Spider-Man Unveils New Doctor Octopus Design, As the Classic Villain Gets a Makeover

Doctor Octopus‘ new Ultimate design has been unveiled, giving the Spider-Man villain a whole new makeover. While the Green Goblin has become well-regarded as the Web-head’s nemesis, Doc Ock has proven himself to be one of his most formidable foes. Their genius minds have made them perfect rivals in the comics, and his debut in the new Ultimate Universe has given the villain a brand-new look.

In a preview for Ultimate Spider-Man #5 by Jonathan Hickman and David Messina, readers get to see Doctor Octopus before his accident that gave him his metallic arms. He appears much younger than fans would expect, working for Stane/Stark Industries as either an intern or an entry-level worker. He’s even shown working with Gwen Stacy as his superior.

This younger and more hip take on the character could make for a fascinating new direction for Doc Ock. It would allow him to bring interesting new ideas to the villain table that Peter likely wouldn’t expect in the heat of battle.

Ultimate Doctor Octopus is the Inverse of Peter Parker

Spider-Man and Doc Ock Swap Ages

The most interesting thing about this new take on Doctor Octopus is his youth. Otto has always been seen as older than Peter in the comics and other media. This gave his character an opportunity to be a mentor to Peter if their paths ever crossed, similar to their interactions in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation. By making Peter the experienced one of the two, while Otto plays a younger role in the Ultimate Universe, it paves the way for interesting battles between the two when Octavius dons his arms for the first time.

However, Ultimate Spider-Man does a terrific job setting up a fight between the two that prevents the new version of Doctor Octopus from being completely demolished by Peter, despite his age. Parker just recently became Spider-Man for the first time in this series, so the two will still be relatively inexperienced in the world of heroes and villains. Their first battle will ultimately still feature the Spidey and Doc Ock experimenting with new fighting styles to outwit the other.

Doctor Octopus Gets a Major Upgrade in Ultimate Spider-Man

Otto Has Access to Stark Technology

Unlike previous iterations of Doc Ock, his arms will likely not be made without influence from another entity. In this case, Otto is shown to be working for Stane/Stark Industries, which is run by new CEO Harry Osborn. Because of this, Otto Octavius has access to Stark’s infinite supply of weaponry and tech, including the arc reactor, which could give his arms a complete upgrade when he becomes the mischievous supervillain. Fans got a glimpse at what this would look like when he merged Peter’s Stark nanotech suit with his arms in Spider-Man: No Way Home, but now he will have complete control since Peter has no connection to Stark tech in this universe.

Doc Ock has become one of Spider-Man’s most notorious villains over the years with some of the most outlandish plots to rule the world that at times made no sense. However, with a whole new makeover, Doctor Octopus is set up to be Spider-Man‘s most devious villain yet as he prepares for his Ultimate debut.