WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #27, by Saladin Ahmed, Carmen Carnero, David Curiel and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
Miles Morales has entered his very own Clone Saga, and he's just learned where his doppelgangers came from and what they are after. This truth is revealed to the young Spider-Man after he destroys a lab being used by the clones, dooming them all to their collective demise in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #27.
After capturing Spider-Man, the clone leader, Selim, explained to Miles that vials of liquid in the lab were what the clones called their "cure," and they were the only thing capable of keeping them from completely decomposing eventually. While Spider-Man seemed shocked and didn’t know what they were talking about, Selim revealed how their origin tied into the villain known as The Assessor, who is currently commanding a villain who has merged with an Infinity Stone.
Selim explained that the Assessor was the closest thing the clones had to a father. He also said that every cruel and brutal thing the Assessor did to Miles, he also did to the clones, most of whom died after only a few weeks. After non-stop torture and experimentation, Selim helped his “brothers,” Mindspinner and Shift, escape. They were successfully able to find a cure to save and prolong their lives, but Miles inadvertently destroyed their serum when he rashly wrecked their lab.
When the Assessor first appeared in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #8 by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Garron, his purpose was unknown. He kidnapped Miles and tortured him, pushing him to the limit and almost killing him. Eventually, the Marvel Universe’s original adult Miles Morales appeared as Ultimatum and explained that he hired the Assessor to experiment on the younger Miles in search of a way to eliminate his other-dimensional counterpart. When Ultimatum had what he needed, he sent the Assessor away, and that seemed to be the end of the villain. However, while the clones are on the run, trying to stay alive, the Assessor is still working toward an unseen goal involving Quantum, who is currently one with the Space Stone.
In Marvel's "Infinite Destinies" crossover event, Iron Man and Spider-Man worked together to stop a Moloid invasion of New York City. After Miles told Tony Stark about the Assessor, Iron Man went after the Assessor and discovered that his principal henchman, Quantum, had an Infinity Stone embedded in his chest.
Just as Captain America and Nick Fury joined forces to find the individuals with the stones bonded to them in Captain America Annual #1 by Gerry Duggan and Marco Castiello, Iron Man takes on Quantum, whose teleporting powers make him a surprisingly formidable foe.
When Miles Morales faced the Assessor and Quantum before, he didn’t stand a chance against them. And now, he is in a battle with clones that the Assessor created, clones with various powers the villain manipulated and exploited to make them weapons. With his access to an Infinity Stone, the Assessor has become more powerful than Spider-Man realized. While Miles might understand that he's walking into a volatile situation, the fact that he might have to deal with an Infinity Stone-wielding villain means that he might need more than one Avenger's help.