Slott Initiates Doc Ock's Final Scheme in "Amazing Spider-Man"

[CBR News]

In "Amazing Spider-Man" #698, writer Dan Slott kicked off the series' final arc with some big surprises. We spoke with him about the events of the issue and what they mean for the rivalry between Spidey and Doc Ock.


Full article here.

[Spidey616]

Still wondering if we'll be seeing Norman Virgil Osborn in Superior Spidey

[stillanerd]

Okay, I agree with Dan Slott when he says that, because Doc Ock was on the verge of dying, he now has a new lease on life by being in Peter's body and that he's going to take advantage of his new lease on life. Where I respectfully disagree with him is the idea that Doc Ock would be perfectly okay with pretending to be Peter and Spider-Man. Because Doc Ock is the quintessential megalomanic. He cannot stand being unappreciated and disrespected and demands that people recognize HIS accomplishments and genius, making them fear him if necessary. It wouldn't take very long for him to realize "Wait a minute...they're not respecting me. They're respecting Spider-Man. All I'm doing is enhancing his reputation while making myself be forgotten!" Unless Dan Slott has Doc Ock eventually realize this, I think his being a-okay with pretending to be Peter and living it up as him is dangerously close to being out-of-character.

I do appreciate that Dan made it clear that Doc Ock's personality is not in any way being altered or influenced by Peter's memories but rather he's merely taking advantage of them for his own selfish purposes. That he has no interest in Mary Jane other than immediate gratification which really ratchets up how much of creep he really is.

[0bsessions]

Okay, I agree with Dan Slott when he says that, because Doc Ock was on the verge of dying, he now has a new lease on life by being in Peter's body and that he's going to take advantage of his new lease on life. Where I respectfully disagree with him is the idea that Doc Ock would be perfectly okay with pretending to be Peter and Spider-Man. Because Doc Ock is the quintessential megalomanic. He cannot stand being unappreciated and disrespected and demands that people recognize HIS accomplishments and genius, making them fear him if necessary. It wouldn't take very long for him to realize "Wait a minute...they're not respecting me. They're respecting Spider-Man. All I'm doing is enhancing his reputation while making myself be forgotten!" Unless Dan Slott has Doc Ock eventually realize this, I think his being a-okay with pretending to be Peter and living it up as him is dangerously close to being out-of-character.

I do appreciate that Dan made it clear that Doc Ock's personality is not in any way being altered or influenced by Peter's memories but rather he's merely taking advantage of them for his own selfish purposes. That he has no interest in Mary Jane other than immediate gratification which really ratchets up how much of creep he really is.

All well and good, but I'll counter with the caveat that facing one's own mortality in the most immediate sense can completely upend your entire life view. I'm more than willing to take it at face value that Ock would reconsider his ego at this point.

[ViewtifulJC]

I just hope Slott stops writing Ock as this 1950s silver age caricature. His dialog has just been INCREDIBLY corny.

[One More Day]

Okay, I agree with Dan Slott when he says that, because Doc Ock was on the verge of dying, he now has a new lease on life by being in Peter's body and that he's going to take advantage of his new lease on life. Where I respectfully disagree with him is the idea that Doc Ock would be perfectly okay with pretending to be Peter and Spider-Man. Because Doc Ock is the quintessential megalomanic. He cannot stand being unappreciated and disrespected and demands that people recognize HIS accomplishments and genius, making them fear him if necessary. It wouldn't take very long for him to realize "Wait a minute...they're not respecting me. They're respecting Spider-Man. All I'm doing is enhancing his reputation while making myself be forgotten!" Unless Dan Slott has Doc Ock eventually realize this, I think his being a-okay with pretending to be Peter and living it up as him is dangerously close to being out-of-character.

I do appreciate that Dan made it clear that Doc Ock's personality is not in any way being altered or influenced by Peter's memories but rather he's merely taking advantage of them for his own selfish purposes. That he has no interest in Mary Jane other than immediate gratification which really ratchets up how much of creep he really is.

There's also the problem that no one respects Spidey in the MU

[stillanerd]

All well and good, but I'll counter with the caveat that facing one's own mortality in the most immediate sense can completely upend your entire life view. I'm more than willing to take it at face value that Ock would reconsider his ego at this point.

Sure, I'm not saying Doc Ock wouldn't get a tremendous high out of being in a younger, stronger, more attractive body. But notice that even on the verge of death, Doc Ock in no way relinquished his massive ego. If anything, it only increased it, as his two major master plans since then (taking over all of New York's electrical grid and creating orbital satellites to elevate the Earth's temperature) was all about "Look at me and how great I am!" That, to me, doesn't really square with someone who, unlike the Chameleon, would be in any comfortable pretending to be someone else, especially if that someone else, who also happens to be his mortal enemy, gets all the credit for what he does while pretending to be that person.

[stillanerd]

There's also the problem that no one respects Spidey in the MU

Not everybody disrespects Spider-Man, though. There's the Avengers for example, and Spidey is now regarded as a hero by and large because of his association with them. Also, Peter Parker gets a lot of love and respect now at his Horizon Lab job, from Aunt May, from Mary Jane, from his friends and family, etc. Certainly more than Doc Ock ever got.

[Joecooler2u]

Hey Spider-Man's been out of character since OMD. It's weird because if it wasn't for OMD and all I think I would really like Slott's work on Amazing Spider-Man. Doc Ock being out of character is secondary to Peter Parker/Spider-Man being out of character to me. Really who besides Quesada was calling for the marriage of Mary Jane and Peter Parker to be undone so they could keep Aunt May alive? I think Spider-Man/Peter Parker would be so much more interesting if Aunt May had died and stayed dead. She's a crutch for the character to never grow up and I guess that's what bugs me most. Most of the growth Spider-Man made over the years and during JMS's run in particular was done away by a deal with Mephisto Marvel's version of the devil. Have to admit though Slott is perfect for Spider-Man and if he ever gets the Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Mary Jane we all know back together (and no a Doc Ock/peter parker/Mary Jane doesn't count as having them back together in my eyes) and married (and undoes all the mess of OMD) you can count me in. As it is I am checking out the title on occasion and especially now and got to say I respect what Slott is doing though it feels perverse. I have to believe it can't last longer than the changes to Captain America, Batman and Superman during their "deaths". For me the title is so much better with the current art. No offense but I can't get into Ramos's work. I'm guessing when the Amazing title makes an eventual return that Ramos will be on that title. I'm as close to back following Spider-Man as I can be without them undoing OMD. If they do that and have great artwork like the current issues you can count me in.

[neverender]

Ock (Peter) is not looking good in that preview.

[stillanerd]

BTW, Newsarama has also continued their interview with Slott about Amazing Spider-Man #698 and Superior Spider-Man, in which Dan Slott reveals that, yes, the Miquel tweet was indeed a red herring:

Newsarama: Dan, let's talk to whatever extent we can about Superior Spider-Man, and that tweet to Ryan Stegman about Miguel O'Hara that caused a good deal of discussion on whether it was an actual mistake or an intentional misdirection. Based on your comments, can we assume the latter?

Dan Slott: I think it was either a horrible mistake, or a terrible red herring. [Laughs.]

But you have to admit, Albert, if someone were to put up that tweet, at say, midnight on a weekend, leave it up for two minutes, and delete it, knowing that out of their followers, someone would take a screencap of it — that person would have to be an evil genius. An evil genius full of bravado. [Laughs.] And modesty.

Nrama: Noted. So have you enjoyed reading the various theories on who Superior Spider-Man might be, Miguel O'Hara or otherwise?

Slott: Yes. I like the theories that use characters that we've never shown through the entire "Big Time" run. Those are my favorites. Because I would so do that — I would totally use a character that we've done no set-up with whatsoever. That would so be in my wheelhouse!

The same kind of person who would post that — "It should really be this guy, from issue #327, that we haven't seen in five years!" — is the same kind of person, in a parallel universe, that if I did use that character, would be the first to post, "Lame!"

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dan-...pider-man.html

[One More Day]

BTW, Newsarama has also continued their interview with Slott about Amazing Spider-Man #698 and Superior Spider-Man, in which Dan Slott reveals that, yes, the Miquel tweet was indeed a red herring:



http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dan-...pider-man.html

Looks like it's Phil Urich or Alpha if it's not Ock as the Superior Spider-Man. Btw have you seen the midtown comics variant for ASM 700 - SSM 1? Looks amazing!

[stillanerd]

Looks like it's Phil Urich or Alpha if it's not Ock as the Superior Spider-Man. Btw have you seen the midtown comics variant for ASM 700 - SSM 1? Looks amazing!

Indeed I have. And not only are they amazing, it kind of fuels my suspicion that spoilers:

Either Doc Ock will be the new Spider-Man, or that the Superior Spider-Man is actually Peter and Doc Ock merged into one person a la DC's Firestorm.

end of spoilers

[One More Day]

Indeed I have. And not only are they amazing, it kind of fuels my suspicion that spoilers:

Either Doc Ock will be the new Spider-Man, or that the Superior Spider-Man is actually Peter and Doc Ock merged into one person a la DC's Firestorm.

end of spoilers

Yeah it's a stunning cover, showing the web of life between the two interwoven in a tug of war. Perhaps now that Dr. Strange is the new Sorcerer Supreme, perhaps he's going to cast another mediocre deus ex machina spell to fix what Ock did in 698 but screw up...

[classicgmer]

Indeed I have. And not only are they amazing, it kind of fuels my suspicion that spoilers:

Either Doc Ock will be the new Spider-Man, or that the Superior Spider-Man is actually Peter and Doc Ock merged into one person a la DC's Firestorm.

end of spoilers

Yes sir & to me the January solicit for DareDevil pretty much confirms that one way or that like you say either Ock is the Superior Spider-man OR it's a meld of him & Peter's personalities.



DAREDEVIL #22
MARK WAID (W) • Chris Samnee (A)
Cover by Paolo Rivera
• Daredevil teams up with the ALL NEW Superior Spider-Man!
• Yes, America, we've heard your calls! Stilt-Man Is BACK! Better than ever thanks to some last minute help from Doctor Octopus.
• The Eisner and Harvey Award winner for book of the year continues to baffle all of us here at the House of Ideas!



So there's a new Stilt-Man & it's pretty apparent that if you look at the picture that whoever the new Stil-Man is that they've incoporated either Ock's arms or replicated them. You couple that with the fact that the new Superior Spider-man is tagging along with DareDevil to help him out with this new Stilt-Man & it makes for the perfect scenario for Ock or a Pete/Ock mind meld to tackle.