Doctor Octopus Joins Marvel Rivals: Fan-Created Concept Goes Viral

NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, but that hasn't stopped one innovative player from turning his vision of a playable Doctor Octopus into a reality. Earlier this week, Reddit user WickedCube wowed the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing what appears to be early gameplay from NetEase’s blockbuster hero shooter. At first glance, the footage centers on a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair within what seems to be a testing facility. However, a closer look reveals this to be a raw, Marvel Rivals-inspired rendition of the iconic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus.

We need more vanguards, so i made one (Doctor Octopus)
byu/Wickedcube inmarvelrivals

Although the animation may be a bit stiff and comical, the resemblance to Doctor Octopus is clear. With a bit of imagination, you can envision what Doc Ock might look like and how he could maneuver in the game if NetEase decides to include Otto Octavius. WickedCube's concept allows the character to navigate around obstacles using his arms to magnetize to surfaces, essentially enabling flight as long as he remains near a stable structure – a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The rough concept even includes specific abilities like Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged attacks. With over 16,000 upvotes at the time of publication, this fan-made creation is impressive, playable, and entirely the work of one person.

"Doc Ock has always been one of the coolest villains in Spider-Man, and his tentacles would be a challenge to implement," WickedCube shared, explaining his inspiration. "As far as I know, they haven't been fully implemented with playable 3D movement in a game before."

The idea to create this character came to him during a recent PSN outage when he couldn't play Marvel Rivals. "It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals," WickedCube said. "While browsing Twitter, I came across some really cool Doc Ock fan art. I thought, ‘Since I can't play right now, why not make it myself?’"

Doctor Octopus in the style of Marvel Rivals
.#MarvelRivals #MarvelRivalsfanart pic.twitter.com/d3XHXMZsCL

— CoryHarris.jpg (@LordDepis) January 26, 2025

The response to WickedCube's creation has been overwhelmingly positive, with thousands of players expressing their appreciation and some even urging NetEase to consider adding Doctor Octopus to the game. WickedCube finds the reception "incredibly rewarding" and would be thrilled if NetEase adopted some of his ideas for an official Doc Ock character. While he doesn't plan to refine the design further, he aims to release a playable version of the character soon.

"After seeing the response on Reddit, I want to share this and future concepts as a YouTube tutorial series," WickedCube added. "I also plan to open-source the code on GitHub and make the playable versions available on Itch."

NetEase is set to continue its Marvel Rivals post-launch strategy with the introduction of two new official characters this Friday: the Human Torch and The Thing. These heroes join their Fantastic Four teammates, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who were released early last month. This rapid expansion of the character roster is outpacing competitors, but fans are eager to see more of Marvel's vast universe of heroes and villains brought into the game.

WickedCube's viral project was inspired by the community's call for more Vanguard, or tank-like characters, in the game. Although there's no solid indication that Otto will appear in Marvel Rivals anytime soon, WickedCube is already brainstorming ideas for other potential heroes, including X-Men favorites Nightcrawler and Professor Xavier.

"The character roster at launch is large enough to keep the game enjoyable for a long time, and the rate at which they’ve promised to release new characters is mind-blowing," he added. "The designers clearly understand how to make a fun game, which, in my opinion, is the hardest thing to get right."

Marvel Rivals is gearing up for its Season 1 mid-season update on February 21, which will include the new character releases, balance changes, gameplay tweaks, and more. While we await the update, you can read about the recent layoffs at NetEase’s Seattle branch and learn why the studio isn't addressing rumors about planted hero leaks.