Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man Teases Ultimate Doctor Octopus

The doctor is in. Marvel Comics unveiled the cover for Ultimate Spider-Man #7, and it teases the newest addition to the Ultimate Universe: Dr. Otto Octavius. The issue, which hits stands in July, kicks off the second arc of writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Marco Checchetto's hot-selling run that has already introduced new versions of supervillains Shocker, Kingpin, Bullseye, and the Green Goblin — a heroic Harry Osborn clad in goblin-like OBSTRK Mark 004 armor, courtesy of Stane/Stark Industries. 

As it happens, it was teenager Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Lad, who outfitted this universe's Peter Parker with his picotech stealth suit featured on the cover below. It appears that the Otto Octavius of Earth-6160 is an employee of Oscorp Industries, but whether he's friend or foe — or destined to become Doctor Octopus — remains to be seen.

The official synopsis: "The start of an all-new arc, the issue picks up after Green Goblin and Spider-Man's intense battle with the Kingpin, where they learned they aren't as ready to reshape the world as they hoped. Harry and Peter get to work, while Ben and Jonah work on 'the truth'… And problems for their resistance arise when Tony Stark checks in on Peter!"

Ultimate Spider-Man #1 ended with Stark — the son of Howard Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man — gifting Peter with the radioactive spider that would have bitten him 20 years earlier... were it not for the interference of Reed Richards, the Maker, who traveled through time and erased (most) of the world's heroes from existence. Now the Maker's cabal, The Council, controls this world from the shadows, and framed Tony Stark as the terrorist responsible for the attack that killed Peter's Aunt May and Harry's father, Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn.

The six-issue first arc of Ultimate Spider-Man continues with issue #4 on April 24, followed by issue #5 on May 29 and issue #6 on June 19. Ultimate Spider-Man #7 is on sale July 3 from Marvel Comics.