NetEase Games has committed to introducing a new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet this hasn't deterred one inventive player from crafting his own vision of a playable Doctor Octopus.
Reddit user WickedCube recently stunned the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video that appears to showcase early gameplay from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the footage seems to depict a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair within a testing room. However, keen-eyed Marvel fans will quickly recognize this eight-armed figure as a rough, yet inspired rendition of the iconic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus, tailored for Marvel Rivals.
We need more vanguards, so i made one (Doctor Octopus)
byu/Wickedcube inmarvelrivals
The animation may be somewhat stiff and quirky, but the resemblance is undeniable. With a closer look, you can appreciate WickedCube's well-thought-out concept of how Doctor Octopus could potentially look and navigate within the game. His design allows Doc Ock to magnetize to and maneuver around obstacles, effectively enabling him to "fly" as long as he remains near a stable structure—a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The concept also includes specific abilities like Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged moves. With over 16,000 upvotes at the time of publication, this impressive, playable creation was made by WickedCube alone.
“Doc Ock has always been one of the coolest villains in Spider-Man, and his tentacles pose a unique challenge to implement,” WickedCube shared, revealing his inspiration. “To my knowledge, they haven’t been fully realized with playable 3D movement in a game before.”
Unable to play the game due to a recent PSN outage, WickedCube decided to take matters into his own hands. "It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals," he explained. While browsing Twitter, he stumbled upon some impressive Doc Ock fan art, which sparked his idea. “Since I can't play right now, why not make it myself?” he thought. The India-based indie game developer, who previously worked with Space Engineers studio Keen Software House, resigned in January 2024 to focus on his own projects. He's been exploring contract work and prototyping mechanics since then, making character creation a less common focus. Nevertheless, the challenge of bringing Doctor Octopus to life in Unity motivated him to push forward.
Doctor Octopus in the style of Marvel Rivals
.#MarvelRivals #MarvelRivalsfanart pic.twitter.com/d3XHXMZsCL— CoryHarris.jpg (@LordDepis) January 26, 2025
Thousands of players have since praised WickedCube's Doctor Octopus concept, with many urging NetEase to consider adding him to Marvel Rivals. WickedCube finds the community's response "incredibly rewarding" and is open to NetEase adopting his ideas if Doctor Octopus officially joins the game. Although he doesn't plan to refine the design further, he aims to release a playable version soon.
“Inspired by the Reddit feedback, I plan to share this and future concepts through a YouTube tutorial series,” WickedCube said. “I also intend 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 rapid introduction of new heroes sets a strong pace, but comic book fans are eager to see more of Marvel's vast universe explored in the game.
WickedCube's project stemmed from the community's call for additional Vanguard or tank-like characters. While there's no solid rumor about Doctor Octopus joining the game soon, WickedCube is already brainstorming ideas for other potential heroes, including X-Men favorites Nightcrawler and Professor Xavier.
“The initial character roster is substantial enough to keep the game engaging for a long time, and the promised release rate of new characters is astonishing,” he noted. “The designers clearly know how to craft a fun game, which is the toughest part to master.”
Marvel Rivals is gearing up for its Season 1 mid-season update on February 21, featuring the new character releases, balance adjustments, gameplay tweaks, and more. In the meantime, you can read about the recent layoffs affecting NetEase's U.S. team in Seattle and learn why the studio is dismissing rumors about leaked hero information.
