Mind-Blowing Twist: Doc Ock in Spider-Man Is Now a Japanese Schoolgirl!

Shueisha and Marvel Entertainment have announced an upcoming spin-off manga to accompany the highly anticipated animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Unlike the film's leading character, Miles Morales, the manga will focus on one of the series' most notorious villains, Doctor Octopus, also known as Doc Ock. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to the award-winning 2018 film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Although unrelated to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the standalone series has set high expectations for its sequel, which is set to release on June 2nd in most countries and June 16th in Japan.

The directors of the original Spider-Verse film, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, have cited anime, including Hayao Miyazaki's films, Sailor Moon, and Akira, as influencing the movie's tone, story, and animation style. The film was also well-received in Japan, with the sequel's dub even featuring a theme song performed by anime song superstar LiSA, known for her work on popular anime like Demon Slayer. Given this strong connection to Japan, it is no surprise that a manga adaptation is being released with only a two-week delay. With its unique and off-beat style, the manga is sure to attract a lot of attention from eager fans.

Little has been disclosed regarding the storyline of the offshoot manga, but enough has been unveiled to pique everyone's interest. The tale kicks off with Doc Ock slipping into a coma and upon awakening, he discovers that he is no longer in his own body. Instead, he is trapped inside the body of a Japanese schoolgirl named Otoha Okutamiya! What sorts of mischief he will get up to in this new form is yet to be seen.

It's worth noting that while Doc Ock was portrayed as a woman in the first Spider-Verse film, this manga will feature the character in his classic male form as seen in the original Spider-Man stories. As the concept of alternate universes and storylines is central to Spider-Verse, it's fitting that each version of Doc Ock would be distinct and unique. Therefore, the fact that Doc Ock is female in Miles' universe doesn't necessarily mean that this is the case in every universe, including the one depicted in this manga. The manga is set to launch on Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ manga app on June 20th, just four days after the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Japanese cinemas.

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork