NetEase Games has committed to introducing at least one new Marvel Rivals hero every half-season, yet this hasn't deterred one imaginative player from crafting his own concept for a playable Doctor Octopus.
Reddit user WickedCube recently captivated the r/MarvelRivals community with a 30-second video showcasing what appears to be early gameplay footage from NetEase's popular hero shooter. At first glance, the clip features a pre-Hulk Bruce Banner suspended in midair within a testing room, but it's actually a rough, 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, though somewhat stiff and quirky, unmistakably captures the essence of Doctor Octopus. With a bit of imagination, viewers can envision how Doc Ock might look and move in Marvel Rivals, should NetEase decide to include Otto Octavius. WickedCube's concept allows the character to navigate around obstacles using his arms, effectively enabling flight as long as he remains near a stable structure—a crucial feature in a game with destructible environments. The concept even includes named abilities such as Havoc Claw for melee attacks and Wrecking Grip for ranged moves. With over 16,000 upvotes at the time of publication, this fan-made creation is both impressive and fully playable, crafted 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, explaining 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, an indie game developer from India, decided to take matters into his own hands. Previously associated with Space Engineers studio Keen Software House, he left in January 2024 to focus on personal projects. Despite typically prioritizing mechanics over character work, the challenge of creating a controllable Doctor Octopus in Unity spurred him on. The final push came from seeing impressive Doc Ock fan art on Twitter.
Doctor Octopus in the style of Marvel Rivals
.#MarvelRivals #MarvelRivalsfanart pic.twitter.com/d3XHXMZsCL— CoryHarris.jpg (@LordDepis) January 26, 2025
The community's enthusiastic response to WickedCube's creation has been incredibly rewarding, with many fans urging NetEase to consider adding Doctor Octopus to the game. While WickedCube has no plans to further refine the design, he aims to release a playable version soon and share his process through a YouTube tutorial series. Additionally, he plans 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 robust start positions Marvel Rivals ahead of its competitors, tapping into the vast potential of Marvel's universe.
WickedCube's project was inspired by the community's call for more Vanguard or tank-like characters. Although there's no indication that Doctor Octopus will appear in the game anytime soon, WickedCube is already brainstorming other potential heroes, including Nightcrawler and Professor Xavier from the X-Men.
“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, which will introduce the new characters, balance changes, and gameplay tweaks. In the meantime, you can learn more about recent layoffs at NetEase's Seattle branch and why the studio isn't addressing rumors about planted hero leaks.
