NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet that didn't deter one inventive player from bringing his vision of a playable Doctor Octopus to fruition.
Reddit user WickedCube amazed the r/MarvelRivals community earlier this week with a 30-second clip showcasing what appears to be early gameplay from NetEase’s blockbuster hero shooter. At first glance, the footage centers on a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner, hovering midair in what looks like a testing chamber—but there’s more to it. Marvel enthusiasts will identify this eight-limbed, gamma-exposed doctor as a rough, Marvel Rivals-flavored take on the classic Spider-Man foe, Doctor Octopus.
We need more vanguards, so i made one (Doctor Octopus)
byu/Wickedcube inmarvelrivals
The animation is a bit stiff and slightly silly, but the resemblance is clear. Look closely, and you'll find a thoughtfully designed concept of how Doc Ock might appear and move if NetEase ever decided to add Otto Octavius to Marvel Rivals. Using his mechanical arms to magnetically pull the player up and around obstacles, WickedCube’s creation effectively lets the character fly as long as he's near a solid structure—an important consideration in a game where environments can be destroyed. This rough Doc Ock prototype even includes named abilities like Havoc Claw for close-range combat and a ranged attack called Wrecking Grip. With 16,000 upvotes at publishing, it's an impressive, functional creation built entirely by one individual.
“Doc Ock has always been one of Spider-Man’s most compelling villains, and his tentacles would be tricky to translate into gameplay,” WickedCube tells us, explaining his motivation. “As far as I’m aware, they've never been fully realized with true 3D movement in a playable game before.”
“I thought, ‘Since I can’t play just now, why not build it myself?’”
The India-based indie developer previously collaborated with Keen Software House, the studio behind Space Engineers, before stepping away in January 2024 to focus on his own ventures. Since then, he's been seeking contract roles and experimenting with game mechanics, so character design isn't usually his main focus. Crafting a controllable Doctor Octopus in Unity posed several obstacles, but it was precisely this complexity that drove WickedCube to tackle the project. Another unexpected spark came from a recent PSN outage.
“It began when PSN was down and I couldn’t access Marvel Rivals,” WickedCube recalls. “While scrolling through Twitter, I saw some incredible Doc Ock fan art. I thought, ‘Since I can’t get into the game, why not create my own?’”
Doctor Octopus in the style of Marvel Rivals
— CoryHarris.jpg (@LordDepis) January 26, 2025
.#MarvelRivals #MarvelRivalsfanart pic.twitter.com/d3XHXMZsCL
The response has drawn praise from thousands of players for his Doc Ock concept, with some urging NetEase to recruit him. WickedCube describes the reaction as “deeply fulfilling,” noting that he would gladly welcome the studio borrowing from his ideas if Doc Ock were officially added to Marvel Rivals. Though he doesn’t intend to refine the model further, he aims to release a playable version in the coming months.
“After seeing the Reddit feedback, I’d like to share this and future ideas through a series of YouTube tutorials,” WickedCube added. “I also plan to open-source the code on GitHub and make playable builds available on Itch.”
NetEase is pressing ahead with its Marvel Rivals post-launch roadmap, officially launching two new heroes this Friday: the Human Torch and The Thing. Both characters join their Fantastic Four allies, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who debuted earlier last month. It's an exceptionally strong start, outpacing rival titles, but comic fans continue to eye Marvel's vast roster of heroes and villains as a well of untapped possibilities.
WickedCube’s post explains that his viral project originated from the community's desire for more Vanguard, or tank-style, heroes. Even the most persistent leaks haven't hinted that Otto might enter the game soon, but the creator behind this Doc Ock concept says he's already brainstorming ideas for other Marvel heroes. Two he has in mind are X-Men staples Nightcrawler and Professor Xavier.
“The starting roster is already robust enough to keep the game fresh for quite a while, and their promised rate of new hero releases is staggering,” he added. “The design team clearly knows how to craft an engaging experience—which, in my view, is the toughest part to nail.”
Marvel Rivals is scheduled to roll out its Season 1 mid-season update tomorrow, February 21. In addition to the new heroes, the patch will introduce balance adjustments, gameplay refinements, and more. As we count down to the release, you can catch up on recent layoffs affecting NetEase’s U.S.-based team in Seattle. You can also discover why the studio is dismissing speculation about deliberate hero leaks.
