Doctor Octopus Concept by Marvel Rivals Player Wins Fan Approval

NetEase Games has committed to introducing a new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet that hasn't deterred one innovative player from crafting his vision of a playable Doctor Octopus.

Reddit user WickedCube captivated the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video that appears to showcase early gameplay footage from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the video features a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair within a testing room. However, upon closer inspection, Marvel enthusiasts will identify the eight-armed figure as a raw, Marvel Rivals-inspired rendition of the iconic Spider-Man antagonist, Doctor Octopus.

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

The video, though somewhat stiff and amusing, unmistakably captures the essence of Doctor Octopus. With a bit of imagination, viewers can envision how Doc Ock might navigate the game's world. WickedCube's concept allows the character to utilize his tentacles to magnetize to and maneuver around obstacles, essentially enabling flight when near stable structures—a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. This early version of Doc Ock includes named abilities such as Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged combat. Garnering 16,000 upvotes at the time of writing, this fan-made project is both impressive and playable, crafted single-handedly.

"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."

Motivated by the recent PSN outage, which prevented him from playing Marvel Rivals, WickedCube decided to take matters into his own hands. "While browsing Twitter, I came across some really cool Doc Ock fan art," he said. "I thought, ‘Since I can't play right now, why not make it myself?’" The India-based indie developer, who previously collaborated with Space Engineers studio Keen Software House, resigned in January 2024 to focus on personal projects. He's been seeking contract work and prototyping mechanics since then, making character development a rare focus. Creating a controllable Doctor Octopus in Unity presented challenges that fueled his creativity.

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

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

The community's enthusiastic response to WickedCube's creation has been "incredibly rewarding." He expressed willingness for NetEase to adopt his ideas should Doctor Octopus officially join Marvel Rivals. Although he doesn't plan to refine the design further, he aims to release a playable version 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."

Meanwhile, NetEase is set to introduce two new characters to Marvel Rivals this Friday: the Human Torch and The Thing, following their Fantastic Four teammates, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who debuted last month. This robust start showcases NetEase's commitment to expanding the game's roster, outpacing competitors in the genre. Comic book fans eagerly anticipate how Marvel's vast universe of heroes and villains will further enrich the game.

WickedCube's project stemmed from the community's call for more Vanguard or tank-like characters. While rumors of Otto Octavius joining the game remain unconfirmed, WickedCube is already brainstorming new heroes, including Nightcrawler and Professor Xavier from the X-Men.

"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 remarked. "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, featuring the new character releases alongside balance adjustments and gameplay enhancements. As we await the update, you can learn more about recent layoffs affecting NetEase's U.S. team in Seattle and the studio's stance on rumors about planted hero leaks.