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In the second film of the original Spider-Man trilogy, Harry Osborne makes a deal with Otto Octavius. In exchange for precious Tritium, Otto must bring Harry Spider-Man alive - and Peter Parker will tell Doc Ock his whereabouts. "Don't hurt Peter!" Harry yells.

So why does Octavius then proceed to throw a car through the café window at an unassuming Peter Parker, which would've blatantly killed him if he hadn't coincidentally BEEN Spider-Man?

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    Because Peter is an insufferable git.
    – Valorum
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 9:52
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    "Throwing a heavy object at someone's head is the best way to let them know you want to talk." --Spider-Man 2 Pitch Meeting
    – PlutoThePlanet
    Commented Nov 18, 2019 at 19:26

3 Answers 3

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Looking at the scene, it seems as if the car would have just missed Peter, which means that he was never in any immediate danger (other than from flying glass or the possibility of the car exploding, obvs).

As to why Doc Ock would choose such a dramatic entrance, for me the more interesting scene is a few seconds later when he grabs Peter by the neck and power-slams him into the wall. It's clear that he doesn't really care about the damage that he's causing to him as long as he doesn't actually die.

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    It should have been red and blue though.
    – Mr Lister
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 13:25
  • "Never in immediate danger". Except for the car flying through the air. I think that would qualify as immediate danger for me (not Spiderman fyi). Although I see your point.
    – Integration
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 15:59
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    @Withywindle - Cars pass me ever day. If they aren't going to hit me, the danger from them is negligible.
    – Valorum
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 16:18
  • @Valorum You can frame it however you wish. A car being thrown at someone through a window qualifies as "immediate danger" in my world.
    – Integration
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 16:19
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    @MrLister - Better now?
    – Valorum
    Commented Feb 15, 2017 at 16:30
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He either didn't know or didn't care that Harry said "Don't hurt Peter"

Harry called out "don't hurt Peter" when Octavius was already halfway down the building. It's not at all clear if Octavius heard it, and even if he did, he may have been confident that Harry would still be willing to trade Spider-Man for the tritium. This was probably a good assumption - when the trade did happen, it's not like Harry made sure Peter was safe before handing it over.

With that in mind, let's remember Otto's motive: He wants Spider-Man so he can make the trade. And since he doesn't know Spider-Man's secret identity, he doesn't particularly care what happens to Peter Parker. If Peter is hurt or killed, so what? It will only further motivate Spider-Man to come after Octavius, whether out of a sense of justice or revenge.

Remember, Dr. Octopus already attracted Spider-Man once when robbing the bank. It's not like it's that hard for him to draw Spider-Man out by causing a little mayhem. Using Peter just made it more convenient and faster. Kidnapping Mary Jane was a spur-of-the-moment change to the plan to motivate Peter even more to bring in Spider-Man.

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Doc Ock is a bad guy and this (bad things) is what he does.

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  • Yeah, but he's not a moron.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 25, 2017 at 13:34
  • He's not totally incompetent...
    – Peter Nielsen
    Commented Dec 25, 2021 at 23:40

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