History ComicBook / DoctorOctopus

After the downfall of the Hydra Empire and the restoration of the true ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, he decides to try and abandon his superhero ways, seeking to set himself up as the heroic protector of San Francisco in ''Superior Octopus #1''.

* AnArmAndALeg: After putting the Black Cat in the hospital, Spider-Man was so consumed with rage, he tore Ock's metal arms off.

** Zigzagged as ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''. After the ComicBook/SpiderVerse incident ([[spoiler:where he discovers that Peter has regained his body and the Otto from Peter's ''present'' is dead]]), Otto created an AI copy of his psyche intending to retake Peter's body at a later point. [[spoiler:However, he later decided to contract Miles Warren to clone his old body and took over that instead.]]

* BadassBookworm: He's a nuclear physicist and skilled roboticist.

** Subverted in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon; Dock Ock is being ''forced'' to work as Norman Osborn's black ops scientist after his death was faked by Osborn, and he simply can't get out from under Osborn's thumb. Of course, by the time he does escape, he's so full of hate and rage that he decides to become a supervillain in his own right.
** Similar is done in the new ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' game. Otto, with Peter as his research assistant, starts off trying to create good-as-new prosthetics for the disabled, but [[ForegoneConclusion as is expected]], forces (namely, Norman Osborn and Otto's buried vitriol towards him for past sins) conspire to rob him of his [[SanitySlippage sanity]] and turn him into Doc Ock.

** Taken UpToEleven in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, where he depends on his cybernetic tentacles to get around because he was in an accident that rendered him ''a quadriplegic''. If it weren't for his arms, he'd be completely immobile from the neck down.

%%* {{Pride}}

* KilledOffForReal: In the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, by Norman Osborn.

* ArchEnemy: He competes with the Green Goblin and Venom in this regard to Spider-Man. Octavius has quite the resume: He is the first villain to defeat Spider-Man, the creator andleader of the Sinister Six, the first of the three to seemingly kill Spider-Man, the one that managed to take over his body and live his life, and the one that forced Peter to give up his worldwide company. He mainly had the role during most of the original Stan Lee run and the early hiatus when Norman Osborn was thought dead (although Jackal, Hobgoblin, and especially Venom fulfilled the role later on).

* BerserkButton: This didn't come up until ''Superior Spider-Man'', but Octavius HATES people who abuse or exploit children, as The Vulture found out when Octavius discovered he'd been working as TheFagin for a group of children in vulture suits. Prior to this, while he didn't really target kids or anything, he'd endangered some several times, notably in the fight that caused the death of Captain Stacy.

As of ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'', [[spoiler:it is revealed that Dr. Octopus' mind now resides within the Living Brain, stalkingly watching over Anna Maria. After teaming up with the Jackal during ''The Clone Conspiracy'' and temporarily inhabiting a clone version of his old body, he eventually betrayed the Jackal for insulting his love interest. Afterwards, he hijacked a new, powerful experimental clone body. He was then recruited by Armin Zola and ComicBook/{{HYDRA}} to aid in destroying Parker Industries, reinventing himself as the "Superior Octopus".]]

* CrazyPrepared: In the "Return of the Sinister Six" storyline Ock recruited the Sandman (who wasn't a criminal at the time) but because he was pretty sure the Sandman would likely turn against him - and he did - he took inspiration from a battle Sandman once had with [[TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]], and kept a weapon on him that could melt silicon and turn sand into glass, [[TakenForGranite which in-effect, petrified Sandman.]]

* DependingOnTheWriter: Much like Doctor Doom, Otto can be a NobleDemon AntiVillain in one story and a remorseless mass-murdering psychopath in another. Case in point, in 2002 both Paul Jenkins and Creator/JMichaelStraczynski (writing the titles "Spectacular Spider-Man" and "Amazing Spider-Man", respectively, both part of the mainstream canon) did a story with Ock as the villain; the latter has Ock pursuing a vendetta against an amoral corporate yuppie who stole his tech, but shows Otto going out of his way to save civilians (then leaving Spider-Man to die, because [[ExactWords "you're not a civilian"]]) and suggests what he really wants is [[CutLexLuthorACheck legitimate scientific and business success]]; the former portrays him as an utterly ruthless ManipulativeBastard professional criminal motivated entirely by ego and {{Greed}} who, in the words of Spidey, [[LackOfEmpathy (doesn't) care enough about anyone enough to hate them]], Ock responding with a "touché" before savagely beating on Spidey (remarking [[ItsPersonal he's an exception]]). His hatred of Spider-Man is the one consistent character trait, but otherwise he could be saving the innocent one minute and [[ComicBook/EndsOfTheEarth trying to kill all life on Earth out of spite]] the next.

** Similar is done in the new VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 game. Otto, with Peter as his research assistant, starts off trying to create good-as-new prosthetics for the disabled, but [[ForegoneConclusion as is expected]], forces (namely, Norman Osborn and Otto's buried vitriol towards him for past sins) conspire to rob him of his [[SanitySlippage sanity]] and turn him into Doc Ock.

* LargeHam

* FatalFlaw: '''Pride'''. Octopus can't stand the idea of anyone not acknowledging his genius, and is absolutely obsessed with proving himself at the greatest scientific mind in Marvel.

** While occupying Peter Parker's body as Superior Spider Man, Octavius found himself falling in love with Anna Maria Marconi.

* EmpoweredBadassNormal: After becoming [[{{ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan}} Superior Spider-man]], he has now brawn to match his brains.

* CigarChomper: [[GoodSmokingEvilSmoking Sometimes he's depicted as being a smoker]] having a taste for cigars; a notable example being his Sam Ramni incarnation.

* CharacterDeath: Technically, [[spoiler: the original Otto Octavius died at the conclusion ''The Superior Spider-Man'' in 2013, while the Otto that appears in all later appearances (except ''Spider-Verse'', which features a time-displaced Otto-as-Spider-Man) is an AI copy that has highjacked a powerful clone body. While the two are treated as one and the same, AI! Otto lacks the memory of Otto's final days.]]

** Zigzagged as ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''. After the ComicBook/SpiderVerse incident ([[spoiler: where he discovers that Peter has regained his body and the Otto from Peter's ''present'' is dead]]), Otto created an AI copy of his psyche intending to retake Peter's body at a later point. [[spoiler:However, he later decided to contract Miles Warren to clone his old body and took over that instead.]]

* BerserkButton: This didnt come up until Superior Spiderman, but Octavius HATES people who abuse or exploit children, as The Vulture found out when Octavius discovered he'd been working as TheFagin for a group of children in vulture suits. Prior to this, while he didnt really target kids or anything, he'd endangered some several times, notably in the fight that caused the death of Captain Stacy.
* BigBad: Of "If This Be My Destiny" and "Ends of the Earth". He is also this in a Five Bad Band sense seeing as he founded the Sinister Six and was the leader of almost every incarnation in stories that involved them.In a way he is this for Superior Spider-Man as the titular protagonist.

** Kaine murdered him at one point in the 90's, but he was resurrected by the Hand with the help of Carolyn Trainer and Angelina Brancale.

* EvilMentor: To both Carolyn Trainer (aka Lady Octopus) and Angelina Brancale (aka Stunner) two of the very small number of people to show UndyingLoyalty to him. He was also this to Peter himself in the[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries 1990's animated series]].

* HerrDoktor: In the [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries 1990's animated series]] and the ''VideoGame/SpiderMan'' video game he has a thick German accent (he was voiced by Creator/EfremZimbalistJr in both; that's right--Doctor Octopus is ''[[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Alfred]]'').

* WeUsedToBeFriends: In a few versions, most notably the 90's cartoon, Dr Otto Octavius encouraged a young Peter Parker's love of science, and told him to ignore those who would mock him. They werent exactly friends, but close enough that Octavius remembers who Peter is when they meet after he's become Dr Octopus.

* FatalFlaw: '''Pride'''. Octopus cant stand the idea of anyone not acknowledging his genius, and is absolutely obsessed with proving himself at the greatest scientific mind in Marvel.

Born in Schenectady, New York, Otto Octavius had something of an unhappy childhood. His father, Torbert, was abusive and violent towards both Otto and his mother Mary. Otto was determined not to become like his father and put all his effort into his education, regularly scoring top marks. Unfortunately, a combination of Otto's shyness and good school work got him labeled as a "teacher's pet" and he became a target of bullying. Otto eventually became a brilliant and respected nuclear physicist, atomic research consultant, inventor, and lecturer. One of his most iconic inventions was a set of highly advanced mechanical arms controlled via a mind–computer interface to assist him with his research into atomic physics. Unfortunately, there was an accidental radiation leak that ended in an explosion and those wonderful mechanical arms became fused to Octavius' body.

** Octavius' relationship with his mother was [[MyBelovedSmother unhealthy]] and complicated, but he did care about her. Her death saddened him.

* ForWantOfANail: A ComicBook/WhatIf story suggested that, if the radioactive spider had bitten Flash Thompson instead of Peter Parker, Peter would have averted Otto Octavius' StartOfDarkness.

* MyBelovedSmother: His mother was incredibly overprotective and smothering, presumably as a way to "make up" for his fathers abuse. As a result, Octavius grew up with an unhealthy attachment to her.

* CallingTheOldManOut: After his widowed mother makes him break things off with his fiancee, so he can take care of ''her'' instead, he catches her getting ready to go on a date. He calls her out for her hypocrisy, and as this is pretty much the first time in his life he's ever stood up to her, it gives her a fatal heart attack. All of these emotional problems weighing on him is why he doesn't notice the radiation accident until it's too late.

* ArchEnemy: He competes with the Green Goblin and Venom in this regard to Spider-Man. Octavius is the first villain to defeat Spider-Man, the first villain to take up an entire issue, the first villain to get his own two-part story, leader of the Sinister Six. Had the role during most of the original Stan Lee run and for most of the hiatus when Norman Osborn was thought dead (whenever the Jackal, Hobgoblin, or Venom didn't have the role).