NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet this hasn't deterred one imaginative player from crafting his own concept for a playable Doctor Octopus. Reddit user WickedCube recently captivated the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing what appears to be early gameplay footage from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the clip features a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair within a testing room, but it's actually a rough, Marvel Rivals-inspired rendition of the iconic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus.
We need more vanguards, so i made one (Doctor Octopus)
byu/Wickedcube inmarvelrivals
Though the animation is somewhat stiff and quirky, the resemblance to Doctor Octopus is undeniable. With a bit of imagination, you can envision how Doc Ock might look and move in Marvel Rivals if NetEase decides to include Otto Octavius. WickedCube's concept allows the character to navigate around obstacles using his arms to magnetize to structures, effectively enabling flight as long as he remains close to a stable surface—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 moves. With over 16,000 upvotes at the time of publication, this fan-made creation is both impressive and playable, 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."
The idea to create a playable Doctor Octopus stemmed from WickedCube's inability to play Marvel Rivals during a recent PSN outage. "It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals," he said. "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 WickedCube's creation has been overwhelmingly positive, with thousands of players expressing their appreciation and some even urging NetEase to consider adding Doctor Octopus to the game. WickedCube finds the reception "incredibly rewarding" and would be thrilled if NetEase adopted some of his ideas for an official Doc Ock 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 expand Marvel Rivals with two new official characters this Friday: the Human Torch and The Thing, following their Fantastic Four teammates, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who were introduced last month. This robust start positions Marvel Rivals ahead of its competitors, yet fans continue to dream of the vast potential within Marvel's universe of heroes and villains.
WickedCube's project was inspired by the community's call for more Vanguard or tank-like characters. While there's no solid indication that Otto will appear in the game anytime 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 noted. "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 the update, you can learn more about the recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and why the studio isn't addressing rumors about planted hero leaks.
