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 one creative player from bringing their vision of a playable Doctor Octopus to life. Reddit user WickedCube recently stunned the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second gameplay video showcasing a surprisingly polished prototype. The footage, seemingly from a testing environment, features a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended mid-air, but the true star is the eight-armed Doctor Octopus, a compelling interpretation of the classic Spider-Man villain within the Marvel Rivals framework.

While somewhat rough around the edges, the likeness is undeniable. WickedCube's Doc Ock concept boasts well-defined mechanics. His arms allow for magnetic traversal, essentially enabling flight near stable structures – a clever adaptation for a game with destructible environments. The prototype even includes named abilities: Havoc Claw (melee) and Wrecking Grip (ranged). With over 16,000 upvotes at the time of writing, this impressive creation, built entirely by one person, has captured the imagination of the Marvel Rivals community.

WickedCube, an indie game developer with experience at Keen Software House, explained their inspiration: “Doc Ock has always been one of the coolest Spider-Man villains, 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.” The project, born from a recent PSN outage and fueled by inspiring Doc Ock fan art, showcases WickedCube's talent and dedication.

The overwhelmingly positive response has led WickedCube to consider sharing their creation further. They plan to release a playable version and potentially create a YouTube tutorial series, alongside open-sourcing the code on GitHub and making it available on Itch.io.

This Friday, NetEase will release the Human Torch and The Thing, continuing their impressive post-launch momentum. These additions follow the recent launch of Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, showcasing a rapid release schedule that outpaces competitors. However, the vast potential of Marvel's universe continues to inspire fan creations like WickedCube's Doctor Octopus.

WickedCube's project highlights the community's desire for more Vanguard-class characters. While an official in-game Doc Ock remains unconfirmed, WickedCube is already developing concepts for other potential heroes, including Nightcrawler and Professor Xavier. They praised Marvel Rivals' design, stating, "The designers clearly understand how to make a fun game, which, in my opinion, is the hardest thing to get right.”

Marvel Rivals' Season 1 mid-season update arrives February 21st, bringing balance changes, gameplay tweaks, and the aforementioned character releases. While we await the update, recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and the studio's stance on hero leak rumors remain noteworthy developments.