Orphan Black Season 3 confirmed the identity of the original clone, and it was an unexpected twist. The hit sci-fi thriller series starring Tatiana Maslany follows the story of Sarah Manning, whose life took a dark turn after discovering that she is one of several genetically identical clones. At the core of Orphan Black's plot is Sarah and her clones' search for the truth about their creation and its conspiracy.
Season 3 raised the stakes because it introduced a whole new set of male clones from Project Castor as they go up against the Leda clones led by Manning. Orphan Black Season 3 dove deeper into the origins of the cloning program, leading Sarah to uncover that both male and female clones originated from the same sinister organization, Dyad Institute. Aside from this revelation, the series also pulled back the curtain on who the original clone is.
Created by Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, Orphan Black has a star-studded cast led by She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany, Dylan Bruce, Jordan Gavaris, Kevin Hanchard, Michael Mando, Maria Doyle Kennedy, and Ari Millen. The series premiered on March 30, 2013, and Season 3 was added on Netflix in September 2025.
Who Is The Original Clone In Orphan Black?
Orphan Black Season 3 Episode 9 showed Sarah Manning's journey to find out more about the truth about the clones. Her quest led her to the big revelation of who the original clone was, and it was none other than a woman named Kendall Malone.
Kendall Malone is the first confirmed "original clone" because her DNA was used to create both the clones from Projects Leda and Castor. In addition to being the clones' original genome, Orphan Black also confirmed that she is the biological mother of Siobhan Sadler (aka Mrs. S), who is also Sarah Manning's foster mom.
The tense confrontation in Episode 9 led Sarah to discover why Malone was chosen as the original source. She was a chimera, a human with two cell lines in a single body after she absorbed her twin brother in the womb.
This was a heartbreaking revelation because Kendall Malone was used merely as a pawn for the Dyad Institute's cloning efforts. Kendall's ties to Mrs. S also mean that she has biological ties to the Leda clones, particularly Sarah Manning and the rest of her sisters.
Kendall Malone's DNA Is Crucial to Orphan Black's Story
Kendall Malone's journey in Orphan Black Season 3 didn't end with the revelation about his status as the original clone. Instead, she became crucial to the overall plot, considering her DNA was the key to curing Cosima and the other clones of their autoimmune disease.
While she was hesitant to submit to the Leda clones' efforts to retrieve her DNA due to what the Dyad Institute had done to her in the past, Cosima's heartwarming reminder that Kendall's DNA helped her and the others live was more than enough for her to agree to save their lives.
Kendall's clear importance to the grand scheme of things made her a target that Sarah Manning, Mrs. S, and Cosima needed to protect from the forces of Dyad and Neolution. In the Season 3 finale, they mapped out a plan to create a safehouse for Kendall while Sarah went up against the evil forces of her brothers at Project Castor. Ultimately, Kendall lived to fight another day, setting up her critical role in Orphan Black Season 4.
