Dr. Octopus In Animation - A Retrospective
The premiere, The Power Of Dr. Octopus to me, stands as one of the series best. For those who haven’t seen the show,
it’s quite possibly the cheesiest thing you’ll ever see that doesn’t star Adam West but at times, it was great fun and
a good laugh. Spider-Man himself is at his best in the premiere, with a never-ending string of one-liners at the expense
the villain of the piece. This show worked far better as a comedy than an action show but the sheer amount of cheese will
no doubt put many off. The hooky designs, the voice acting, sound effects and constantly repeated animation are
all part of it’s charm to me. The show was clearly done on the cheap but I think it helps emphasise the tone the
show was trying to go for. This episode is probably the most quoteable of the bunch;Ocatvius: My plan is simple. Spider-Man: Just like you! Jameson: Now tell me exactly what happened! Betty: Well, Spider-Man… Jameson: Enough! Enough! I don’t wanna hear another word! Octavius himself isn’t the show’s best villain (that esteemed honour is surely deserved by Mysterio!) but he’s not too bad aside from his purple tracksuit (sadly lacking a gay hood ornament). As with most villains in the show, there’s no attempt to develop him or explain his origin, he’s simply a villain with four mechanical arms and wants money. As with all ransom demands on the show, he approaches J. Jonah Jameson, the fearless publisher of The Daily Bugle for payment. Spider-Man, none too impressed with Ock’s plans of blowing up his crib, eventually defeated Ock by tying him up with his web. It’s not too bad an episode if you know what to expect going into it but if you’ve never seen the show before… prepare yourself if you ever do get the chance to sit down and watch it. 
Doc Ock would make one more appearance in the show, with the intention of stealing a rocket. It’s never quite explained
what he wanted the rocket for, but alas, Dr Octopus has stolen a rocket and Spider-Man must stop him! The Terrible Triumph
Of Dr. Octopus isn’t as memorable as the opening episode but it’s still pretty good. I remember being quite
impressed with the fight that took place outside the building where the rocket was being presented. Ock’s design
remained unchanged and his voice actor was pretty good in the role but there are better episodes to be found in
the show (and yes, most of them star Mysterio.) Given how bad the second and third seasons were, I’m glad Dr. Octopus never appeared again.
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