10 Comics Villains Who Secretly Mirrored The Hero

10. Doctor Octopus / Spider-Man

Although Norman Osborn's Green Goblin has long been considered Spider-Man's true arch-nemesis, the two characters don't have a lot in common. Sure, like Peter Parker, Norman is something of a scientist himself. When it comes to character traits and running themes, however, the Spider and the Goblin don't really reflect one another.

Meanwhile, we already have a villain who honestly looks more like a spider than ol' webhead himself, and whose personality is secretly so similar to Peter's that they swapped bodies for two years and almost nobody noticed. We're talking about Otto Octavius, the eight-limbed science whizz also known as Doctor Octopus.

Doc Ock's similarities to Spidey are no accident: the character was created to show the kind of person Peter Parker could have become if he had never gained his great power, and learned the value of great responsibility.

As long-time Amazing Spider-Man writer Dan Slott puts it:

"Otto Octavius is what Peter would have been like if he hadn't been bitten by a radioactive spider. When you see that first story in Amazing Fantasy #15, Peter is the nerdy kid... who none of the other kids treat well. He's on his way to the lab... going 'one day I'll show them, one day they'll regret making fun of me!' That's the same character as Otto, who uses his mind to get ahead... So much of Doc Ock is about proving himself to be superior to others, and there's so much insecurity in that.'"

All that, and eight limbs too!