Doctor Octopus

Few villains in Marvel history have cast as long a shadow as Doctor Octopus, who burst onto the scene in The Amazing Spider-Man #3 in 1963 — a landmark Silver Age debut crafted by the legendary team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko that immediately announced itself as something special, now counted among 23 collector-recognized key issues on his remarkable résumé. Over more than six decades of continuous publication, he has remained one of Marvel's most enduring and compelling figures, racking up nearly 500 catalog appearances across The Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, and beyond. The company he keeps tells its own story — sharing pages with Peter Parker, Captain America, Iron Man, and J. Jonah Jameson across the years — and his staying power from the Silver Age all the way to 2026 speaks to a character who has never stopped mattering to the Marvel Universe. If you're building a serious Spider-Man collection, Doctor Octopus isn't optional; he's essential.