Spider-Man 2 swung into theaters way back in 2004, but it's still considered one of the greatest superhero movies of all-time by some fans. It's not hard to see why either as director Sam Raimi delivered a thrilling, complex movie full of great twists and turns, not to mention a stellar villain in the form of Alfred Molina's twisted Doctor Octopus.
We know you guys love concept art - after all, it's always fascinating to see what might have been - and this batch of newly surfaced artwork from
Spider-Man 2 puts the spotlight on Doc Ock.
However, as well as alternate takes on that character, we also get to see versions of the Black Cat and The Lizard. They were clearly going to be an earlier version of the Marvel Comics adaptation and the latter, in particular, actually looks better than the version of the villain we saw in 2012's
The Amazing Spider-Man (which, let's face it, wasn't hard).
To check out this gallery of
Spider-Man 2 artwork, simply hit the "View List" button down below!
This is a suitably creepy take on Doctor Octopus and one that's not all that different to how the character was reimagined in the comic books during the mid-2000s.
Again, the idea of Otto Octavius being a short, portly man with a bowl cut didn't appear to be seriously considered for
Spider-Man 2 and this Doc Ock looks just like his Ultimate Comics counterpart.
This version of the classic villain was actually designed for the first
Spider-Man movie as both he and the Green Goblin were once set to terrorise the wall-crawler during that adventure.
A lot of work was put into Octavius' extra arms and here we see a particularly intricate design showing that they were designed for more than just sheer destruction.
These look a little, uh, phallic in nature so it's not hard to see why Raimi decided against heading down this route. It's a cool idea, though, and one that could have worked on screen.
This was one of the best scenes in
Spider-Man 2 and harkened back to Raimi's horror roots. Honestly, it's sequences like this which ensure the sequel is so fondly remembered.
This is a killer piece of imagery (literally) and if you didn't realise that Raimi had also directed
Evil Dead while watching
Spider-Man 2, you would after checking this sequence out.
As Peter Parker enjoys catching up with Mary Jane, his Spider-Sense warns him on an incoming threat and it turns out that it was a taxi being thrown through the window by Doc Ock!
Peter got his own apartment in
Spider-Man 2 (leading to a million different "RENT!" memes) and while it's not glamorous, it matches the sort of places the wall-crawler has lived in the comics.
Doctor Octavius' transformation into Doctor Octopus was definitely tragic and in this shot, we get to see the moment those arms were fused to the scientist forever.
Doc Ock's origin story definitely needed updating for the big screen and using this device as a basis for that made perfect sense, especially given the way it factored into the final act.
Octavius' lab delivered some memorable action scenes and was also where his wife was killed as a result of his hubris, something that set him on the path to becoming a villain.
This design for the arms is very intricate and clearly would have given Otto a slightly more comic accurate look in regards to how they would have been attached to his mid-section.
This is a rather simplistic design for Doc Ock's arms but the glowing effect would have looked amazing on screen and something Marvel Studios might want to consider if they reboot the character.
Here, we see those arms clamped around Octavius' midsection and while it's a cool visual, an argument could definitely be made that what ended up on screen was even better.
It's interesting seeing just how many different ways to attach those arms to Octavius were explored and this rig looks pretty crazy and something that would have made for a cool visual on screen.
The arms playing with Octavius' head was a relatively new idea introduced by the movie and the emphasis in this artwork is showing how they would have connected to his spinal cord.
More takes on the device that transformed Octavius, his accident was a pivotal part of
Spider-Man 2 and ensured that the villain had a very different story arc to
Spider-Man's Green Goblin.
Well, this is weird! We're not entirely sure what Otto is supposed to be doing here but it looks like this might have been a take on the Vitruvian Man, imagery we'll see again later in this post.
Considering the fact
Spider-Man 2 was released in 2004, it's suprising just how amazing the visuals were but this might have been something a tad too difficult to pull off over 15 years ago.
It looks like this was meant to depict Otto's defeat as he seems to have been subdued in wedding. Did the villain end up living in an earlier version of the sequel's screenplay?
Another take on that hospital room scene, it's still surprising that a
Spider-Man movie leaned so heavily into horror-like visuals back when many studios wouldn't take risks with the genre.
Determined to see his experiment through, Doctor Octopus was willing to do whatever it takes, even if it meant destroying New York City and everyone within it.
It looks like Doc Ock was going to have a real Da Vinci complex at one point as he can be seen here destroying a poster of himself as he clearly flies into a rage while looking at his horrific new appearance.
Black Cat was going to be introduced in
Spider-Man 4 but for reasons which aren't entirely clear, she would have become "Vulturess." Here, though, we see a comic accurate design.
There were also plans for Dr. Curt Connors to become The Lizard in
Spider-Man 2 once upon a time and this version of the villain is better than
The Amazing Spider-Man but still not close enough to his comic book counterpart.
This is a little more like it and you can tell that the artist was really trying to appeal to Raimi's horror sensibilities with a truly terrifying version of the iconic bad guy.
We're not sure how this TV repair shop was meant to factor into the movie but a fair bit of work was put into coming up with a design that definitely would have jumped off the screen.
As Spidey enjoys some time to himself, we see that he's decided to teach those robbers a lesson by hanging them from a nearby gargoyle...let's hope that webbing doesn't disolve, though, eh?
Doctor Octopus makes his escape here as he tears his way out of the hospital. With his newfound arms, it appears the former scientist is testing the limits of his powers.
This awesome shot of the web-slinger comes from the very end of the movie Spidey swings off into the distance to save some lives while a worried Mary Jane looks on in the background.
Many thanks to James Carson, Jamie Rama, Constantine Sekeris, Wil Rees, and Tim Flattery for the concept art used throughout this post! Click HERE to check out some Spider-Man 3 artwork!