Doctor Octopus Proved Marvel's Most Iconic Villain Plan Makes No Sense
It's not uncommon for comic-book villains to threaten the entire planet, but Doctor Octopus once proved why people shouldn't take them that seriously. From the threat of Galactus devouring the Earth to Ultron's quest to eradicate all life, world-ending scenarios are basically a Thursday when it comes to the average life of a superhero. Of course, while these examples focus on other-worldly entities and robotic menaces that have no semblance of human life, there are also average comic villains that attempt these plots. The thing is, many of the villains who threaten Earth also have to live on it.
In The Amazing Spider-Man #339 by David Michelinie and Erik J. Larsen, the villains that make up the Sinister Six are shocked to see that the poison they launched at Spider-Man isn't working. This poison, crafted by the Hobgoblin, is strong enough to kill someone within fifteen seconds, and they're using it as leverage to become the rulers of Earth. If the citizens fail to comply, they plan to release it in the atmosphere and kill everyone, so it comes off as a surprise to them to see that this deadly threat isn't ending their greatest foe. This is when Doctor Octopus steps forward and reveals a huge secret.
Related: Doc Ock's New Plan Has a Fatal Flaw He Missed
The truth is that he has replaced the poison with an alternate substance that won't kill anyone. The Secret Six are outraged, but Doctor Octopus explains to them that the reason why he couldn't go through with killing everyone on the planet is because "only an idiot would destroy the entire planet! What profit is there in ruling the dead?" He makes a lot of sense. If everyone on the Earth were to die leaving only the Sinister Six, what exactly would they have to gain?
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