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This page refers to the first Doctor Octopus, Otto Octavius. For the second Doctor Octopus, see Lady Octopus. Dr. Otto Octavius, better known as Doctor Octopus is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man "Doc Ock," as Spider-Man often calls him, is a stocky, myopic man, supposedly modeled after pop singer Roy Orbison, who utilizes four powerful, mechanical appendages. A highly intelligent mad scientist, he is obsessed with proving his own genius and destroying his arch foe. Doctor Octopus is one of Spider-Man’s greatest adversaries, if not the greatest, rivalled only by the Green Goblin. He has been featured in most Spider-Man animated series and video games and was played by Alfred Molina in 2004’s Spider-Man 2.
Character biography Born in Schenectady, New York, Otto Octavius had a turbulent upbringing. His father, a factory worker, was abusive and violent towards both Otto and his mother, leading Otto to be shy and reclusive in school. However, at his mother's insistence, he was determined not to become like his father and threw all his efforts into his education, regularly scoring top marks. His father's death due to an industrial accident pushed him further towards the study of, and obsession with, physical science. Before his transformation into the megalomaniacal archenemy of the web-slinger, Otto was a brilliant and respected nuclear physicist, inventor, and lecturer. He had a girlfriend who he wanted to marry. His mother did not approve. When the woman died of cancer, Otto rebuked his mother, causing her to have a fatal heart attack. He then designed a set of highly advanced mechanical arms to assist him with his research into atomic physics. The tentacled arms were resistant to radiation and were capable of great strength and highly precise movement. They were attached to a harness that fit around his body. During an accidental radiation leak that ended in an explosion, the apparatus became fused to Octavius' body. It was later revealed that the radiation (or possibly his own latent mutation) had mutated his brain so that he could control the movement of the arms using his thoughts alone. The tentacles have since been surgically removed from his body, although Octavius retains the power to control them telepathically from a great distance. The accident also seemingly damaged his brain (although it was later suggested that what was interpreted as brain damage was in fact his mind rewiring itself to accommodate four extra limbs), and the scientist turned to a life of crime. Though Doctor Octopus himself is portly, in poor physical shape, and near-sighted to the extent that he is almost blind without the aid of his eyeglasses, with his harness attached he is physically more than a match for Spider-Man: in his first appearance he beat Spider-Man so badly that the wall-crawler considered giving up his heroic career, until he was inspired to continue by the Human Torch at the time when the Fantastic Four were called in to fight Doctor Octopus. Over the years Dr. Octopus has become one of, if not the, most identifiable member of Spider-Man's rogues' gallery. He remains one of Spider-Man's most dangerous foes, having many legendary battles with him over the years. His crowning achievement of evil was the near-fatal beating of Spider-Man's then-partner, the Black Cat, who was placed in critical condition and led to Spider-Man beating "Doc Ock" to within an inch of his life. The trauma of the beating he received from Spider-Man left Octavius afraid of Spider-Man and spiders in general for years, until Spider-Man was forced to let his nemesis beat him in combat so as to allow his nemesis to break free of his fears and recruit him to save New York City from an exploding nuclear reactor. Doctor Octopus has worked with other supervillains on several occasions, most notably as the leader of the original incarnation of the Sinister Six. He has been a member of other versions of the Sinister Six, and founded his own short-lived version of the Masters of Evil when his teammates from the Sinister Six proved too difficult to manipulate. Despite the obvious obstacles, Octavius was for a time on good terms with Peter Parker's Aunt May, whom he first met in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual During the Clone Saga, Doctor Octopus saved Spider-Man from certain death due to a poison injected by the Vulture. During the healing process he discovered the identity of Spider-Man and then allowed himself to be taken in by police, expecting to be saved by his accomplice Stunner. But Stunner was knocked out and Doc Ock was murdered by the insane Peter Parker clone named Kaine. Octavius' student Carolyn Trainer took over as "Doctor Octopus" until the original was resurrected by a branch of the mystical ninja cult known as the Hand. Upon his resurrection, it was revealed that he had no knowledge of Spider-Man's identity. The reason was that the memories he gained came from a computer chip provided by Stunner with his recorded memories; that recent memory had not been recorded at the time of his death. In recent years, Octavius attempted to create his own personal assassin in the form of a villainous mutated entity he dubbed "Spider-Woman", and was involved in a plot involving using prosthetic limbs as mind-control devices, to create an army of minions. He has also had to deal with another usurper, in the form of an arrogant young scientist and businessman named Carlyle, who pretended to employ Octavius at his company. This, however, proved to be a ruse, and Carlyle subdued Octopus and stole his technology, using it to create his own version of Octavius' harness. During a battle with Octavius and Spider-Man, Carlyle was defeated when Doc Ock ripped open his suit, causing a malfunction that seemed to disintegrate Carlyle's body. Dr. Octopus was taken into Ryker's Island and was drugged and brainwashed to take down the Green Goblin. He interrupted a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin on the Brooklyn Bridge, and the two villains were struck by lightning and fell into the river below. Octopus was dragged out days later with no memories of the event. In Sensational Spider-Man Powers and abilities Doctor Octopus has been hinted as being a low-level telepathic mutant, but no superpowers have been outrightly revealed. He is a bona fide genius in the fields of atomic physics, in which he holds a Ph. D in robotics. His harness is attached to four mentally controlled, prehensile metallic appendages. These arms are capable of lifting up to eight (8) tons each (this was originally three (3), but has increased as Octavius has perfected his arms over the years), provided at least one arm is used to support his body. The reaction time and agility of his mechanical appendages is enhanced far beyond the range attainable for normal human musculature. The arms allow Octavius to move rapidly over any terrain and to scale vertical surfaces and ceilings. He has developed his concentration and control to the point that he can engage a single opponent, like Spider-Man, or multiple opponents with the arms while performing a completely separate task, such as drinking a cup of coffee or constructing a machine. Harnesses Dr. Octopus has possessed a total of three different harnesses during his career: the original titanium harness, a more powerful adamantium harness, and the current harness, which was modified in 2004 to resemble the version seen in the movie Spider-Man 2. The original and adamantium harnesses were both destroyed in the Lethal Foes of Spider-Man miniseries. While wearing the harness, the arms are powerful enough to allow him to walk up sheer concrete walls and move quickly about. They are also used to grab items, both small and large, and as literal weapons in terms of being swung at objects and people like clubs. During the 1960s, Octopus's original harness was surgically removed, but he was still able to control it mentally, even at a distance. This power was initially explained as having been caused by the initial accident; Octopus and his arms were fused together mentally, as well as physically. In fact when the original harness was destroyed it caused Octavius excruciating pain. He was seen sweating profusely and screaming. Later stories suggest that Octavius possessed minor telepathic powers that gave him a direct mental link with his harness, a link he has duplicated with their successors. Ultimate Doctor Octopus In Ultimate Spider-Man, Doctor Octopus is introduced as Dr. Otto Octavius, a lab assistant to Norman Osborn, though secretly a spy for Osborn's business rival, Justin Hammer. He is caught in a lab accident (the same one that turns Norman into the Green Goblin), grafting his traditional metal arms onto his body. After this incident, he is able to communicate with these mechanical arms via telepathy. He modifies his arms to have the power to morph into different shapes, and then seeks revenge against Justin Hammer, but Spider-Man intervenes. Although Octavius is defeated by Spider-Man, Justin Hammer perishes due to a heart attack caused by Doctor Octopus attacking him. Afterwards, Octavius is brought into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody where he, along with Norman Osborn, form the Ultimate Six, comprised of some of Spider-Man rogues gallery and an unwilling Spider-Man himself. In a battle between the Six and the Ultimates on the White House lawn, Octopus is taken down by the Wasp. Octavius is separated from his tentacles and held in a different prison far away from them. Octavius later finds out that his ex-wife is giving the rights to use his likeness in the Spider-Man film. Outraged, he summons his tentacles from the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility and goes on a rampage, until he is once again stopped by Spider-Man. Back in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody, Nick Fury melts Doctor Octopus' mechanical arms in front of him and instructs the guards to watch the melting mechanism for at least an hour afterward to make sure the arms would not try to escape. However, in the 'Ultimate Hobgoblin' Arc, it was revealed that a spare set of arms existed within a bunker belonging to Norman Osborn. Plans for these remain to be seen. Visually, Ultimate Doc Ock is no longer fat and middle aged, but young and muscular. His arms are also different: he modifies them so that their ends are made up of nanobots, and thus can have various lethal accessories, transforming the three-pronged 'claws' into flamethrowers, taser, and machine guns. Also, the 616 Doc Ock wore glasses or sunglasses due to nearsightedness, and also as a styling accessory. The Ultimate Universe's version wears sunglasses to disguise horrible wounds inflicted on his eyes during the accident that created him, that leave him very sensitive to light. Marvel's January 2007 Solicitations revealed that Doctor Octopus will face Spider-Man along with Spider-Woman at the climax of the Clone Saga arc. His involvement in the cloning has yet to be explained. Doctor Octopus in MC2 In the MC2 alternate continuity, it is revealed that Doctor Octopus attacked the Daily Bugle shortly after the disappearance/retirement of Spider-Man, killing editor-in-chief Joseph "Robbie" Robertson. This motivates Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson to initiate "Project: Human Fly", an attempt to create a government controlled superhero. Mercenaries (later revealed to be in the employ of Doctor Octopus) attempt to steal the Human Fly suit, but are thwarted when Jameson's grandson takes the suit (the controls of which bond to the first user) and becomes the superhero The Buzz. The Buzz and Spider-Girl eventually apprehend Doctor Octopus, who falls into a coma from which he is not expected to recover. Later, the mantle of Doctor Octopus is taken up by Lady Octopus. Television Later, he became a member of The Insidious Six in the first two episodes of Season 2 and the five-part episode, Six Forgotten Warriors in Season 5, and one of the Kingpin's enforcers after the first episodes of Season 2, helping him commit crimes. He even came far as wiping out Spider-Man's memory and making him think the two were partners-in-crime. But thanks to Spider-Man's fangirl, Tiana, and a cabbie named Mousie, he got his memory back and was sent back to jail. He eventually became aware that Anastasia Hardy's husband, John Hardesky, was a cat burgular known as the Cat and used this information to blackmail Mrs. Hardy into giving him his money. But he was abducted by the Kingpin for Octavius to work for the crime lord again and his plans were not to reveal to the world that Mrs. Hardy's husband was a crook but merely use John Hardesky because he was jailed for knowing the super-soldier formula that created Captain America during World War II. After Hardesky was kidnapped, Ock was sent to kidnap Felicia to blackmail Hardesky if he didn't reveal the super-solider formula, she'll die. Hardesky revealed the formula and it was tested on Felicia, turning her into the Black Cat. His final appearance in the show was in the three-part "Secret Wars", in which he ruled an alien planet city renamed "Octavia". Unfortunately, it was stolen by Dr. Doom and renamed it New Latveria, forcing Ock to work for the Red Skull. When Doom absorbed the Beyonder's powers, Doom transported Alistair Smythe, the Red Skull and Ock even back to Earth with them gaining amnisea from the events. In the series finale of this show, despite Ock not appearing in it, Spider-Man was sent by Madame Web and the Beyonder to stop the evil Spider-Carnage from destroying all reality, helping Spider-Man was other Spider-Men from different realities. One of them had metallic tentacles like Ock and that Spider-Man explained it was a "souvenir from my last fight with Doc Ock". It is unknown if that Spider-Man killed or had Ock killed in his reality and stole his robotic arms after his seeming death, but it seems likely. In all of these episodes, Doc Ock was voiced by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., who gave the character a thick Germanic accent. Efrem also voiced the character in the Playstation and N64 Spider-Man game, as well as for a ride at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. Video games Doctor Octopus appears in almost every Spider-Man video game, many of which feature him as the game's primary antagonist. Film
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