9 Movie Villains Who Are Really The Victims
5. Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2
Superhero movies dont typically have very sympathetic villains and this is quite rightly so. In order to establish someone as a powerful, heroic force the person they are battling shouldnt be completely justified in their efforts. Its very clear cut in the wholly heroic characters (such as Captain America and Superman) that their villains are completely evil (Red Skull and General Zod). Spider-Man is something of an exception, though, as his villains are frequently the victims of scientific experiments. The Green Goblin and the Sandman all come about their powers through accidents but it is Otto Octavius who crosses the boundary into simply being a victim.
When his experiment to perfect fusion power goes awry and his wife dies, Otto is certainly grief stricken however, its the robot arms that have become fused to his spine that influence his actions. The artificial intelligence used in the arms begins to take over Otto himself as the accident eliminated the inhibitor chip. We see Otto at war with himself and he initially refuses to commit any crime, but the AI begins to dominate his mind and he sets off to rob banks in order to recreate his experiment. All Otto really is, is a man trying to create a new source of energy who tragically, when it goes awry, is possessed by his own creation (which, it is worth adding, is also trying to create said, world changing source of energy) until he finally regains control and proclaims I will not die a monster.