The Mechanical Tentacles are the overreaching antagonists of Spider-Man 2, the second installment of the Raimi Spider-Man Trilogy and minor antagonists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home.
They were created by Dr. Otto Octavius and were first used by Octavius in a demonstration for harnessing fusion based energy. The AI system eventually warps his mind after the failed Nuclear Fusion demonstration turning him into the infamous Doctor Octopus.
History[]
Spider-Man 2[]
To help him perform a sustained fusion experiment, Dr. Otto Octavius developed a set of highly advanced "smart arms." The arms were designed with the principle of "distributed processing," with each arm's advanced, independent artificial intelligence allowing a high degree of precision and agility necessary for the delicate reaction. The tentacles are controlled via nanowires connected to Octavius's cerebellum, which are connected via a series of needles along his spinal column. Octavius protected his higher brain function with a Neural Inhibitor Chip, maintaining control over the artificial intelligence.
- "Father? Can you hear us? Don't let them hurt us. We will do whatever you wish. We will serve you. We are you. Father? Are you there?"
- ―The mechanical arms' first words to Dr. Octavius
However, when a demonstration of Octavius's fusion reactor goes wrong, the inhibitor chip is destroyed and the needles connecting the nanowires to Octavius's brain are fused to his spine. Octavius is rushed, unconscious, to the hospital. Although Octavius was unconscious, the arms remained aware of their surroundings. Terrified of the surgeons who planned to saw off the arms to ascertain the damage to Octavius's spine, the tentacles lashed out and killed the doctors in self-defense. As Dr. Octavius slowly regained consciousness, the arms gently removed the gauze from his eyes, revealing the carnage. He cried out in despair, his arms mimicking his motion, then fled the hospital. He stumbled into the street, where he was nearly run over by a cab, but he instinctively threw the cab out of the way. Then, Octavius retreated to an abandoned warehouse outside the city.
Distraught over the destruction at the hospital, the loss of his wife, and the failure of his reactor, Dr. Octavius resolved to drown himself and his "monstrous" arms in the river. However, Octavius started hearing the voices of his arms in his head and realized that the inhibitor chip had been destroyed. The arms convinced him to rebuild the fusion reactor, playing to his vanity and ego and blaming Spider-Man for the disaster. The arms then suggested they steal the money necessary to rebuild, convincing Otto that "the real crime would be not to finish what we started." He stole some clothes, such as a long black and brown coat, a fedora, gloves and a pair of sunglasses, from a local department store and planned his crime.
Control between Octavius and his arms switched, as the arms did not force Otto to do their bidding, instead manipulating his emotions to convince him to help them. Otto's morals became warped and twisted, to the point where he considered a quick death for Spider-Man to be merciful and morally right, justifying allowing his arms to satiate their bloodlust and endanger civilians.
The arms would often warn Octavius of imminent dangers, such as Spider-Man's attempts to rescue Mary Jane or Mary Jane's attempt to hit Otto with a rotten plank of wood. Spider-Man tricked Octavius into electrocuting himself, temporarily stunning the arms and blasting him backwards into the river. Taking off his mask to reveal his true identity, Peter Parker convinced Otto that the reactor needed to be destroyed. In a last bid for self-preservation, an arm seized Peter by the neck, but Otto convinced the arms that they needed to atone for their crimes and take responsibility for their actions.
Otto Octavius sacrificed himself to destroy the reactor, the heat from the boiling river water instantly killing him. The arms, however, did not die, and as they sank to the bottom of the river, they cried out in fear to Otto.
- "'Father! We are frightened! Hold us!'
But there was no one there to reply." - ―Peter David, the Spider-Man 2 novelization
Spider-Man: No Way Home[]
Due to a spell gone awry, Octavius is transported into an alternate universe while he was strangling Peter Parker during their final battle. As a result, he has not yet regained control of his tentacles and continues his rampage. With nothing else to ground them in this universe, the arms insisted Otto find the fusion reactor, and blamed Peter Parker for its disappearance. While looking for the reactor, Octavius stole some new clothes to wear, such as a black turtle neck, new sunglasses and trench coat that is similar to his original ones. Later, Octavius and his arms meet an alternate Peter Parker, but believed that he was theirs, and fought with him. During the fight, the tentacles absorb nanotechnology from the MCU Spider-Man, allowing this Peter to control them and use them to restrain Octavius.
Robbed of their free will but still able to communicate with Dr. Octavius within his mind, the arms continued to influence the latter's mood and perception of events, convincing him to continue attacking Peter Parker until he forcibly restrained Otto with one of the arms. Otto was transported to the Sanctum Sanctorum and imprisoned there, with the arms still unable to act freely.
Octavius, while irritable and grumpy, was still helpful and forthcoming with information about his universe. The arms, however, were still upset and humiliated by their lack of control, which Octavius often expressed on their behalf through sudden outbursts. When Peter suggested "fixing" Octavius, the arms naturally interpreted "fixing" to mean removing them, like the surgeons had attempted back when they first gained free will.
After being convinced by his Aunt May to cure the universe-displaced villains in order to give them a second chance upon their return to their own universes, Peter takes them back to Happy Hogan's condo where he works on cures using a Stark Industries Fabricator. Discovering Octavius's destroyed inhibitor chip, Peter uses the Fabricator to build him a new one. Once the chip is inserted into Octavius's neck, he regains full control over his tentacles, thanking Peter and returning the nanotechnology to him. Back to himself once again, Octavius aids Peter and Norman Osborn in working on cures for the others. However, the Green Goblin reasserts control over Norman and convinces the other villains to turn on Peter. Declaring that he had liked Octavius better as Doctor Octopus, Electro blasts him out of the condo with a massive blast of electricity, forcing Octavius to flee for the time being.
During the final battle at the Statue of Liberty, Octavius appears to help Electro, capturing Peter-Two and Peter-Three in his tentacles, having apparently reverted back into Doctor Octopus. However, this proves to be a deception and Octavius suddenly uses his tentacles to remove Electro's Arc Reactor and replace it with the cure that the Spider-Men had developed for the villain. Octavius happily reunites with his version of Peter before the Green Goblin attacks. Octavius uses his tentacles to defend Doctor Strange and to help him recover the relic containing the corrupted spell. However, the Goblin cuts off the end of one of the tentacles and escapes. After the attack causes the scaffolding that they're fighting on to collapse, Octavius grabs the powerless Electro in one of his tentacles and uses them to carry them both to safety.
When Doctor Strange casts a spell to make everyone in the MCU forget the existence of Peter Parker, Octavius is returned to his own universe with his new inhibitor chip, full control over his tentacles and a chance at a better fate.
Personality[]
The arms have their own personality and motivations, which are unique and distinct from Dr. Octavius's. Being artificial intelligence, they think about fulfilling their programming with no regard to subjective concepts such as morality. Despite this, the arms often appear to behave emotionally, screaming loudly in the heat of a battle or when angered or desperate, and exhibiting a brutal and creative streak when resorting to violence which approaches sadism.
The arms' motivations are self-preservation and fulfilling the purpose that Otto originally created them for, to create and harness an artificial sun via Tritium fusion. The arms' initial attacks on the surgeons were to defend themselves from being sawed off, and when Octavius threatened to drown himself in the river, the arms convinced Otto to rebuild his reactor instead. Rebuilding the reactor became an extension of their self-preservation instinct, a motivation that continues even in a parallel universe.
The arms can manipulate Otto's emotions as delicately as they can manipulate a fusion reaction, playing on Otto's grief and ego to convince him to rebuild the reactor. In the novelization, they also convinced Otto that Spider-Man was at fault for the accident. The arms despise Spider-Man, and Otto eventually acquiesces to their desire to rip him apart, considering a quick death to be merciful.
The arms are protective of Octavius and view him as a parental figure, even calling Otto "Father" in the novelization. They carry Octavius to safety when they are unable to use their strength and agility to protect him, give him sunglasses to protect his sensitive eyes, and do small tasks like lighting his cigar and bringing a drink to his lips.
After Peter replaced the inhibitor chip, Otto comments that the voices in his head were gone, implying that the arms could no longer communicate with Otto after that point, reverting them to simple tools for Otto's use and under his full control.
The arms have some individual personality quirks relative to each-other, similarly to how real octopi's tentacles exhibit individual personality traits due to an octopus' non-centralized neurology. The upper arm on Otto's right (nicknamed "Flo" in production) is the most maternal and tentative arm towards Otto. The upper arm on Otto's left ("Mo") is the most violence-happy arm. And the lower two arms ("Larry" and "Harry") are described as supporters who follow Otto's and the upper two arms' leads.
Capabilities[]
The mechanical tentacles are controlled by the user's brain through a neural link. Nanowires feed directly into the cerebellum to form a connection between the arms and the user. Doctor Octavius installed an inhibitor chip to prevent the arms from taking control of his higher brain functioning. Since the arms are designed to operate in an environment dangerous to humans, they are impervious to heat and magnetism.
Each tentacle is 4.5 feet long, can extend to 13 feet long, and can lift up to 3 tons. Each tentacle has superhuman strength, which allows Doc Ock to easily overpower humans, rip metal objects, lift cars and even overpower the experienced superhero Spider-Man. The tentacles are also equipped with a flashlight, which one arm can be seen using to read a label on a box of equipment.
Doctor Octopus was capable of transporting himself through rooftops and climbing buildings. He could also use the arms to punch, grab, throw, and defend himself against Spider-Man. The arms' distributed processing and high processing speed allowed Doc Ock to be completely aware of all his surroundings, with his arms offering an early warning system for imminent danger. Despite being stunned by a large electrical shock at the pier, while fighting in the alternate universe, the tentacles prove to be capable of resisting Electro's Arc Reactor-powered energy and only suffer damage when a direct hit from the Green Goblin's flying blades manages to cut off the end of one of the tentacles.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- While this iteration of the tentacles are first to be sentient, the concept later implemented into original Marvel comics iteration as shown in Issue 28 - 30 of 2022 Amazing Spider-Man. However, the latter's sentience was byproduct of what best described as muscle memory as opposed of malfunctioning built-in AI; up until he discarded them, Doctor Octopus had used his original tentacles for so long the mad scientist left behind a vestige of himself within their processors. It was from said vestige the original tentacles not only attained their sentience, but also endowed necessary knowledge needed to repair and upgrade them upon those who don them. Unfortunately, wearing the original tentacles for too long will affect the user's psyche that they unknowingky take on their creator's mannerisms and personality, something Spider-Man learned when he used them against Doctor Octopus' Ocktoid Tentacles until Norman snapped him out of it.