NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new hero to Marvel Rivals every half-season, yet this hasn't deterred one imaginative player from crafting his own vision of a playable Doctor Octopus. Earlier this week, Reddit user WickedCube wowed the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing what appears to be preliminary gameplay footage from NetEase’s popular hero shooter. At first glance, the clip features a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended midair in a testing room, but it's actually a rough, yet recognizable, 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
The video, although a bit stiff and quirky, unmistakably captures Doctor Octopus's essence. With a bit of imagination, you can envision how Doc Ock might navigate the game world if NetEase were to bring Otto Octavius into Marvel Rivals. WickedCube's concept features Doctor Octopus using his arms to magnetically maneuver around obstacles, effectively "flying" when near stable structures – a crucial mechanic in a game with destructible environments. The concept also includes named abilities like Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged moves. With 16,000 upvotes at the time of publication, this impressive, playable prototype was created single-handedly by WickedCube.
"Doc Ock has always been one of the coolest villains in Spider-Man, and his tentacles would be a challenge to implement," WickedCube shared, revealing the inspiration behind his project. "As far as I know, they haven't been fully implemented with playable 3D movement in a game before." The India-based indie developer, who previously collaborated with Space Engineers studio Keen Software House, left his position in January 2024 to focus on his own projects. Amidst his search for contract work and prototyping new mechanics, character design typically isn't his top priority. However, the challenge of creating a controllable version of Doctor Octopus in Unity, combined with a recent PSN outage, spurred him into action.
"It all started when PSN was down and I couldn’t play Marvel Rivals," WickedCube explained. "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 community's response to WickedCube's Doctor Octopus concept has been overwhelmingly positive, with many fans urging NetEase to consider adding the character to the game. WickedCube finds the reception "incredibly rewarding" and is open to NetEase using his ideas if Doc Ock becomes an official part of Marvel Rivals. Although he doesn't plan to refine the design further, 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 characters this Friday: the Human Torch and The Thing, following the earlier launch of their Fantastic Four teammates, Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman. This rapid expansion of the roster sets a strong pace against competitors, but the vast Marvel universe continues to spark fans' imaginations for potential additions.
WickedCube’s project was driven by the community's desire for more Vanguard or tank-like characters. While no official announcements hint at Otto's inclusion anytime soon, WickedCube is already brainstorming additional heroes, including X-Men's 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 added. "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, introducing not only new characters but also balance changes and gameplay tweaks. As we await this 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.
