Doctor Octopus Concept by Marvel Rivals Player Wins Fan Approval

NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new hero to Marvel Rivals every half-season, yet that hasn't stopped one creative fan from bringing his vision of a playable Doctor Octopus to life. Reddit user WickedCube recently wowed the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing rough gameplay from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the footage appears to feature a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair in a testing room. However, keen Marvel fans will recognize this eight-armed figure as a raw, Marvel Rivals-inspired version of the iconic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus.

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

While the video may seem a bit stiff and goofy, the resemblance to Doctor Octopus is unmistakable. With some imagination, you can envision how Doc Ock might look and move in the game if NetEase decides to include him. WickedCube's concept allows the character to "fly" by magnetizing to and navigating around obstacles, a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The concept even includes named abilities such as Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged moves. At the time of publication, the post had garnered an impressive 16,000 upvotes, a testament to its popularity and the potential of this fan-made creation.

“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 India-based indie developer, who previously worked with Space Engineers studio Keen Software House before resigning in January 2024 to focus on his own projects, found himself motivated by the recent PSN outage.

“It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals,” WickedCube explained. “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 enthusiastic response from thousands of players has led some to urge NetEase to incorporate WickedCube's ideas into the game. WickedCube finds the reception “incredibly rewarding” and would welcome NetEase adopting his concepts should Doctor Octopus officially join the roster. While he has no plans to further refine the design, 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.”

NetEase is set to expand Marvel Rivals with two new official characters this Friday: the Human Torch and The Thing, following their Fantastic Four teammates, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who debuted last month. This strong start has outpaced competitors, but fans are eager to see more of Marvel's extensive roster of heroes and villains.

WickedCube's project was inspired by the community's call for more Vanguard or tank-like characters. Although no rumors suggest Otto Octavius will appear in the game 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 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 set to roll out its Season 1 mid-season update on February 21, which will introduce the new characters, balance changes, and gameplay tweaks. As we await the update, you can read more about the recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and the studio's stance on rumors about planted hero leaks.