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Doctor Octopus
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Creation & Design

Doctor Octopus was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, first appearing in The Amazing Spider-Man #3 in 1963. He was designed as a formidable foe for Spider-Man, with mechanical tentacles that enhanced his physical abilities.

Early Years

Initially portrayed as a brilliant scientist who suffered a lab accident that fused his mechanical arms to his body, Doctor Octopus quickly became one of Spider-Man's most iconic adversaries.

Character Development

Over the years, Doctor Octopus has evolved from a simple villain to a complex character with moments of redemption and depth, often exploring themes of power, responsibility, and the consequences of one's actions.

Cultural Reception

Doctor Octopus has been well-received as one of Spider-Man's greatest foes, often cited for his intelligence and unique abilities. He has appeared in various media adaptations, including animated series and films.

Character Details

Real Name:
Otto Octavius
First Appearance:
Amazing Fantasy #11
Aliases:
Doc Ock, Octavius
Species:
Human
Gender:
Male
Affiliations:
Sinister Six, Spider-Man, The Avengers
Abilities:
Genius-level intellect, Expert engineer, Telepathic control of mechanical arms
Equipment:
Mechanical tentacles, Advanced technology
Weight:
200lbs
Height:
5' 3"
Eye Color:
green
Hair Color:
brown

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Amazing Fantasy #11
Marvel ⋅ 1962
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Amazing Fantasy #11
 
Low
$40
Mid
$120
High
$400

Key Facts

Prototype of Doctor Octopus, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, published fifteen months before The Amazing Spider-Man #3, the first appearance of Doctor Octopus - character does not take human form in story

Amazing Spider-Man #3
Marvel ⋅ 1963
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Amazing Spider-Man #3
 
Low
$1.2k
Mid
$4k
High
$12k

Key Facts

1st appearance, cover and origin of Dr. Octopus

Debut of the 'Spider's Web' fan letters section

An editing error has Doctor Octopus mistakenly refer to Spider-Man as Super-Man

Amazing Spider-Man #11
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Amazing Spider-Man #11
 
Low
$310
Mid
$1k
High
$3.1k

Key Facts

2nd appearance of Dr. Octopus

1st appearance of Bennett Brant, later becomes Crime Master

Peter Parker uses a Spider Tracer for the first time to keep surveillance on Doctor Octopus

Amazing Spider-Man #12
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Amazing Spider-Man #12
 
Low
$175
Mid
$515
High
$1.8k

Key Facts

3rd appearance of Dr. Octopus

Reference to the creators of Spider-Man, Stan Lee and Steve Ditko are depicted on a sign advertising a fictional company called Leedit Inc. aka Lee Dit(Co.)

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
Marvel ⋅ 1964
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Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
 
Low
$410
Mid
$1.6k
High
$6.3k

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the Sinister Six: Doctor Octopus, Kraven, Vulture, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman

3rd appearance of Kraven, Vulture, Electro, Mysterio and Sandman

Reprinted in Marvel Tales #150

Character profiles of Dr. Doom, the Lizard and others

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Additional pages explain how Spider-Man's powers and gadgetry work

Amazing Spider-Man #31
Marvel ⋅ 1965
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Amazing Spider-Man #31
 
Low
$150
Mid
$650
High
$1.9k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Gwen Stacy

1st appearance of Harry Osborn

1st appearance of Miles Warren, later becomes the Jackal

First time Doctor Octopus is referred to as the Master Planner

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First use of the word 'Thwip' when activating Spider-Man's web-shooters

Amazing Spider-Man #55
Marvel ⋅ 1967
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Amazing Spider-Man #55
 
Low
$30
Mid
$120
High
$450

Key Facts

Iconic cover art by John Romita Sr.

Guardians of the Galaxy #28
Marvel ⋅ 1992
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Guardians of the Galaxy #28
 
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$1
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$2
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$3

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the fifth roster of the Masters of Evil, led by Dr. Octopus

Marvel Milestone Edition: The Amazing Spider-Man #3
Marvel ⋅ 1995
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Marvel Milestone Edition: The Amazing Spider-Man #3
 
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$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

Reprint of The Amazing Spider-Man #3, first appearance of Doctor Octopus

Marvel Milestone Edition corrects an error from the original where Spider-Man is referred to as Super-Man

Adventures of Spider-Man #12
Marvel ⋅ 1997
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Adventures of Spider-Man #12
 
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$1
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$2
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$8

Key Facts

Final issue featuring a team-up of Venom and Dr. Octopus

Amazing Spider-Man #546
2nd Print ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2008
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Amazing Spider-Man #546
 
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$1
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$2
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$10

Key Facts

Second printing

Amazing Spider-Man #600
Dynamic Forces ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2009
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Amazing Spider-Man #600
 
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$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

Dynamic Forces edition, limited to 3,499 copies

Vengeance #3
Marvel ⋅ 2011
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Vengeance #3
 
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$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

Cover art by Gabriele Dell'Otto featuring Doctor Octopus

Hawkeye #1
Variant ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2012
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Hawkeye #1
 
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$2
Mid
$8
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$20

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Pasqual Ferry

Cover art celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Amazing Spider-Man

Amazing Spider-Man #700
2nd Print ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2013
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Amazing Spider-Man #700
 
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$1
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$2
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$10

Key Facts

Variant second printing cover art by Humberto Ramos

Cover art inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man #300

Amazing Spider-Man #700
Marvel ⋅ 2013
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Amazing Spider-Man #700
 
Low
$1
Mid
$3
High
$12

Key Facts

Death of Peter Parker in Doc Ock's body

Doc Ock's consciousness becomes fully seated in Peter Parker's body

Doc Ock makes the choice to become 'Superior Spider-Man'

Avenging Spider-Man #15.1
Marvel ⋅ 2013
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Avenging Spider-Man #15.1
 
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$1
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$2
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$5

Key Facts

1st full appearance of the Superior Spider-Man - Doc Ock states "Doctor Octopus is dead. Long live the Superior Spider-man"

Debut of Superior Spider-Man costume, briefly seen in The Amazing Spider-Man #700 in a vision

Amazing Spider-Man #700
3rd Print ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2013
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Amazing Spider-Man #700
 
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$1
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$5
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$15

Key Facts

Third printing

Cover art inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man #100

Amazing Spider-Man #700
4th Print ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2013
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Amazing Spider-Man #700
 
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$1
Mid
$5
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$15

Key Facts

Variant fourth printing cover art by Ryan Stegman

Cover art inspired by The Amazing Spider-Man #400

Amazing Spider-Man #25
Marvel ⋅ 2017
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Amazing Spider-Man #25
 
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$1
Mid
$2
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$5

Key Facts

Debut of the new Superior Octopus, Hydra-inspired suit

Superior Spider-Man #1
1:500 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2018
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Superior Spider-Man #1
 
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$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

Variant cover art by John Buscema

Remastered edition

Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War #5
SDCC ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2019
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Marvel's Spider-Man: City At War #5
 
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$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Skan

San Diego Comic Con 2019 exclusive

Amazing Spider-Man #85
Non-Key
1:25 ⋅ Marvel ⋅ 2022
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Amazing Spider-Man #85
 
Low
$1
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$2
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$10

Key Facts

Variant cover art by Leinil Francis Yu

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