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

NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new hero to Marvel Rivals every half-season, yet this hasn't deterred one inventive player from conceptualizing a playable Doctor Octopus. Reddit user WickedCube captivated the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing what appears to be preliminary gameplay from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the footage captures a suspended pre-Hulk Bruce Banner in what seems to be a testing environment, but there's more to it. Marvel aficionados will immediately recognize this eight-armed iteration of the gamma-infused doctor as a rough, yet inspired, rendition of the iconic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus.

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

The video, though somewhat stiff and humorous, unmistakably captures the essence of Doctor Octopus. A closer look reveals a thoughtfully crafted concept of how Doc Ock might move and appear in Marvel Rivals if NetEase decides to include Otto Octavius. WickedCube's design allows the character to magnetically navigate around obstacles, essentially enabling flight near stable structures, a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The concept even includes named abilities like Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged engagements. With 16,000 upvotes at the time of writing, this fan-made creation is not only impressive but also fully playable, crafted single-handedly.

WickedCube shared his inspiration, stating, "Doc Ock has always been one of the coolest villains in Spider-Man, and his tentacles would be a challenge to implement. As far as I know, they haven't been fully implemented with playable 3D movement in a game before." This project was born out of necessity when WickedCube, previously a developer at Space Engineers studio Keen Software House, resigned in January 2024 to focus on his own projects. A recent PSN outage further spurred his creativity. "It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals," he 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

Thousands of players have expressed their admiration for WickedCube's Doc Ock concept, with many urging NetEase to consider adding him to the game. WickedCube finds the community's response "incredibly rewarding" and is open to the idea of NetEase adopting his concepts if Doctor Octopus is officially introduced. 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," he 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 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 robust start positions Marvel Rivals ahead of its competitors, tapping into the vast potential of Marvel's universe of heroes and villains.

WickedCube's project was inspired by the community's call for more Vanguard or tank-like characters. Although there's no solid indication that Otto will appear in the game soon, WickedCube is already brainstorming 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 gearing up for its Season 1 mid-season update on February 21, which will introduce the new characters, balance changes, and gameplay tweaks. While we await these developments, you can learn more about recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and why the studio isn't addressing rumors about planted hero leaks.