggressive. As the first of Jackal's attempts to clone Peter Parker, Kaine was left with conflicted feelings towards his both maker and Spider-Man. This is one of the rare figures that actually has a "retro" release to be referring - it just wasn't as a solo release. The only time he got a ToyBiz figure was in a "Maximum Clonage" eight-pack (originaly exclusive to BJ's Wholesale Club in 1997, but it showed up at KB Toys the year after), and it was quickly cobbled together from existing parts: Archangel body they used for a lot of repaints, Iolaus head from when ToyBiz made Hercules toys, and AoA Gambit's cape. It wasn't great, but it was pretty good considering there was nothing new about it. Shame you had to buy seven other figures to get it. Technically Hasbro's made figures of him already, but those were when he'd adopted the Scarlet Spider identity, so it's hard to say they really count. Would you say Mattel had made an Azrael if all they ever released was his Batman armor? Because the Jackal hadn't yet perfected his cloning process, Kaine began decaying almost immediately, causing him both physical and mental anguish - explaining why he was so much more of a jerk than either Peter or Ben. Of course, like everything in the Clone Saga, that took a long time to be revealed: originally, Kaine was just a mysterious masked hitman with ties to the mob. Had Kaine been made in a regular Spider-Man series, he probably would have just been a normal body painted with the stringy details of his costume, but in this pseudo-Rectro Collection series, Hasbro actually took the time to mold him something new and unique. Designed to keep his cellular degeneration in check, Kaine's costume was a dark bodysuit with a lighter web of... something(?) stretched over top. It's not a repeating pattern, like Spider-Man's webs, but rather something more organic. It mirrors the shape of the scars he burns onto people's faces as "the mark of Kaine." There are big spikes or fins on his forearms and shins, like he's trying to copy Batman. Those details are all molded onto the figure, and even painted a lighter blue than the dark base of the suit. There may be a reason Kaine wore this suit, but there's less explanation for why he pairs it with a cape. It's raggedy and tattered, and features one more spike/fin on the left shoulder. It's molded from solid plastic, here, which really seems like Hasbro just teeing up an opportunity for those fans who make softgoods accessories for action figures. The cape and the strap that runs around his chest are two separate pieces, to make fitting them on the toy easier. The cape is a very vibrant magenta, which really contrasts against his otherwise-dark costume. This body may be new, but the articulation is the usual: swivel/hinge ankles, double-hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, swivel waist, hinged chest, swivel/​hinge wrists, double-hinged elbows, swivel biceps, swivel/​hinge shoulders, hinged pecs, hinged neck, and balljointed head. If they could do swivels that cut straight through the thigh, they could have done the same for his shins, even with the big spikes there; just cut them in below those. The toy includes fists or open hands, but no othe accessories. The open pair are a decent way of representing Kaine's tendency to grab people by the face to burn them. The "burning" thing is actually Kaine's version of Spider-Man's ability to stick to walls - when the clone started degenerating, Jackal began using it for various experiments, which ended up increasing all the usual spider powers: sticking to walls became a scarring touch, Spider-sense became visions of the future, and Kaine is at least twice as strong as Peter and Ben. Even when Kaine was exposed to the Anti-Venom symbiote, which cured his degeneration and allowed him to eventually become Scarlet Spider, he kept the enhanced powers. Since the only other figure of this costume was released in the 1990s in a less than accommodating manner, this is a welcome addition to the Marvel Legends ranks. -- 05/12/25 Which clone has had the best post-"Clone Saga" life? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.