NOTICE: This list was significantly altered on 7-8-23.
Welcome back to “Supervillain Spotlight”, where I look at some of the best stories involving Spider-Man’s many rogues! Today we’ll be taking a look at the web-slinger’s second greatest antagonist:
Everyone’s favorite science squid, Otto Octavius a.k.a. Dr. Octopus/Doc Ock! Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1963, the multi-armed madman has since gone on to be Marvel’s second best villain to possess the title of “doctor” (you can guess who the first is). As the wall-crawler’s second greatest adversary just behind The Green Goblin, comic book readers have been treated to many excellent stories starring the not-so-good doctor. So let’s take a look at what I consider to be his ten greatest!
10.) Creatures Stirring
by Gerry Conway and Sal Buscema
On Christmas Eve, a thoroughly lonely Doctor Octopus makes his way to Aunt May’s house in the hopes of not having to be alone on this special day. However, when Peter Parker sees his longtime foe outside of his aunt’s home, he naturally assumes the worst and a fight ensues.
The Ock/May “relationship” has always been an odd piece of the spider-mythos, but it really works here. Aunt May really is the only person who has ever shown Otto any kindness and sincerity and not viewed him as a monster. Because of this, Otto seeks her out not for some villainous scheme, but because he simply doesn’t want to be alone on Christmas. It just goes to show that supervillains are people too, even ones as ruthless as Doc Ock.
09.) And Death Shall Come
by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.
Spider-Man’s current battle with Doctor Octopus soon devolves into tragedy as Captain George Stacy is unfortunately caught in the crossfire.
Out of Doc Ock’s many evil deeds, the killing of George Stacy is easily one of his most heinous–and it was a complete accident! During his fight with Spidey, he accidentally smashes a nearby chimney and the debris ends up being what kills George! Despite not meaning to, one really has to wonder just how much pleasure Ock took in the torment he ended up causing his most hated foe–intentional or otherwise.
08.) A Small Loss
by John Byrne
After the Invisible Woman is hospitalized after being exposed to a deadly radiation, Mr. Fantastic is at a loss on what to do as radiation is not his expertise. However, there is one man in the city that happens to be a renowned expert in the field of radiation: Otto Octavius! If Reed Richards hopes to save the life of his wife and unborn child, he must enlist the aid of the not-so-good doctor. But will the dreaded Doctor Octopus be willing to commit such a selfless act?
Aside from the novelty of seeing Doctor Octopus and Mr. Fantastic interact, this comic is great because it shows that despite his ego and ruthlessness, Otto isn’t completely devoid of empathy. His interactions with Reed are really interesting as the team leader does everything he can to convince the mad scientist to help him in his time of greatest need.
07.) Cold Arms
by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr.
After corrupt businessman Luke Carlyle steals his mechanical tentacle designs and makes some upgrades, Doctor Octopus pursues the thief all the way to Hollywood! Unfortunately for them, Peter Parker also happens to be in Hollywood attempting to reconcile with his wife Mary Jane. Three-way fight incoming!
Cold Arms depicts Doc Ock in a somewhat more sympathetic light as he is only out to reclaim what was taken from him and not hurt any civilians. His banter with Carlyle is also very entertaining as the younger and faster crook underestimates his older but more experienced adversary. The action is great as Spider-Man, Otto and Carlyle all battle one another until two of them finally come to a temporary truce and team up to take down the other. Can you guess which ones? Probably not, actually. Other highlights include stellar character drama between Peter, Mary Jane and Aunt May–as well as a rather humorous interaction between May and Ock.
06.) Negative Exposure
by Brian K. Vaughan and Staz Johnson
Daily Bugle photographer Jeffery Haight has had little success in his career due to always being upstaged by Peter Parker. Seeking fame and recognition above all else, Haight is willing to go to extremes just to get his photos published on the front page. Doctor Octopus, recently incarcerated, takes notice of this and figures Haight could be useful to him…
Doc Ock’s role as a master manipulator is on full display here as he twists Haight’s desire for success into something dangerous in order to suit his own purposes. Aside from being a brilliant physicist, Otto Octavius appears equally adept at human psychology and knows just which buttons to push in order to get what he wants. Other than the excellent portrayal of Ock, Negative Exposure also calls Peter’s photography career into question as it acknowledges that secretly taking pictures of himself for profit isn’t always the most moral thing to do.
05.) Spider-Man vs. Doctor Octopus
by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
After a radiation experiment goes horribly wrong, Dr. Otto Octavius is transformed into the villainous Dr. Octopus! Has Spider-Man finally met his match?
Doc Ock makes quite the first impression in his initial appearance as he defeats Spidey so thoroughly that the youthful protector actually considers giving up a mere three issues into his own series! The dreaded doctor’s arrogance and genius are also shown as he single-handedly takes over a nuclear power plant and places the city in such danger that the government is forced to call The Human Torch to come deal with the madman! As far as first appearances for Spidey rogues go, this is one of the best.
04.) Dying Wish
by Dan Slott, Richard Elson and Humberto Ramos
While on his deathbed from a fatal brain tumor, Doctor Octopus pulls off possibly his greatest feat yet: switching bodies with his greatest enemy, Spider-Man! Now trapped in the failing body of his multi-armed nemesis, our hero must find a way to reclaim his own body from the devious doctor before what little time he has left runs out.
In his entire publication history, this is easily Otto’s crowning achievement. Not only has he placed his hated rival in an impossible position, he now possesses his body and all of his memories! Peter Parker being trapped in Otto Octavius’s quickly fading vessel as he desperately attempts to find a way to reclaim his own before it’s too late is easily one of the tensest scenarios the character has ever been placed in. Throughout the entire arc, we’re actually not sure if Peter will succeed or not. And without spoiling it, the ending is a very bold move that opens the franchise up to an intriguing (if temporary) status quo.
03.) An Obituary for Octopus
by Tom DeFalco and Ron Lim
Doctor Octopus once again escapes incarceration and appears more determined than ever at accomplishing his seemingly nefarious goals. As Spider-Man sets out to stop the dreaded doctor, we are treated to various flashbacks involving Otto Octavius’s past and the events that lead him to his villainous path.
Otto has never been more fleshed out as a character than he is here. After decades of being one of Spidey’s most deadly (and popular) adversaries, readers are finally given a proper origin for the character. Said origin is very gripping as it almost serves as a mirror to Peter Parker; both were unpopular outcasts who were scorned by their peers at ever turn. But the biggest difference is that Peter had a warm, loving home environment to keep him on the straight and narrow. Otto…not so much. The twist ending to the story, while not too shocking if you’re paying attention, is still very effective and further humanizes Doc Ock in a way readers haven’t seen.
02.) The Master Planner Saga
by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
After Aunt May falls deathly ill, there is only one rare, special serum that can save her life. Unfortunately, this serum has recently been stolen by Doctor Octopus, no going under the guise of “The Master Planner”. More determined than ever before, Spider-Man sets out to retrieve the serum and save his aunt’s life no matter the cost.
This marks the first (but not final) instance in which Doc Ock uses the Master Planner title. Rather than being a deranged scientist, Ock is now portrayed as a true criminal mastermind who remains one step ahead of his enemies. While Peter Parker’s determination and spirit are the real stars of the show here, this is still one of the best uses of Doc Ock as one of his regular schemes becomes intensely personal for the arachnid.
01.) The Owl/Octopus War
by Bill Mantlo and Al Milgrom
While Doctor Octopus is engaged in a deadly gang war with The Owl, The Black Cat steals a nuclear bomb from the two and seeks out Spider-Man for protection. Enraged, Doc Ock is determined to get his property back…by any means necessary.
This is is it. Ock is at his most ruthless, most evil, most maniacal and most deadly in this story here. Fed up with his constant failures, Ock is determined to destroy all of New York out of spite and he will not let anyone stand in his way. Both The Owl and The Black Cat are administered the beatings of their lives at the deranged doctor’s hands (or tentacles). The Owl/Octopus War also contains what is easily the best and most personal battle between Spidey and Ock to date. Both are enraged at the other; Spider-Man for the cruel beat-down Ock gives The Cat and Doc Ock for…well read the arc for yourself. You’ll see.
So what did you think? Did I leave out any great ones? Let me know in the comments below!
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@Hornacek: I remember a story in which Ock and Norman worked together for a while. But Norman murdered Ock’s former gf, to “help” him empathize with something-or-another. Ock went nuts (understandably, in that case) and tried to kill him. Interesting that the Previous Writer (TPW) never referenced that old piece of continuity at the end of SSM. I.e., as a psychological reason Ock expected failure at saving his gf Anna Maria, because Norman had done it before and Ock had failed either to save her or gain revenge.
Ock doesn’t fare too well when he’s up against Norman.
I would have rated Doc Ock Wins a little higher, and Negetive Exposure a little lower, but mostly i can’t really argue with it. I had no interest in superior, but i guess others did, so i can’t argue there. I was ready to get really mad when i got to number two and didn’t see the Owl/Octupus war, which is my favorite Doc Ock, story, but there it was at number 1. Entertaining article as always.
01.) The Owl/Octopus War – How great is this story? Peter is so sure he is going to die in his final battle with Ock that the penultimate issue is just him going around talking to his friends and family, saying good-bye without really saying good-bye. When has that ever happened in a Spidey story?
02.) The Master Planner Saga – This is, of course, great. But the mystery of who the Master Planner is kinda falls apart in the middle, of the arc where we turn to the 2nd page and Stan/Steve decide to just tell the reader that it’s Doc Ock. It would have worked much better if we had found out when Spidey found out.
07.) And Death Shall Come – I wonder if Otto and Norman ever got together to try to one up each other. “Well *I* killed his girlfriend’s father!” “Oh yeah? Well *I* killed the girlfriend!” “… Touche.” Also, I’m surprised that Slott never retconned the boy that Stacey saved into being someone important in modern comics.
10.) Spider-Man vs. Doctor Octopus – I love how in that issue the Torch has been called in to take care of Doc Ock, but he has enough time before to go to Peter’s school and talk to the students – meanwile Doc Ock is running amok. This reminds me of the Superman III scene where Superman is affected by the “kryptonite” and he decides to hang out with Lana instead of going to save people, and tells her “It’s all right, I’ll get there in time – I always do.” I think Johnny actually says “I wore out my flames in a recent battle so I have to wait for them to recharge. It’s like he’s a videogame character who has to wait for his Health to reset (why yes, I’ve been playing the SM PS4 game for the past week).
@Stuart Green
I was actually debating whether or not to include “A Small Loss”, but ended up going with Doc Ock’s first appearance instead. I may have to read both issues back to back and decide which one belongs in the #10 spot. “Threat or Menace?” and “Creatures Stirring” are also great stories that didn’t quite make the list.
I would’ve left The Superior Spider-Man, Cold Arms and Negative Exposure off the list, I would’ve ranked Doc Ock’s debut issue, “Doc Ock Wins!” and “And Death Shall Come” higher on the list, and added onto the list “A Small Loss” (from “Fantastic Four”, vol. 1, #267), “Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?” (“The Amazing Spider-Man” Annual #15, where Doc Ock almost poisons all of New York) and “The Return of the Sinister Six” (“The Amazing Spider-Man”, vol. 1, #334 to #339, where Doctor Octopus blackmails Sandman into rejoining the Sinister Six, replaces Kraven the Hunter with the second Hobgoblin, and calmly deflects his teammates attacks and smokes a cigarette after betraying his teammates). I’d also include as an honorable mention “The Spectacular Spider-Man”, vol. 1, #173, #174 and #175. The Christmas story “Creatures Stirring” where Doc Ock wants to spend Christmas Eve with Aunt May and the following two-part story where Doc Ock holds M.J. captive while threatening to destroy the Daily Bugle are classic Doc Ock stories that are definitely worth reading.
Pretty solid. I’d rate Doc Ock wins a bit higher, although I’m happy to see it in the Top Ten at all.
From my end, the biggest exclusions would be two comics Spider-Man fans might not be aware of: “A Small Loss” from Fantastic Four #267 when Reed tries to get Doc Ock’s help when a pregnant Sue suffers radiation poisoning, and “Night of the Octopus”- a great Iron Man VS Doctor Octopus story from Marvel Fanfare #23-24.
“While it is admittedly silly that no one is able to tell that “Peter Parker” is clearly someone else, this is definitely one of the best examinations of Otto Octavius’s character out there. ”
Gotta disagree witht his hardcore.
This told us nothing new about Doc Ock and had him act immensely OOC.
Lets put aside all the OOC rapey stuff in the Superior…if Doc Ock’s mentality is he is superior to Spider-Man and always has been doesn’t literally becoming Spider-Man as the one and only way to beat him absolutely prove beyond doubt that no actually Spider-Man was always superior to him?
Then you have the dumb shit about him loving kids older stories actively contradict, the beyond broken storytelling of everyone needing a repeat prescription to stupid pills so they don’t act believably in front of Otto talking like a Saturday morning cartoon villain rather than how Doc Ock in the modern day would ever actually talk (let alone when he is TRYING to pretend to be someone else).
If you want an examination of Doc Ock done right check out DeFalco’s stories on him. Superior was/is/shall forever be a garbage fire of a story on virtually every level.
“Despite managing to do quite a bit of good”
What good?
“It’s also a lot of fun seeing Otto regularly interact with Peter’s supporting cast and Spidey’s various rogues.”
Fun? Frustrating that they are all out of character morons who can’t tell the obvious, eh same thing I guess.
“At 31 issues, The Superior Spider-Man definitely has its ups and downs, but it remains Doc Ock’s greatest victory over his sworn foe and most memorable feat to date.”
Doc Ock cloned his mind and took over Peter’s life for a little while before surrendering to the fact that he sucked.
And he was only able to get away with any of it because Peter was luckily ignoring his spider sense when the switch happened and even more luckily ignoring his common sense when he was in Otto’s body.
That isn’t much of a victory.