Doctor Octopus has hatched a wild scheme to take over the multiverse, but one detail from his own past could well be his downfall.
Warning: Spoilers for Devil's Reign: Superior Four #1 ahead!
The super-genius villain Doctor Octopus has hatched a scheme that could give him ultimate power over the multiverse, but one flaw in his plan could take down Ock from the inside. Otto Octavius has always had a big ego, and now that Kingpin has gifted him access to the Fantastic Four's Baxter Building, it's bigger than ever. Ock has his plans set on universal domination and intends to bring variant Otto's together to accomplish his goal, reasoning that only variants of himself could be his equal. This assumption, however, could be what ultimately brings him down.
In the crossover series Devil's Reign, by Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto, Doc Ock has aligned himself with New York Mayor Wilson Fisk, and it has paid off in a big way. After helping the former Kingpin capture the powers of The Purple Man, Zebediah Killgrave, Otto was granted access to the Baxter Building. In the Doc Ock tie-in mini-series, Superior Four, by Zac Thompson and Davide Tinto, he immediately began using Fantastic Four tech to scour the multiverse for "superior" variants of himself — versions of Otto who have taken over the bodies of superheroes like the Hulk and Wolverine — and recruiting them into his plan to take over the multiverse. While a council of Otto's could certainly mean an end to the Marvel Universe as we know it, one key oversight could bring him down.
By going after the "superior" variants of himself, Otto is opening himself up to a run-in with a heroic variant who might look to take him down. When Otto Octavius took his "superior" form, it was in the body of Peter Parker, and he took on the moniker Superior Spider-Man. It was a well-laid plot by Otto to optimize his body to match his intellect, but it immediately backfired: sharing a mind with Peter Parker led him to turn toward heroics, often subconsciously, when put in a dire situation. Octavius even swore to protect Peter's loved ones, and followed through with it. If Otto is seeking out other variants that have merged minds with heroes, he could run into another Otto with heroic inclinations, and it could mean the end of his plans.
Doc Ock is one of the most iconic villains in the Marvel Universe, but a room full of him might be more than Otto can take. Not only does he have the looming threat of a rogue hero Otto, but any evil variant he corrals to his cause could ruin his plot. He's chosen Otto Howlett (Wolverine), Otto Blaze (Ghost Rider), and Otto Banner (The Hulk) to assist him in hunting down his variants, and in their first mission together, Howlett and Blaze have questioned his authority, while Banner is skeptical of Octavius' entire plan. Jamming more and more Ottos into one lab may bring some of the greatest minds in the multiverse together, it will also push their gigantic egos dangerously close together.
Doctor Octopus is yet again on the brink of universal domination, but it's likely the grandeur of his own plans will be his downfall. Since he became a six-armed supervillain, Otto has believed there is no mind superior to his, so it's only natural he would seek out his other selves to co-dominate the world. But the same ego that compelled him to create a council of Otto's could lead to an oversight that will bring his plans tumbling down. Doctor Octopus' fate will soon be revealed, though, as issue two of Devil's Reign: Superior Four hits shelves February 2022.
