Spider-man (2017) had one of the best villain arcs

I know it’s not one of the more widely-revered spidey series but I think 2017’s spider-man is worth watching if only for doc ock’s storyline alone. It is truly a sight to behold. So if you don’t want to keep reading, I totally understand but I think you’ll be glad you stuck around.

So despite being introduced in season one, season two is when doc ock’s story really got off the ground. Played by scott menville (who sounded a lot like a woman for some bizarre reason), the season adapted the popular (if somewhat controversial) superior spider-man storyline from the titular 2013 comic book run for the very first time. & the end result is nothing short of perfection.

It all begins when doc ock is forced to transition his mind into the living brain & (eventually) into spidey, trapping parker’s mind in the living brain’s neuro cortex computer. Initially resuming his life of crime as spider man, he soon finds himself inspired to do good by the memories of uncle ben. What’s more, he resolves to not just do spidey’s job but do it better (& become the superior spider-man, if you will). However, his aggressive behavior raises a few red flags with his friends who subsequently call in the avengers to investigate these peculiarities. After briefly teaming up with him to take down modok, they find nothing particularly wrong with spidey & leave.

All the while, peter is afforded the opportunity to learn more about doc ock & his troubled past growing up with a verbally abusive father. He then has to escape max’s attempts to (inadvertently) delete him by downloading himself into ock’s discarded tentacle harness. However, this proves to be merely a temporary solution as they quickly the discover the harness’ circuitry is degrading his consciousness. After venom takes ana maria marconi hostage, doc ock begins to see the error of his ways & agrees to switch back with peter. But venom’s defeat & peter’s retaking of his own body proves to be only the beginning of the adversity in store for the spider team.

You see, it seems the superior spider-man did a great job wiping out crime in nyc, too good a job in fact. This in turn creates a power vacuum paving the way for the rise of the goblin nation, a team of supervillains led by the vulture rebranding himself as the goblin king (for some reason). Together, they use oscorp’s goblin technology to conquer the big apple. Naturally, peter calls in the spider-team (which now includes doc ock) for help but it soon becomes clear they may be outmatched. However, the team finally catches a break upon discovering the neuro cortex can disable the goblin mech & destroy the goblin nation once & for all. But whoever uses it will not make it out of the battle alive.

Naturally, being the hero that he is, peter is first in line to volunteer for martyr duty. However, before he even gets the chance, doc ock steps in at the last moment to take one for the team. Despite the day once again being saved, the team all has to take a second to pay their respects to their fallen comrade, a man who once antagonized him & even stole his life but later sacrificed himself to save the world. Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house at his funeral. Honestly, I probably can’t even do it justice just writing about it; i think you’d have to see it for yourself to get the full scope of this incredible story arc.

I guess I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention molina’s version. Obviously, I love his interpretation of the character (as do we all) but it’s not nearly as nuanced or fleshed-out as the character is here. & it’s not their fault. I mean they only have so much time to flesh out their characters in a (give or take) two-hour film. But the fact that they still were able to present him as a compelling villain in that is nothing if not impressive. I think it certainly helps that they already have a pre-established connection going into it. But with 58 episodes across three seasons, they had a lot more time to delve deep into his character & what drives him to do the things he does. & the end result is glorious. In fact, I’ll even tell you which ones to watch. It’s season two, episodes 12–26. You’re welcome (although I do recommend watching the entire series).

It’s worth noting too this is the youngest-ever incarnation of doc ock at just nineteen & while i do love james franco’s portrayal of harry overall, i think it’s safe to say this was a far better redemption arc than anything we ever got in the live-action films. I mean he was flawed, he was nuanced, he was more three-dimensional (figuratively) & most importantly, he died a hero. That’s the kind of character we need more of in superhero media: flawed, grounded protagonists who feel like real people & antagonists who are never truly beyond redemption.