- “So, the chip in the back of Doc's neck was designed to protect his brain from the A.I. system that's controlling these tentacles. But if you look here... The chip is fried. So rather than him being in control of the tentacles, the tentacles are now in control of him. Which, I guess explains why... he is so miserable all the time.”
- ―Peter Parker to Norman Osborn[src]
Doctor Octopus (real name Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius), or simply Doc Ock, is a fictional supervillain in Marvel Comics. He appears in Spider-Man: No Way Home, portrayed by Alfred Molina, reprising the role from the 2002 film Spider-Man 2.
Dr. Octavius is a brilliant Oscorp scientist that created mechanical, intelligent tentacle-like arms, but suffered a lab accident. He survived his injuries and became a villain equipped with the arms, who is confronted by Spider-Man from his universe.
Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man's most prominent and dangerous enemies. He is one of the main antagonists of Ultimate Spider-Man, alongside the Green Goblin, Venom, Carnage, and Wolf Spider. A younger Doc Ock also appears as an antagonist and anti-hero in the subsequent Spider-Man cartoon.
Doctor Octopus was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Background
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Dr. Octavius is an Oscorp scientist who, in the universe of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, created mechanical, intelligent tentacle-like arms to handle radioactive material. However, upon trying to create a fusion generator in a public demonstration, he was gravely injured in a lab accident and the arms became melted onto his spine. He survived his injuries, though the inhibitor chip blocking the arms from controlling him was fried, turning him evil. Having lost the support to his project, Doctor Octopus started to commit crimes to continue funding his experiments, but was stopped by Spider-Man, who was able to convince him to sacrifice himself to destroy his experiment to save New York.
Ultimate Spider-Man
Dr. Octavius is an Oscorp scientist who was gravely injured in a lab accident. With the help of Norman Osborn, he survived his injuries, equipped with mechanical, tentacle-like arms on an apparatus to function and worked for Oscorp, to capture Spider-Man to use his powers for weapons.
Physical appearance
Ultimate Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus has a short height and is very pale, and also hunchbacked. Octopus has long black wet hair and wears red goggles. He wears a gray scientist suit, around his stomach he wears a mechanical device, which enables him to breathe, with four octopus arms attached to it.
Before the accident, Octavius claimed to have been handsome once as he saw his former face in the Hall of Mirrors.
When he was captured by Norman Osborn again, he was bald and his tentacles were removed has a new pair of goggles, which are silver in color with thin red lenses. Later on, his hair grew back and has his tentacles again, but still has his current goggles.
During the finale, he resembles his original look before the accident but had brown hair. He also wore red glasses and a yellow and green suit.
Personality
Ultimate Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus is a mad scientist that experiments with dangerous subjects, as shown when he created the symbiote. Although Doctor Octavius is always in his lab, after the first time chasing and capturing someone, he enjoyed and stated that he should have done it more often and that the thrill excites him. Octavius has shown to have no fear of getting in killed, shown to still chase after Spider-Man while water leaks into his lab. Although being insane, he feels the sadness after his accident, which caused him to change physically. Like a real octopus, Doctor Octopus is always hiding in the shadows, concealed in the cracks of his lab.
As twisted as he is, Doctor Octopus states that he has a form of honor, and always returns to repay favors to others who have helped him in the past. Understandably, however, he does not hold this code for those who double-cross him.
Powers and abilities
Ultimate Spider-Man
- Genius-Level Intellect: As a former scientist, Otto is very intelligent, capable of creating new and deadly creations like Venom.
- Radiation Specialist: Doctor Octopus is one of the world's leading authorities on nuclear radiation and its effect on animal physiology.
- Engineering: Doctor Octopus is a brilliant engineer and inventor. Due to his own ability and more recently due to having Peter's memories.
- Leadership: Doctor Octopus is a superb strategist and a charismatic leader.
- Nanotechnosis: As of season 4, he has complete control mental over an army of nano-machines, which he has utilized for mind control via infecting his nanites onto other's High-Tech Armors, technological manipulation, quick repairing, upgrading & assimilation.
- Tentacles: Doctor Octopus has four mechanical tentacles protruding from his back. These tentacles are strong enough to lift him above ground for mobility and can scale surfaces with them. Each tentacle is also equipped with electrocuting tasers and saw blades.
Weaknesses
Ultimate Spider-Man
After the accident, Doctor Octopus had a trouble with breathing and had a piece of technology equipped to him that enables him to breathe. If the holes are blocked Doctor Octopus can fall unconscious from the lack of air in his lungs. He is also unable to use his hands and legs, being very dependent of his bionic tentacles.
Appearances
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Spider-Man: No Way Home
- “The power of the sun in the palm of my hand.”
- ―Doc Ock[src]
Doctor Strange attempts to use magic to make Peter Parker's identity a secret again after it was revealed by Mysterio. However, Peter distracts Strange, corrupting the spell. As a result, Octavius is pulled from his home universe just before his death, creating a diverged timeline. He attacks the MCU Peter Parker after mistaking him for his own, and when he does not recognize the unmasked Spider-Man he initially assumes he must not be Peter Parker at all. Doc Ock's tentacles absorb some of the nanotechnology from the Iron Spider suit, unwillingly allowing Peter to control them and defeat him. Both are then attacked by Green Goblin (pulled from the same dimension as Octavius but from two years earlier), but are transported back to the Sanctum by Strange.
Octavius later reluctantly takes Peter up on his offer to cure the dimensionally displaced villains (Sandman from Norman and Otto's universe, along with Electro and Lizard from another), so Peter and Norman Osborn create a new inhibitor chip to stop his tentacles from controlling him. Octavius's sanity is restored, so he puts the stolen nanotech onto Peter's new suit, upgrading it, and offers his assistance in curing the others. When the Green Goblin personality takes over Norman, the other four villains betray Peter and Octavius, killing Aunt May in the process. Octavius is forced to flee the scene as Damage Control surrounds the apartment.
Octavius returns during the final battle at the Statue of Liberty. He initially pretends to be on the villains' side, but then betrays them and cures Electro. He then has a heartfelt reunion with his universe's Peter Parker.
Due to Doctor Strange's spell, a cured Octavius is transported back to his universe, possibly undoing his death.
Marvel Animated Universe
Ultimate Spider-Man
- “With great power, comes great fear and with great fear, comes great respect”
- ―Doctor Octopus during his last fight against Spider-Man.
Doctor Octopus is ordered by Norman Osborn to capture Spider-Man, and to create equipment to sell, so Octopus hires the Frightful Four to do the job. After the Frightful Four were defeated, he is scolded by Osborn and decided to not fail again.
Doctor Octopus sent an Octobot after Spider-Man to get a blood sample. Spider-Man crushed the Octobot, but not before it got a blood sample which the tiny Octobot brought to him. From the sample, Doctor Octopus created a symbiote, which unfortunately escaped to return to Spider-Man. After the symbiote seemingly was destroyed, Norman orders Octopus to create a stronger version of the symbiote.
Doctor Octopus soon learns that Harry Osborn became Venom with the symbiote abd keeps it a secret from Norman. Despite the dangerous effects the symbiote had on Harry, Osborn is still impressed with the symbiote and demands Octavius to make more symbiotes like it. Octavius agrees but tells Osborn he would need more time. Osborn objects, explaining that time was something he did not have.
Later, Octavius is scolded by Norman for his failures, so Octavius states that he would capture Spider-Man himself. After Norman mockingly sends him off on this mission, Octavius destroys his screens in rage and goes after Spider-Man. He confronts Spider-Man at an amusement park and starts a fight against the spider. After they bring their battle into the hall of mirrors, Octavius sees a mirror reminding of his past self, but is interrupted by Spider-Man's remark, allowing him to grab Spider-Man and electrocutes him into unconsciousness. Octavius brings him into his underwater lab to dissect him. He reports to Norman that he caught Spider-Man. However, Norman still mocks him for his efforts, so Octavius decides that he would take are of Spider-Man on his own and cuts the communications off. Before Octavius can dissect Spider-Man, the latter wakes up and fights against Octavius. Norman witnesses Otto's failed attempts to hild Spider-Man down and fires him. In the process, the lab blows up causing water to leak in and reach up to Octavius and Spider-Man. Octavius drowns but is saved by Spider-Man at the last minute when he throws him out of the lab to float up to the surface.

The Iron Octopus.
Soon, Doctor Octopus returns in an armor similar to that of Iron Man's, with the addition of the mechanical arms. After a two-versus-one brawl, Octopus is defeated. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Octopus is captured by Norman once again and is rehired, now restrained and refined to a recuperation tank.
Soon, Doctor Octopus is placed in a green, spherical, and movable version of the recuperating tank and is given new goggles, with his tentacles removed and his head shaved. Doctor Octopus begins his work by sending the Frightful Four at Spider-Man again. However, this was a distraction to capture Spider-Nab with his Octobots and take him to his new lair. After revealing that Venom came from Spider-Man's DNA, Octavius becomes engulfed in his own monologue, providing Spider-Man with enough time to escape. They battle once again, but Norman Osborn then tases Spider-Man. Octopus then retreats to a new battlesuit of squid-like design, and injects Norman with an experimental green serum turning him into the Green Goblin. As Spider-Man's team arrives, Osborn is forced to confront them. He sets fire to his own lab during the scuffle and attaches a control collar on the Golbin so that he could control the Goblin; however, the Goblin is able to tear it off and in the process incapacitate Octopus's battlesuit. Octopus is then thrown around by the Goblin with his battlesuit continually being smashed by the Goblin's fists. It was here that the Goblin notices that the team had retreated, and goes after them, leaving Octopus for dead.
In "The Lizard", Octopus later resurfaces alive and well, as he tries to re-obtain his serums in one of his labs. Spider-Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Curt Conners follow him and foil his plans, but Conners injects himself with one of the serums and transforms into the Lizard. The Lizard then hunts down Doctor Octopus to obtain more lizard DNA serum but Doctor Octopus refuses, noting that Lizard is losing his intelligence and becoming feral in the process. Lizard attacks him, forcing Spider-Man to briefly team up with Doctor Octopus to fight back. However, Doctor Octopus abandons Spider-Man in the middle of the fight.

Spider-Man taking off Doctor Octopus` tentacles.
In "The Sinister Six", Doc Ock recruits the Rhino, Electro, Kraven, and the Beetle to form the Sinister Six. He also abducts Connors and forcefully turns him into the Lizard, controlling with a device planted on the back of his neck to become a member of the Sinister Six. Spider-Man comes to Octopus' lab on Ryker's Island and is forced to fight the Sinister Six. The S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees soon arrive along with Iron Patriot and help defeat the Sinister Six, but Doctor Octopus uses this as the opportunity to inject Iron Patriot with Goblin serum and turns him back into Green Goblin. However, Goblin also lashes out on Doctor Octopus and departs with Spider-Man's captured teammates. Octopus also loses his control over the Lizard and his tentacles are incapacitated by Spider-Man. He is then locked away in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new headquarters along with the remaining Sinister Six members.
Months later, Octopus escapes from prison again with the Sinister Six now counting Scorpion in place of Beetle and they steal armored armor from Oscorp to increase their dangerousness. As they wreak havoc on Ryker's Island, the team of Spider-Man and Iron Patriot stand against them. Finding himself face to face with his former boss/torturer, Octopus calls him a fool trying to play the hero. After the Sinister Six immobilize Iron Patriot, Octavius removes his helmet and with pleasure combined with his old resentment against Osborn, injects serum into his neck, transforming him back into the Green Goblin. This ultimately backfires on Octopus when Green Goblin takes on the Sinister Six before going after his former minion and taunting him that he will always be his master.
When Hydra attacks New York, Octopus is freed by Arnim Zola with whom he has just teamed up and uses nanotechnology to give himself a new appearance in the image of Hydra. Around this same time, Otto gained a new enemy by the name of Scarlet Spider whom he had apparently tortured years before. He later tries to transform a Norman Osborn once again into a cured Green Goblin but it was without counting that Osborn had injected himself with a remedy to never become Green Goblin again. Afterwards, Octopus formed a new team of Super-Villains, including a Green Goblin from another dimension, Kraven, Electro, Hydro-Man, and a Rhino who only agreed to join the team because Octopus promised to make him human again. The mad scientist also creates a new symbiote named Anti-Venom, as well as a new variant of the Carnage symbiote that briefly invades all of New York.
Following the breakdown of his alliance with Hydra, Octopus and his team attack the Triskelions, leading to yet another conflict between them and Spider-Man's expanded team. During this confrontation, Scarlet Spider turns on Spider-Man and is revealed to have been a mole working for Octopus all along, with the mad scientist also being the one who gave him his powers. Scarlet Spider thus learns from Octopus that Spider-Man is Peter Parker and this prompts him to capture his Aunt May, an act which eventually causes Scarlet to turn on Octopus and destroy his Octopus Island, seemingly at the cost of Scarlet's life.
Later, Octopus returns to one of his old bases to complete his old synthezoid program. Her experiment catches the attention of Spider-Man, a Mary-Jane Watson now Spider-Woman thanks to the Carnage symbiote she controls, and a Scarlet who turns out to still be alive. It is during this fight that it is revealed that Scarlet is actually a synthezoid created by Octopus with Spider-Man's DNA. After unleashing the Spider-Slayers against his enemies, Octopus takes the opportunity to use nanotechnology from his old lab to gain a new, definitive human appearance healthier than the previous one and free of his paralysis before escaping once again.
As the S.H.I.E.L.D graduation is about to take place, Octopus breaks into Peter's house and gives him the choice to give up the Spider-Man mask or the consequences would be dire for his aunt. Later, Octopus attacks the Triskelion with the now Superior Sinister Six, encases the heroes in a force field, and finally defeats Spider-Man by stripping him of his powers. His victory seemingly assured, Octopus notices that Osborn is not present, so he immediately goes without taking it to Oscorp. With the help of Osborn, Peter regains his powers and faces one last time Octopus who injects himself with a serum to transform himself into a mutant octopus but his mutation ends up making him lose his mind. Spider-Man is able to return him to his human form and Otto ends up regretting his actions after Spider-Man realizes he has become evil because no one will ever respect him.
Marvel's Spider-Man
Doctor Octopus appears in the subsequent 2017 cartoon Spider-Man, voiced by Scott Menville. In this, he is far younger, being a student-teacher at Horizon High, not that much older than Peter Parker, who he butts heads with. Growing up, Octavius had a hard life between being picked on by a jock named Steve and having problems with his own father Torbert. In Season 1, during a science fair hosted by Tony Stark, Octavius showcases his own innovative invention: a mechanical harness with robotic arms which would help complete more complex experiments. However, thanks to an attack by Crimson Dynamo attempting to rob them, the resulting disaster and Otto's failed attempt to stop her causes his harness to be fused to his body.
Peter convinces Otto to make the best out of his situation and suggests he work together with Spider-Man, attempting to help him be a superhero. However, thanks to manipulation by Norman Osborn, Octavius becomes vengeful and villainous, turning the Osborn Commandos into the Sinister Six and christening himself as the supervillain Doctor Octopus. yet his plans are foiled by Spider-Man and Hobgoblin. In Season 2, Octavius' body falls into a coma and his consciousness ends up in cyberspace to remain alive before relocating himself into Spider-Man's body, adopting the Superior Spider-Man alias. Despite his original agenda, Octavius restores himself and Peter to their former selves after seeing the errors of his ways. Octavius dies by fading away into light particles after stopping the Goblin King using the Neuro Cortex leaving his tentacles behind. He is honored as a hero by the rest of the Spider Team, who attend his funeral along with Anna Maria and Max.
Trivia
- Alfred Molina, who plays Doc Ock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, originally played the character in the Spider-Man trilogy staring Tobey Maguire. It was also confirmed that he is actually the same version, appearing in the MCU immediately after his last scene in Spider-Man 2.
- Tom Holland was terrified of the character in the original film.[1]
- While Doc Ock’s tentacles were created using practical effects in Spider-Man 2, they are entirely digital in No Way Home.
- Doctor Octopus says "The power of the sun, in the palm of my hand" in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the same line he says in Spider-Man 2.
- In Penguins of Madagascar, one character is named Dr. Octavius who was an actual octopus.
Gallery
References
External links
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