No, you're not dense. I was trying to find two answers that were pretty absurdly different, but the joke didn't land. However, if you can find something that these have in common, I'd definitely adjust the cluing. Who knows, maybe Doc Oc likes to drink diet soda?
Ha, thanks! Went with "Spidey" vs. "Spiderman" to try to hint at the shortening of "Doctor" to "Dr." But you're right, I think he is more traditionally referenced as Doctor Octopus or Doc Ock. Even though it's somewhat imperfect, I love putting a Spiderman reference into the puzzle. Appreciate the solve!