Getting a grasp on Doc Ock

By Scott Bowles
USA Today

Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) and Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), hero and villain, have a lot in common in the newly released "Spider-Man 2." The Doc is the victim of a freak accident that has left him in the grip of his menacing tentacled powers. Melissa Moseley

You say yes.

Even if you're not sure who the guy is.

Such was the predicament of Alfred Molina, a classically trained and Tony-nominated actor Raimi tapped to play the sinister Otto "Doc Ock" Octavius in "Spider-Man 2," which arrived in theaters Wednesday.

Although Molina was a longtime fan of the comic books, "for the life of me, I couldn't remember Doc Ock," he says. "I remembered the (villain) Sandman and the Green Goblin and Lizard, but not Doc Ock. But only an idiot would tell Sam, 'Doc who?' You say, 'Sure, I love that guy.' And then go back and read all the comic books you can find."

Even without knowing the nemesis in the next Peter Parker saga, Molina did know that the original "Spider-Man" was one of the biggest films of all time. And while comic-book adaptations were never high on Molina's career goals list, working with Raimi was.

"There are some directors who believe in their material so much that you know it will be a worthwhile experience," Molina says. "And that was the case with Sam. So I took it."

In doing so, Molina also took on the burden of improving the one weak link in the 2002 original.

For all of its critical praise and box-office records, "Spider-Man" did not deliver a satisfying villain in Green Goblin. Willem Dafoe's performance as the tormented Norman Osborn passed muster with most comic-book fans, but the Goblin's chunky, bulbous outfit wouldn't have taken a consolation prize at a Halloween party.

Goblin was hardly the first villain from comic-book films to leave fans wanting. The "Batman" franchise turned out some of the lamest baddies in the pantheon of superhero stories, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze and Tommy Lee Jones' Two Face. Gene Hackman's goofy portrayal of Lex Luthor still pains some "Superman" fans.

But those films did not take in $820 million worldwide, as "Spider-Man" did in 2002, or have sequels lined up through 2007, as this franchise does.

So the first order of business for Raimi and the honchos at Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios was to beef up its baddies. Crews began working on Doc Ock's monstrous, tentacled suit months before the script for the sequel was finished.

By the time Raimi put the call in to Molina, the good doctor's outfit was finished. All the filmmakers had to decide was who to put in it.

In the sequel, Parker, a college student meets brilliant scientist Octavius during the latter's experiments with energy fusion. A freak accident leaves Octavius melded to four independent-thinking tentacles that twist his mind into a life of crime.

"Now we have a kid who not only has to stop this monster, but likes the man inside," says Marvel Studio chief Avi Arad. "Peter knows that he and Octavius are a lot alike."

Raimi opted to stray from one "Spider-Man" comic-book plot line, in which Doc Ock marries Parker's Aunt May, to keep the film focused on Ock's menacing, growing hubris.

"We had to create some of Doc Ock's character from scratch," says Raimi. "We wanted him to represent a different ideal so there'd be a conflict for Peter in an idealistic way. Doc Ock is consumed with personal fulfillment, while Peter is trying to take the road toward responsibility. ... (Ock) is not so much an over-the-top bad guy, but someone who just has a different set of values."

Those conflicting values play a part in the film's somewhat unconventional climax, when Doc Ock and Spider-Man debate nearly as much as they fight.

"That's my favorite scene," Molina says of the showdown. "How many times do you see a movie where enemies are trying to talk about their situation?"