Ultimate Spider-Man confirms long-awaited original Spidey villain debuts in May

Marvel’s wildly popular Ultimate Spider-Man continues to grow with the final confirmation of Doctor Octopus’ Ultimate debut.

We’ve seen some big changes in Ultimate Spider-Man‘s origin, which has kept Uncle Ben alive and established Peter becoming Spider-Man as an adult rather than a teenager. One of those changes is Harry Osborn, who is a new, heroic Green Goblin.

But it’s not all roses for Harry, with many believing he just signed a death warrant. Now it looks like he may be going down the same dark path as his father, Norman.

New preview pages from Marvel confirm it’s Harry who brings Otto Octavius, also known as Doctor Octopus, into the fold in the upcoming Ultimate Spider-Man #5.

Marvel Comics

Many suspected Doctor Octopus’ debut was only a matter of time before his name was featured on the cover art for Ultimate Spider-Man #7. These new pages confirm Otto’s arrival and his ties to Harry, potentially setting up Doctor Octopus to be the first traditional Spider-Man villain Peter will encounter.

Traditionally, Doctor Octopus has the distinction of being the first true superpowered villain Peter fought as Spider-Man and the wake-up call that he wouldn’t spend his days as a superhero lazily pounding muggers into the dirt.

Infamously, a 1999 retcon in Spider-Man: Chapter One tried to make Otto and Peter’s origins one and the same, attempting to set up the explosion that fused the metal tentacles to Otto’s spine as the same one that released the spider with bit Peter.

The original Ultimate Spider-Man introduced Doctor Octopus in its second issue as a lab assistant working with Norman Osborn. Notably, a late reveal established that the Ultimate Doctor Octopus didn’t rely on the tentacles but rather had a ferrokinetic ability similar to Magneto’s, which allowed him to control metal.

How this new Doctor Octopus will gain his tentacles is anyone’s guess, though the preview page does feature them prominently.

Ultimate Spider-Man #5 hits stands on May 29. The next stop for Ultimate Spider-Man is May 4’s Ultimate Universe Spider-Man #1, which will be available in shops as part of Free Comic Book Day.