Last Edit: 7/5 - content, incorporating feedback.
• Sometime after the accident in his lab, Norman and Warren start an advanced cloning program - using Oscorp resources.
• Warren, a teacher, genius, and man of science leads the project, aimed at solving problems he sees in the world (organ transplants, genetic defects, etc.)
• Norman, sees cloning (and duplication) as a path to personal perfection and securing his legacy - as a visionary that lead Oscorp to new heights, as a method to exert control at the institution, and privately - as having the potential to return a version of his wife for Harry.
• Initial planning, based on theory, determines clones will have two independent components – an organic body and consciousness transfer – that must be successfully combined.
• After a promising start, the initial phase (using Osborn, Warren, Winkler) does not go well - samples do not form and/or decay rapidly.
• They set new test subject parameters, and Warren collects DNA samples from several students as part of an extra credit assignment.
• Like many students, Gwen Stacy - a bright student that helps run the student lab, submits a sample. Peter Parker does not (these aren't the cell samples, we saw Serba collecting, in the flashback from ASM #148).
• Like with the previous attempts, the new round of testing fails in much the same fashion - except for one sample; which turns out to be Gwen's. Warren has a theory for this.
• An excited Warren shares the positive results with Norman, and they detail out the technologies and processes the program will be run under.
• Norman secretly identifies, then researches Gwen to learn all about her (he'd want to make sure she's worthy, she's going to be spliced with his DNA, after all). While he loathes the idea of using "external" DNA, he is willing to make concessions based on previous conversations with Warren around the viability of his sample.
• They will need: The ability to create bodies, the ability to transfer consciousness to these bodies, and a way to store them long term w/ minimal decay.
• One team will focus on the bodies - lead by Warren. Another will focus on the mental duplication process and host transfer - led by Winkler.
• Winkler is aware of Stromm's research for duplicating his consciousness into a computer, and will use that profile as a baseline for integration with an organic host.
• Modification of consciousness (memories, personality.) is included as part of the process.
• Based on the initial findings - there will be three phases:
a. Phase 1: Building on the initial success with Gwen's sample - Warren will successfully grow a clone body, devoid of personality, from the successful “Gwen” sample.
b. Phase 2: Through reverse engineering of Phase 1 - isolate the "unique" Gwen traits (<1% of the sample used) and splice them into a new sample that previously failed to create a successful clone. Warren becomes the obvious choice, as Winkler, like Norman, showed poor results in the trials. Additionally - this clone will be used in the memory replication phases, which requires prolonged access to the original source.
c. Overcome Norman's unique issues through creation of a hybrid strain of Gwen/Norman DNA. Norman has proven impossible to clone due to his “accident” - so a considerable amount of external DNA (~50%) must be utilized to be successful. Using Gwen's sample, which has performed the best, is the obvious choice.
• A Phase 4 is also discussed, but not planned - the creation of a Norman clone that requires little "external" DNA; attempted once the previous three phases are complete, and other limitations are understood. The plans is to learn from the hybrids, then replace Gwen's DNA with "pre-accident" Norman sample at a level inline with Phase 2.
• Phase One progresses quickly through animal testing, and after repeated attempts - culminates in a perfect replica body being created. It shows no signs of the disintegration encountered on the others, and is kept in a stasis tank to be studied.
• Warren finds this specimen remarkable, and references it often - in meetings, discussions, etc.
• While Phase Two is running concurrently, and significant progress has been made - the pace is hampered by samples which are considerably harder to work with, and more prone to produce random anomalies.
• Phase Three is proving more difficult still, as Osborn's DNA is difficult to work with, requiring more and more external DNA and alterations to achieve the same progress.
• Discussions with Norman have provided some answers which aided in progress, but not to Warren's satisfaction. They have argued over how much "external" DNA will be required to create stable hybrids.
• The mind team has initially progressed quickly, adapting Stromm's work and building a working prototype of the memory control device which will duplicate, then transfer, consciousness from a computer to the clone bodies.
• The device is small, portable and at Norman's request, includes the ability to modify memory.
• Integration of body and consciousness proves to be difficult, unpredictable work. Many samples show signs of mental decay or differences in core personality not present in the originals. While memory modifications help with some of these issues, that method is not considered a permanent solution.
• Prior to his death, Winkler duplicates Warren’s consciousness to a computer, for use with integration experiments. His profile is studied and modified as needed.
• Unlike the Gwen clone, Warren has direct access to both the original organic sample AND original memory profiles – making the Warren clone (Phase 2) the primary focus for the integration phase.
• Citing espionage and security fears, Norman has had all reference to the project specifics removed from the lab, the experiments and Oscorp records.
• Winkler’s betrayal and death happen suddenly; which greatly impacts progress on combining the physical and mental components of the clones successfully.
• Citing rising expenditures and "The Winkler Incident", an internal review is quietly began at Oscorp. At this time - no known connection to Osborn is suspected or known.
• Norman panics, and begins zapping key personnel to ensure loyalty and remove details, putting distance between the project and Norman's involvement.
• Around this time a pair of Gwen/Norman clone bodies are completed, and monitored. To ensure maximum benefit - they are redundant and different gender, to ensure all potential variables are accounted for.
• The first successful Phase Two clone (Warren) – complete with memory - is completed.
• The physical decay process is much improved, now only happening after death. The mental duplication appears stable, but there are still concern around decay.
• A meeting between Warren and Norman goes very badly. Tensions have been escalating, with Norman quick to anger.
• They argue bitterly over Winkler's earlier conclusions around the mental limitations, the moral impacts - and Warren continues to grill Norman on his sample.
• Warren is confident stable memory can be obtained through a different process if other requirements that contribute to degradation are removed – like memory modification.
• Warren and Winkler previously identified that the memory transfer would disintegrate in line with the physical organic degradation – potentially leading to serious mental issues.
• Warren further hypothesized that the Gwen sample could be a blueprint for overcoming this deficiency - but cautions that even with time and Oscorp resources, the large amounts of DNA and direct, prolonged access to the donor would make pursuing it immoral and prohibitive.
• Winkler had agreed with Warren's assessment, but did not the conclusion. He believed the moral implications were marginal when compared to the potential benefits; likening the whole process to animal testing.
• Citing the Warren clone, and deeming the project successful, Osborn disbands the remaining experiments - choosing to focus on the mental decay issue.
•. Allison Mongrain will monitor lab, including the hybrid clones.
• Norman subdues Warren; using the memory modification machine (ASM #66) to remove his memories of the projects.
• Norman releases Warren’s clone from stasis, and after modifying its’ memories, releases it to pick up Warren’s life.
• Later – the Warren clone suffers some mental decay, as suggested, and recovers some trace of memories Norman had sought to remove. He starts to fixate Gwen – his “perfect specimen”, and research cloning.
• Warren is sealed in a stasis chamber - too important to kill, too moral to continue and too dangerous to release.
• With the team dispersed - the new female character creates several Warren clones to staff the lab.
• They are loaded with the modified consciousness from the existing template. The lab systems automatically monitor, and replace him - with updates gained from the data it reads.
• These clones continue to work towards solving the memory transfer and degradation problem.
• Later – Harry’s recreational drug use is discovered by Norman.
• Further problems begin to develop at Oscorp (a public company) which cast doubt on Norman's leadership - the cloning project (while hidden as other projects) is devouring resources, yet no commercially exploitable results (ie Patents) have been discovered.
• As the clones have developed, Norman has been withdrawing from Harry.
• Earlier testing had identified Harry (and others, such as Winkler) as a bad candidate for cloning, disqualifying him - like many others - due to genetic predispositions. Norman’s hope was Harry would eventually qualify – but believes drug use, specifically a mind altering substance like LSD - have made that impossible.
• In an attempt to “fix” the perceived problems caused by Harry’s drug problem, Norman uses the memory modifier on Harry. Harry responds poorly, winding up in the hospital – but ultimately recovering unchanged for the experience. His friends, whose only experience with drugs comes from watching Trainspotting...believe that coming down from a LSD trip is akin to kicking a heroin habit, and accept his reactions as normal.
• Norman is disgusted about the drugs, writing Harry off as weak minded and an unworthy heir who lets small things - like getting dumped by an unremarkable girl - rattle his confidence enough to seek escape in substance abuse ( he probally draws this conclusion while drinking scotch, smoking a cigar while soaking in a warm bath of Goblin Serum...) He has also backs away from the idea of eventually cloning his wife, instead focusing more attention on the twins potential - both as heirs and speeding up his own clone’s development.
• Growing more paranoid, he has the twin clones sent to a new facility in Europe.
• Cracking under the pressure of problems at Oscorp, the slow pace of progress with the clones, and his growing disappointment and resentment of Harry – Norman attempts to rewrite Harry in his image.
• Harry is programed him with massive amounts of "improvements" and instructions
• Harry responds to the reprogramming abysmally - a combination of being overloaded by the massive amount of data, drugs weakening his system, and his genetic predisposition.
• A drug relapse story is given, Harry is kept home - against his Dr's advice - and suffers permanent changes to his personality as a result.
• His legacy in jeopardy - Norman becomes unhinged, and the events in TNGSD occur.
• After kidnapping Gwen, Norman returns with her to the lab. Based on previous conversations with Warren and Winkler, he becomes convinced her involvement will jumpstart the lagging clone program, which, once fixed, would solve his problems at Oscorp.
• With help from the Warren clones, she is put into stasis – Warren’s original “blank” clone removed to take her (brief) place in the world.
• Norman picks a fight with Spiderman, where Gwen is “killed”, as planned
• Norman dies unexpectedly in the fight, later recovering and leaving for Europe.
• Gwen remains in stasis, at the lab, as part of the ongoing cloning efforts.
• Her involuntary involvement leads to the breakthroughs seen in later story arcs, and many of these breakthoughs contribute to Oscorp's renewed success - helping cement Norman's legacy as a great corporate leader.
Allison continues to monitor the lab, as Norman's proxy, until her untimely death - sending updates to the Europe location. This research enables the twins to eventually gain realistic, yet crafted memories. To date, no clone of Norman (post accident) has been known to have been created, and writing consciousness to a cloned host remains elusive.
This outline follows the ground rules, is researched and I think fairly comprehensive.