Doctor Octopus' Campaign

## Casualties

*"The power of the Sun, in the palm of my hand"*
―Otto Octavius, before becoming Doctor Octopus[src]
**Doctor Octopus' Campaign** was a series of events that scientist, Otto Octavius, who became Doctor Octopus, became determined to rebuild his fusion reactor, after his failed previous attempt. He was thwarted by Spider-Man, which later resulted the destruction of the fusion reactor and the death of Doctor Octopus.

## Background

### Octavius' Dream

Scientist and nuclear physicist, Dr. Otto Octavius had a theory that he could create renewable power for the world, using fusion reaction, that would be safe for everyone to use. To do this, he designed and constructed a fusion reactor that control the power of fusion and using tritium in the core, provided and funded by Oscorp Industries. Octavius also designed and created a pair of four mechanical tentacles with advanced A.I, that were controlled by his brain through a neural link. To protect his higher brain function, he developed an Inhibitor Chip to maintain control of the tentacles, instead of them controlling him.

CEO of Oscorp, Harry Osborn was hoping to make a breakthrough beyond his late father, Norman Osborn's dreams when the fusion reaction becomes a success.

### A Failed Demonstration

In Spring 2004, after Oscorp provided Octavius the tritium to activate the fusion reactor, Octavius held a demonstration at his labs, with numerous guests invited, along with Harry's best friend, Peter Parker. After attaching the tentacles to his spine, Octavius activated the fusion reactor, which at first becomes a success but the experiment went horribly wrong when the fusion reactor became unstable and started sucking metallic objects into his magnetic field.

Refusing to shut the reactor off, Octavius tried to stablise it, but in the process, his wife, Rosalie Octavius was killed by shards of glass, caused by the reactor, along with the tentacles being fused to Octavius after he was blasted by the reactor. Spider-Man arrived and shut the reactor off before it could do more damage. The ruined demonstration had also destroyed Oscorp's reputation of providing the tritium to Octavius.

## Campaign

### Attack at Manhattan General Hospital

Following the accident, the unconscious Octavius was taken to the Manhattan General Hospital to have his tentacles removed after the doctors found out the spinal column had fused the tentacles to the latter. Because the Inhibitor Chip had been destroyed in the accident, it resulted the tentacles coming to life and they attacked the doctors out of fear when they attempted to cut them off. The tentacles ruthlessly defended their master and themselves from the doctors, which caused a massacre around the hospital room, killing several of them. When Octavius regained consciousness, he found the carnage he indirectly caused and screamed in despair with the tentacles doing the same.

Octavius escaped from the hospital and hid himself in an abandoned warehouse, that would soon become his new lair. After reflecting over what happened, the accident and the hospital massacre, the tentacles began to convince Octavius to recreate his fusion experiment, while playing on his vanity and ego. With this, Octavius, now going by the name, Doctor Octopus, decided to rebuild his fusion reactor at all costs.

### Robbery at the Manhattan Bank

Knowing he would need money to fund for his experiments, Doctor Octopus travelled to the Manhattan Bank, donning a trench coat and hat to disguise himself. After removing his disguise, Doctor Octopus used his tentacles to rip the bank vault door off to get to the money, along with pushing several guards out of the way. After storing several money into bags, Doctor Octopus realised the vigilante, Spider-Man arrived and attacked him, first from throwing money at him and attempting to crush his skull. Spider-Man managed to web two tables and hurled them towards his opponent, Doctor Octopus destroyed the wooden desk table, but the metal one caused him to be thrown out of the bank.

After managing to hit Spider-Man with doors from a taxi cab, Doctor Octopus was approached by the New York City Police Department, who ordered him to freeze. Doctor Octopus caught a hostage, May Parker and threatened to kill her if the police followed him as he climbed up the walls of an office building. Spider-Man caught up with them and engaged in a fierce dual with Doctor Octopus before he managed to save May Parker from falling. Doctor Octopus escaped with a total of $2 million and returned to his hideout to rebuild his fusion reactor. Following the robbery, a manhunt was requested by the police to track and capture Doctor Octopus.

#### A Deal with Harry Osborn

After finishing and rebuilding the fusion reactor, which was larger than the previous one, Doctor Octopus knew he had to do "one more little chore", which was to provide tritium. He travelled to the Osborn Penthouse to request more of it from Harry Osborn, who refused but relented when Doctor Octopus attempted to drop him from the balcony. Harry promised to provide him the tritium if he could bring Spider-Man to him, and that Peter takes pictures of him. Doctor Octopus agreed and set off to find Parker, not before threatening Harry to have it ready.

### Attack on Mary Jane Watson

After tapping into the phone lines between Peter and Mary Jane Watson, Doctor Octopus ambushed them at a cafe when he threw a car straight through the window. Parker managed to save Watson, but Doctor Octopus arrived to confront them. He ordered Parker to find Spider-Man and tell him to meet him at the Westside Clocktower at 3:00. After throwing Parker to a wall, Doctor Octopus abducted Watson to lure Spider-Man into a trap, knowing how much the hero cared about the citizens of New York.

### Duel on the Subway Train

After Spider-Man confronted Doctor Octopus at the Westside Clocktower before their duel moved onto a subway train. After much fighting and Spider-Man saving numerous hostages from being thrown, Doctor Octopus travelled to the front of the train where he increased the train's speed and pulled the lever out, destroying both the controls and the breaks. After taunting the hero he had a train to catch, Doctor Octopus leapt on the wall of an office building, leaving Spider-Man to rescue the runaway train. Spider-Man managed to use his strength and webbing to slow the train down before it could plunge off the track, but it exhausted him so much, he couldn't fight Doctor Octopus when he returned to retrieve him.

When he delivered Spider-Man to Harry, Doctor Octopus requested the tritium which Harry had kept in a safe. Doctor Octopus collected the tritium and returned to his hideout. Harry pulled Spider-Man's mask off to discover it was his best friend, Peter Parker, and was horrified by this. When he learned MJ was captured earlier and that the fusion reactor would destroy half of New York City, Harry told Peter where Doctor Octopus' whereabouts.

### Battle at the Fusion Reactor

Spider-Man tracked Doctor Octopus to his hideout just as he activated the fusion reactor and attempted to free Mary Jane. However, one of the tentacles sensed Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus attacked the hero. After briefly being thrown out of the hideout, Spider-Man came back in and attacked Doctor Octopus as he slammed him into the river waters below as the fusion reactor started to grow unstable. Spider-Man managed to save Mary Jane and ordered her to run, as Doctor Octopus resurfaced and prepared to deliver the final blow on the vigilante by stabbing him with one of his tentacle knives. Spider-Man, however, webbed a wire and Doctor Octopus was given an electric shock after stabbing into the wire, causing him to be blown backwards.

#### Octavius's Redemption

Spider-Man tried to deactivate the fusion reactor by pulling the wires out, but instead of shutting it off, the fusion reactor grew larger and stronger, as it started to suck anything metal in, causing chaos in the city. Knowing that Doctor Octopus had the knowledge about the fusion reaction, Spider-Man pleaded with him to shut off the machine and do it for the greater good. Returned to his senses from the shock and determined to destroy the reactor before it could more damage, Octavius travelled over to reactor's legs and pulled them, causing the reactor to fall into the river. As an act of redemption for his crimes and for the death of his beloved wife, Octavius drowned the reactor into the river, along with himself.

## Aftermath

### Future of Spider-Man

In the immediate aftermath, Spider-Man saved Mary Jane, who discovered that he and Peter Parker were the same person. Mary Jane fully understood why Peter couldn't be with her as he greatly feared for her safety and Spider-Man would always have enemies. He returned MJ to John Jameson who arrived with the NYPD to inspect the damage while Spider-Man swung away. Realising she couldn't be with someone she doesn't love, Mary Jane decided to be with Peter no matter what risks can be caused.

### The Green Goblin's Return

While reflecting over his discovery of his best friend's alter-ego, Harry heard a cackling laughter and a voice, which turned out to be the Green Goblin/Norman Osborn who appeared in a hallcination. Refusing to hurt his best friend, Harry threw his dagger at the mirror, which revealed a secret room where all of the Green Goblin's equipment was being kept hidden after his death. Not only he discovered that Peter was Spider-Man, Harry also discovered that his father was the Green Goblin.