Name: Doctor Otto Octavius

Supervillain Name: Doc Ock

Created By: Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Played By: Alfred Molina

Powers: Brilliant engineer/inventor, genius, strategist, telepathic control over the four mechanical arms he designed and wears.

Mini Bio: Otto Octavius grew up in New York under an abusive father and overbearing mother, bullied by his schoolmates and generally put down by the world until he reached M.I.T., where he excelled and graduated top of his class. He was soon hired by the U.S. Atomic Research Centre, where he would work with radiative substances. To help with his research, he built robotic arms, which gave him the nickname Doctor Octopus.

During an argument with his mother, she had a heart attack and died, leaving Otto filled with guilt and no outlet. He couldn’t focus on his work, which caused him to be bombarded with radiation during an accident. The radiation gave him a telepathic link to the mechanical arms and turned him into a megalomaniac. He was taken to hospital immediately after the accident, but when he woke, he took the hospital staff hostage, forcing them to get equipment so he could continue his work. This would be where he and Spider-Man first fought, and it would not be the last time either.

To try and defeat Spider-Man, Doc Ock created the Sinister Six, a team of villains consisting of Elektro, Mysterio, Kraven The Hunter, Vulture and Sandman, to help him defeat the hero. Spider-Man, naturally, still defeated the team, leaving Doc Ock to attack Peter Parker again and again and again, always failing and ending up imprisoned.

When he discovered he was dying, Ock managed to kidnap Peter and transfer their brains, so he could live in Peter’s body. He retained all of Peter’s memories, and so was able to fool everyone into thinking he was Spider-Man. It wasn’t until the two battled, and Peter forced Ock to relive all of Peter’s worst memories, did Ock change them back. The experience inspired him to change, and he promised to become a better person, and a better Spider-Man, than Peter.

First Comic Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man issue 3 (1963)

Most Common Team Ups: Sinister Six, Thunderbolts

Comic Recommendations: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) by Stan Lee, The Superior Spider-Man (2013) by Dan Slott