Dr. Octavius, aka Dr. Octopus, is one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains. Often portrayed as a brilliant but tormented scientist, Octavius engenders empathy rather than animosity. He turns to villainy not out of evil but self-preservation, using viciousness to hide from his own self-loathing. His tragic origin is beautifully depicted in Spider-Man: Miles Morales pays tribute to this portrayal by giving the tortured doctor a brief but poignant cameo.
Dr. Octopus has been adapted numerous times, but, despite his prevalence in pop culture, Insomniac made his sad journey feel new again. In Marvel's Spider-Man, Octavius is not just a suffering scientist; he is Peter’s mentor. Together, Peter and Octavius are trying to make a break through in limb prostheses by creating machines that directly link to patients' brains via a neural interface. Unfortunately, Dr. Octavius cannot catch a break, as he is routinely hassled by those in power, especially Norman Osborn. In college, Osborn and Octavius were best friends and mutually revered; they were known as the Os. They formed Oscorp together and even named the company after their nickname. But, eventually, Octavius got pushed out for not complying with Osborn’s questionable ethics. Well-meaning but routinely abused, Octavius snaps by the end of Marvel’s Spider-Man and turns on Peter, his beloved protégé.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales contains, in a way, a parallel story. Miles' best friend, Phin, is an altruistic scientist who succumbs to vengeful desires, much like Octavius. It is fitting, then, that Octavius’ appearance in Miles Morales occurs in a flashback that highlights Phin’s relationship with Miles.
Doctor Octavius’ Affecting Appearance In Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Near the Octavius' mechanical arms as Dr. Octopus. The lines are simple and quick, but the ion expressed by Octavius and Peter is palpable. They’re two friends who dream of saving the world, but instead their project leads one of them to ruin.
By reiterating the tragedy of Dr. Octopus, Octavius’ cameo also highlights one of the biggest flaws in Miles Morales: the lack of player investment in Phin. Throughout Marvel’s Spider-Man, players get to know Octavius. They see the richness of his character and feel the loss when his sanity breaks. However, in Miles Morales, the player barely gets to know Phin. Aside from the flashback in which Octavius appears, players never even see Phin prior to her time as the Tinkerer. That is to say, her relationship with Miles is established more by the game saying they were close than the player actually seeing it. Sure, they sizzle when they’re on screen together, and the acting is excellent, but the same kind of connection with the audience is never created. With Octavius, players experience the pain of his fall alongside Peter, but with Phin, players only feel her loss through Miles, since they never really get to know her.
The mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Miles Morales introduces Curt Connors and sets the stage for Harry Osborne, who is infected with a symbiote, to be released from treatment, implying that the series will continue to focus on personal, tragic villains. Hopefully, Spider-Man 2 will live up to the standard set by Octavius and let players see the full humanity behind these characters.