NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet that hasn't deterred one inventive player from crafting their own concept for a playable Doctor Octopus.

Reddit user WickedCube captivated the r/MarvelRivals community this week with a 30-second video showcasing what appears to be early gameplay from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the footage captures a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair within a testing room. However, a closer look reveals a unique, eight-armed rendition of the gamma-infused scientist, clearly inspired by the iconic Spider-Man villain, Doctor Octopus.

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

The animation may be stiff and slightly comical, but the resemblance to Doctor Octopus is undeniable. With some imagination, you can see a well-considered portrayal of what Doc Ock might look and move like if NetEase decides to incorporate Otto Octavius into Marvel Rivals. WickedCube's concept allows the character to navigate around obstacles using his magnetic tentacles, effectively enabling flight near stable structures—a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The concept even includes specific abilities like Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged moves. With 16,000 upvotes at the time of writing, this impressive, playable creation was made by just one person.

“Doc Ock has always been one of the coolest villains in Spider-Man, and his tentacles would be a challenge to implement,” WickedCube explains, shedding light on his inspiration. “As far as I know, they haven't been fully implemented with playable 3D movement in a game before.”

Motivated by the inability to play during a recent PSN outage, WickedCube decided to bring his vision to life. “It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals,” he says. “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 overwhelming, with thousands of players expressing their admiration and some even urging NetEase to consider adding Doctor Octopus to the game. WickedCube finds the feedback “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 intends to release a playable version soon.

“[ttpp]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 the addition of two new characters, the Human Torch and The Thing, this Friday. These heroes join their Fantastic Four teammates, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who were introduced last month. This robust launch strategy is outpacing competitors, but fans continue to dream about the vast potential within Marvel's universe of heroes and villains.

WickedCube's project emerged from the community's call for more Vanguard, or tank-like, characters. While there's no strong indication that Otto will appear in the game soon, the designer 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 include the new character releases, balance changes, and gameplay tweaks. As we await the update, you can read about the recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and learn why the studio isn't engaging with rumors about planted hero leaks.