Lady Octopus (Carolyn Trainer), also known as Doctor Octopus II, is a

supervillain A supervillain, supervillainess or supercriminal is a major antagonist and variant of the villainous stock character who possesses Superpower (ability), superpowers. The character type is sometimes found in comic books and is often the primary ...

appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, primarily as an enemy to the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...

and

Scarlet Spider The Scarlet Spider is an alias used by several fictional Character (arts), characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most notably Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker, both of whom are genetic clones of Peter Parker, the sup ...

. The character is the protégée of Otto Octavius, the original

Doctor Octopus Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''The Amazin ...

, and assumes her mentor's mantle and an upgraded version of his tentacle harness following Octavius' death in the "

Clone Saga The "Clone Saga" is an extended comic-book storyline published by Marvel Comics, revolving around the superhero Spider-Man and clones of him, as well as of other characters. The second and best-known story arc of this name ran from October 1994 ...

". After Octavius' resurrection only a few years later, she becomes Lady Octopus to distinguish herself from him, and has made minor appearances in several stories since.

Publication history

Lady Octopus was introduced in ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American superhero American comic book, comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its title character and main protagonist. Being in the Earth 616, mainstream continuity of t ...

'' #406 (October 1995) and was created by writer

J.M. DeMatteis John Marc DeMatteis (; born December 15, 1953) is an American writer of comic books, television and novels. Biography Early career J. M. DeMatteis's earliest aspirations were to be a rock musician and comic book artist. He began playing in ban ...

and artist Angel Medina.

Fictional character biography

Carolyn Trainer is the daughter of Seward Trainer who was a student of

Otto Octavius Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius), also known as Doc Ock for short, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and first appeared in ''The Amazin ...

. After Octavius was killed by

Kaine Parker Kaine Parker is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character has been depicted as a superhero and former supervillain who serves as an ally, an enemy, and Foil (literature), foil to Spider-Man, Peter Par ...

during the "

", Carolyn sought to continue her favorite professor's legacy. Trainer obtained a set of a four-tentacle harness identical to Octavius's, which she upgraded by adding a force-field that protected her from any exterior attacks, but allowed her tentacles to freely go through. She took the "Doctor Octopus" name in honor of her instructor and began a campaign to steal her father's research in merging reality and virtual reality. Doctor Octopus works for the Master Programmer, a digitized copy of Otto Octavius' mind, and works with the

Hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

to resurrect the real Octavius. Carolyn Trainer later appears in " Secret War", where she assumes the alias Lady Octopus to distinguish herself from Octavius. She is given a new suit of armor by

Lucia von Bardas Vagabond Vagabond (Priscilla Lyons) is the former partner and girlfriend of Jack Monroe (character), Nomad (Jack Monroe). She prevented Black Racer's assassination attempt on Sidewinder (character), Sidewinder. She thwarted and captured Dr. Karl ...

and

Tinkerer Tinker or tinkerer is an archaic term for an itinerant tinsmith who mends household utensils. Description ''Tinker'' for metal-worker is attested from the thirteenth century as ''tyckner'' or ''tinkler''. Some travelling groups and Romani pe ...

. In ''

'' (vol. 5), Lady Octopus joins the

Sinister Syndicate The Sinister Syndicate is a group of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The characters serve as a collection of lesser-known Spider-Man villains. The group was the focus of the 1991 ''Deadly Foes of Spider ...

. She appears with the group in the subsequent storylines "

Sinister War "Sinister War" is a 2021 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, starring the character Spider-Man and written by Nick Spencer. The story deals with Spider-Man being in the middle of a conflict between multiple teams of villains, includin ...

" and " Gang War". In the miniseries ''Spider-Society'', Lady Octopus joins the

Sinister Squadron The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them. 0–9 198 A A-Force A-Next A.I. Army The A.I. Army is a fictional organization appearing i ...

in attacking the eponymous Spider-Society in an attempt to prevent it from forming.

Powers and abilities

Lady Octopus possesses no superhuman abilities. Instead, she wears a special harness, similar to the one used by the original Doctor Octopus, which incorporates four strong and highly-resistant mechanical appendages, which can be extended or retracted at will. These "tentacles" can lift weights far greater than any human, be used as a means of transportation, and respond faster than human reaction times. They are also armed with lasers and can generate a force-field; the result of upgrades she had made to the harness. The force-field is resistant to most traumatic concussive force and conventional weapons attack, though the tentacles themselves are still vulnerable. Through the tentacles, Lady Octopus can interface with appropriately equipped computer systems and enter virtual reality interfaces telepathically. Additionally, Lady Octopus possesses a genius-level intellect; having studied robotics, information technology, applied physics, and mechanical engineering.

Reception

* In 2020, ''

CBR.com ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

'' ranked Lady Octopus 8th in their "10 Most Powerful Members of the Sinister Syndicate" list. * In 2021, ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers. ...

'' included Lady Octopus in their "Spider-Man: 10 Best Female Villains" list.

Other versions

alternate future Time travel is a common theme in fiction, mainly since the late 19th century, and has been depicted in a variety of media, such as literature, television, and film. The concept of time travel by mechanical means was popularized in H. G. Wells' ...

variant of Carolyn Trainer appears in the MC2 series ''

Spider-Girl Spider-Girl is the code name of several fictional Character (arts), characters in American comic book, comic books published by Marvel Comics. The most prominent version and first to receive an ongoing series is Mayday Parker from the Marvel Co ...

''. This version works for the

Black Tarantula Black Tarantula is the name of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Carlos LaMuerto version of Black Tarantula first appears in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #419 (January 1997), and makes his f ...

. Years after Otto Octavius's death, Trainer assumes the mantle of Doctor Octopus and attempts to create mutant soldiers. In pursuit of this, she temporarily turns John Jameson back into the Man-Wolf, defeats

, and frees the crime boss Canis from prison; ostensibly to join forces with him to fight Black Tarantula for control of New York's criminal underworld while secretly intending to use Canis as a scapegoat. However, Spider-Girl thwarts Trainer's plans.

In other media

Television

* Lady Octopus appears in the ''

'' episode "Between an Ock and a Hard Place", voiced by

Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...

. This version has a Ph.D in electronics. * An original female incarnation of Doctor Octopus loosely based on Carolyn Trainer appears in ''

Spidey and His Amazing Friends ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'' (also known as ''Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends'') is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Studios Animation (formerly Marvel Animation) and animated by Atomic Cartoons (who als ...

'', voiced by Kelly Ohanian.

Film

A female Doctor Octopus named Dr. Olivia "Liv" Octavius appears in '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' and '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'', voiced by

Kathryn Hahn Kathryn Marie Hahn (born July 23, 1973) is an American actress. She gained prominence appearing as a supporting actress in a number of comedy films, including '' How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days'' (2003), '' Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (2 ...

Video games

* Serena Patel, a character inspired by Lady Octopus, appears as a boss in '' Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions'', voiced by

Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian and American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as '' The Powerpuff Girls'', '' The Fair ...

. She is the head scientist of

Alchemax Alchemax is a fictional megacorporation appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally depicted as a prominent feature of the Marvel 2099 alternate future universe, it has since been introduced into the present day com ...

's Shadow Division, which is dedicated to the secretive creation of dangerous super-weapons and DNA splicing-based experiments. Patel later creates a battle suit with mechanical arms and calls herself "Doctor Octopus" after her idol Otto Octavius. * Lady Octopus appears in a teaser image for '' Marvel: Avengers Alliance'' as a victim of the Circle of Eight.Get Set for Avengers Alliance Season 2
" Marvel

Miscellaneous

Lady Octopus appears in the animated web series ''Marvel Battleworld: Treachery at Twilight''.

References

External links

*
Lady Octopus
at Marvel Wiki
Lady Octopus
at Comic Vine *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Octopus, Lady Characters created by J. M. DeMatteis Comics characters introduced in 1995 Fictional female scientists Fictional mad scientists Fictional physicists Fictional roboticists Fictional technopaths Marvel Comics female supervillains Marvel Comics scientists Spider-Man characters