A Marvel Rivals Player Created a Playable Doctor Octopus Concept and Fans Love It

NetEase Games' commitment to releasing a new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season hasn't stopped a talented player from creating a playable Doctor Octopus.

Reddit user WickedCube recently unveiled a 30-second gameplay video showcasing a remarkably well-realized Doctor Octopus within the Marvel Rivals engine. The footage, seemingly from a testing environment, features a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner. The eight-armed Doctor Octopus is a surprisingly accurate interpretation of the classic Spider-Man villain, exhibiting fluid movement and well-defined abilities.

We need more vanguards, so i made one (Doctor Octopus)
by u/Wickedcube in marvelrivals

The character's design is impressive, particularly his ability to use his arms to magnetize himself to structures, effectively allowing flight within the game's destructible environments. His abilities include "Havoc Claw" (melee) and "Wrecking Grip" (ranged). The post has garnered over 16,000 upvotes.

WickedCube, an independent game developer, explained his inspiration: Doc Ock's unique tentacle-based combat hasn't been fully realized in a 3D game before. The recent PSN outage and some compelling Doc Ock fan art provided the final impetus.

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

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

The overwhelmingly positive community response has encouraged WickedCube to share his creation process through a YouTube tutorial series and open-source the code on GitHub. He plans to release playable versions on Itch.io.

This Friday, NetEase will officially release the Human Torch and The Thing, following the recent addition of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. This rapid release schedule surpasses competitors, but the vast potential of Marvel's universe continues to fuel fan creations like WickedCube's Doctor Octopus.

WickedCube's project addresses the community's desire for more Vanguard characters. While there's no official word on a playable Doc Ock, WickedCube is already developing concepts for Nightcrawler and Professor X. He praises the game's design and the developers' understanding of fun gameplay.

Marvel Rivals' Season 1 mid-season update arrives tomorrow, February 21st, including the new characters, balance adjustments, and gameplay refinements. Recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and the studio's stance on hero leak rumors are also noteworthy developments.