Warning: contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #84!
Marvel's Spider-Man franchise is undoubtedly the most popular superhero in Marvel's long catalogue of do-gooders in 2021, especially with the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home - but there's more than one webslinger in the world. Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly from the infamous Clone Saga in the 90s is now sharing the spotlight in the Spider-Man series (along with Miles Morales, though he has his own series). In Amazing Spider-Man #84, Marvel does its best to make audiences forget that Ben Reilly is a clone...but they ultimately fail.
In current comics continuity, Peter Parker is stuck in the hospital after recovering from a deadly radiation-based attack, courtesy of the U-Foes. While Peter is recovering, Ben Reilly suits up as Marvel's new Spider-Man. He's bankrolled by the Beyond Corporation, who gives Ben a high-tech suit, new gadgets, and funding (for the first time, a hero is actually getting paid to be Spider-Man). In addition, Ben receives a personal therapist and constant medical check-ups...and his latest is particularly eye-opening.
At the beginning of the issue, Ben comes face-to-face with a nightmare visage of Uncle Ben, seeing an image of him from Ben's childhood...meaning Peter's childhood. Ben feels "...overwhelmed that someone could believe in me so much...it makes me want to prove him right." Ben has a breakthrough - thanks in part to the special device on his forehead - but at the same time, Marvel has tipped their hand and let readers know that Ben Reilly and Peter Parker are not two different people.
Ben Reilly was cloned from Peter Parker while Peter was in college...meaning Ben Reilly shares all the memories with Peter up to that point. This includes his early childhood, the fateful spider-bite, the murder of Uncle Ben, his relationships with Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane, and more. Marvel has made a good effort to give Ben Reilly his own supporting cast, his own likes and dislikes, and even his own hair (he dyed it blonde to differentiate between himself and Parker), but at the end of the day, he's still Peter Parker - just one who turned left in his life when the original Peter turned right.
Marvel wants to have its cake and eat it too; they want Ben Reilly to become his own character, but they're also reluctant to replace Peter Parker as the one true Spider-Man. The original plan of the Clone Saga - to replace Peter with Ben so the former could "retire" t0 raise a family with Mary Jane - never came to fruition. Perhaps in 2022 Marvel will revisit their original idea and replace one Spider-Man with another, finally satisfying the many fans of the character.