This is an ongoing series. Here is the link to last week's issue of this 42-week journey: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-history-spide...

Week 3: Doctor Octopus.

For the first few issues, Spider-Man had super villains to face, but they weren't anything special. I mean, I guess the Vulture is significant and I will do a piece on him at later date. However, the first real big villain of note didn't appear until the 3rd issue: Doctor Octopus.

Spider-Man was getting cocky in his ability. By this point, he had stopped people like The Vulture, The Chameleon and the Tinker (lame right?). He was also taking down common street thugs and was doing it with ease. He had found his stride and felt like he was unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Otto Octavious is a brilliant scientist that ran afoul of a bad test experiment. This gives him severe brain damage that alters his mind forever. When he wakes, he believes the world is preventing him from working out of jealousy. In a fit of insane rage, he grabs his four mechanical arms and goes off to continue his experiments illegally.

Being a super-hero, Spider-Man can't let this stand. He confronts Doc Ock, and after a brief battle, Doc Ock actually gets the best of him and tosses him to the side like garbage. Ock even slaps Spider-Man in the face. This shakes Spidey's confidence, and he even contemplates giving up being a superhero. This was his first big defeat.

Oddly enough, the person that gave Peter perspective and helped him get over this ego hit was The Human Torch. For some reason, The Human Torch was giving a speech at Peter's high school and basically told everybody to never give up. This strikes a chord with him, and he sets out to face the only man who had ever beat him.

After another brief scuffle with Doc Ock, Spider-Man beats him with one punch. He once again gains his confidence and carries on with his superhero business.

There are three big reasons why this needed to be highlighted when discussing Spidey's history, the first being that Doc Ock is the first man to beat Spider-Man with ease. The second is Doc Ock and his dynamic with Peter/Spider-Man: Doc Ock is the example of a smart scientist getting powers and not using them responsibly. He is what Peter could have been had he not learned a harsh lesson from his Uncle's death. Ock is a great villain idea, but it is this dynamic that makes him stand the test of time. The final reason is that Spider-Man had to learn from another superhero. This continues to drive home the fact that he is not the perfect superhero. He isn't exactly what you call a pro and he is continually learning from all of his experiences which gives his character more staying power.

Well, so far we have discussed Spider-Man's origins, the power of the press holding him down, and his first great villain. Next week, we take a look at the early cast of characters around him. From his loving Aunt, to the students at his high school, and his first romantic interest.