Summary

admonition : Spoilers for Superior Spider - Man ( 2023 ) # 3 ahead!AsSpider - ManandDoctor Octopusteam up in the Modern iteration ofSuperior Spider - Man , the serial publication draws increasing parallels to Sam Raimi ’s portraying of Doctor Octopus inSpider - Man 2(2002 ) . As Doc Ock proceed to refine his experimentation with his tritium nuclear reactor , even more elements of his film counterpart are incorporated into his backstory , provide the classical film interpretation to live on in the comics .

Dan Slott , Mark Bagley , John Dell , and Edgar Delgado’sSuperior Spider - Man ( 2023)#3 sees Spider - Man take in Doc Ock ’s " Superior Spider - Man " character so as to infiltrate one of Doc Ock ’s hidden bases . wanderer - Man immediately recognizes the site as Doc Ock ’s honest-to-god Master Planner hideout , to which Doc Ock excuse his logical thinking for storing his tritium - base experiments there:“if [ they ] ever went critical , the river would drown [ them ] . "

This logic echoes the climax ofSpider - mankind 2almost gravel for rhythm , in which Doctor Octopus begs Spider - Man to lay off his experimental nuclear reactor from get going decisive by drowning it in the river .

Superior Spider-Man #2 Cover Banner

Doctor Octopus has unlock his Superior Spider - Man storage , including Spider - Man ’s secret identity ! What ’s the worst that could materialise ?

Superior Spider-ManIs a Love Letter To Raimi’s Doc Ock

This is n’t the first time thatSuperior Spider - Manhas overtly pulled its inspiration from Raimi ’s film . Doc Ock ’s compulsion with tritium is a major component part ofSpider - Man 2 ’s plot , and its return in this seriesmarks a renowned synthetic thinking between Doc Ock ’s film and comic book counterparts . While elements from other media being incorporated into comic canyon is n’t unheard of ( characters often take on new elan or fashion to match their celluloid edition ) , it ’s uncommon to see specific element from a specific film being integrated into continuity so many years after the fact .

consider that Raimi ’s version of Doc Ock was well received when he returned inSpider - Man : No Way plate , it make up sense that Marvel would look for to blend ingredient of the film rendering into his canonical history ( specially considering that this motion-picture show absorbed Raimi ’s trilogy into the MCU ) . This hint thatthis series is attempting to provide something for everyone : sports fan of the originalSuperior Spider - Man(2013 ) running play get to see the character return , fans of the films get their vision of Doc Ock validated , and lover of Spider - Man in world-wide get to see call - out to iconic moment from across the franchise .

Marvel Is Unifying Doctor Octopus' Many Selves

Both the originalSuperior Spider - ManandSpider - Man 2feature a more nuanced take on Doc Ock than that of the stock " mad scientist " : despite his high-handedness and cruelty , he has flashes of forgivingness that invigorate him to go to unimaginable length for the multitude he care for . By combining these elements , Marvel emphasizes the shift in the character from an irredeemable baddie tosomething closer to a true anti - bomber . By pulling from material across the entireSpider - Manfranchise , Doctor Octopus’skinder film incarnation is being seed into his comics - canon ego … albeit very , very lento .

Superior Spider - Man # 3 ( 2023)is available now from Marvel .

Superior Spider - Man#3 ( 2023 )

A man with nuclear explosions going off behind him in The Far Side.

invisible man

Doc Ock from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (left) and Otto from Marvel Comics (right)

Left: Spider-Man, in his Superior Spider-Man costume (a sleeker, black and red version with a red backback and silver bracelets) holds a glowing rectangle, commenting on how Doc Ock managed to synthesize an element more powerful than Tritium. Top Right: Doc Ock’s squat head represents him speaking in Spider-Man’s earpiece, saying that he kept the tritium experiments in an underwater base so that the river would drown them if they went critical. Bottom right: the leader of Dock Ock’s blue-and-red

Alfred Molina in Spider-Man 2

Peter Parker explains a convoluted flowchart documenting Doctor Octopus’s personal growth.

Superior Spider-Man #3 Preview page 1.