Ever since I first met Doctor Octopus in his iconic yellow and green costume in the 1990s Spider-Man cartoon, with his weird German accent (?) I knew he was something special. In 2004, Alfred Molina brought the character to life in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, which is still regarded as one of the all-time best comic book movie castings. Since the reboot of Spider-Man in the MCU, Doctor Octopus has been one character we have been desperate to see once again… and now? Well, we won’t have to wait too long as leaked images AND trailer have confirmed that Doctor Octopus is finally coming to the MCU.

Doctor_Octopus_MCUSPIDER-MAN 2, Alfred Molina, 2004, (c) Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

Doctor Octopus Is Finally Coming To The MCU

Alfred Molina’s rumoured casting in Spider-Man: No Way Home has been in the cultural zeitgeist since December of last year, but the whole rumour just seemed too good to be true, right? Well, it's confirmed as not only is Molina’s Doctor Octopus appearing in No Way Home, but there is now a trailer to prove it, and let me just say: That’s not all. The supposed ‘leaked trailer’ also confirmed the return of Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx as Electro, more on those two in a few days.

Doctor Octopus first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #3, and since then has appeared in countless TV shows, video games and films - including 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Since the rumoured return of Molina, the first appearance of the character has shot up… tremendously so. 

The Doctor Octopus Hype Train is Real

Doctor_Octopus_Finally_MCUHigh, mid and low grades of the comic are selling like rapid fire. In July of this year, six months after the rumoured return, a 3.5 grade of the book sold for $3,100 (USD). And that is for a 3.5 grade, what if you happen to find or even have a mid-grade, say 4.5 or 5.0? Well, likewise, you are looking at a pretty nice return. Just this month, a 4.5 graded copy sold for $4,800 (USD), the highest that grade has ever pulled. In May, a 5.0 grade sold for a few hundred dollars more.

In January of this year, a 9.4 grade sold for its highest yet - $68,000 (USD). Yeah, this book is going bonanza.

On an eBay listing that was posted a few days ago, a 4.5 graded copy is selling for $5,499 (USD), nearly one thousand dollars more than the grade’s all-time high! The point and fact is, the hype train is loading coal, if you know what I mean. It has not shot out of the station yet, but it is warming up and once it’s off? I don’t know if you will ever catch it. 

What Should You Do?

So, what do I recommend you do? If you have copies of this book, I think now is go-time. The hype for No Way Home is borderline insane, and with leaks dropping left, right and centre as well as an official trailer, I am not sure if there will ever be a better time to let your Doctor Octopus keys set sail. The hype for this film has also done insane business for Daredevil investors, as I wrote about the other day.

I don’t necessarily think now is a great time to actually invest in Doctor Octopus, specifically his first appearance, but if you have the book at your disposal, and you have been contemplating a sale date? Look no further than from now, to the film’s scheduled release date in December.