NetEase Games has committed to introducing a new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet that hasn't deterred one imaginative player from crafting his own vision of a playable Doctor Octopus. Reddit user WickedCube recently astonished the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing rough gameplay from NetEase's highly popular hero shooter. At first glance, the footage appears to center on a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended midair in what looks like a testing room. However, it's more than that; Marvel fans will immediately recognize this eight-armed figure as a raw, Marvel Rivals-inspired rendition of the classic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus.
We need more vanguards, so i made one (Doctor Octopus)
byu/Wickedcube inmarvelrivals
Though the animation is a bit stiff and slightly comical, the resemblance to Doc Ock is undeniable. Upon closer inspection, you'll notice a well-considered concept of what Doctor Octopus might look and move like if NetEase decides to add Otto Octavius to Marvel Rivals. WickedCube's creation enables the character to "fly" by magnetizing to nearby structures, a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The rough concept even includes named abilities such as Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged moves. Garnering over 16,000 upvotes at the time of writing, this fan-made project is impressive, playable, and crafted entirely by one individual.
"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."
"I thought, 'Since I can't play right now, why not make it myself?'" said WickedCube, an indie game developer from India. Previously, he worked with Space Engineers studio Keen Software House before leaving in January 2024 to focus on his own project. Since then, he has been seeking contract work and prototyping mechanics, which usually sidelines character development. However, creating a controllable version of Doctor Octopus in Unity presented a challenge that spurred him on. The final push came from an unexpected source: 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 response to his creation has been overwhelmingly positive, with thousands of players appreciating his take on Doc Ock and some even urging NetEase to consider adding him to the game. WickedCube finds the reception "incredibly rewarding" and would be thrilled if NetEase adopted some of his ideas for an official Doctor Octopus character. Although 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 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 robust start surpasses many competitors, yet comic book enthusiasts continue to see Marvel's vast universe as brimming with potential.
WickedCube's viral project was inspired by the community's call for more Vanguard, or tank-like characters, in the game. While 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 affecting NetEase's U.S. team in Seattle and learn why the studio isn't addressing rumors about planted hero leaks.
