The one thing we know for sure is that Sony is going to milk their Spider-Man Universe for everything it’s worth. We’ve already had two Venom movies. There’s another animated Spider-Verse movie coming in October. There’s a Kraven the Hunter movie and a Madame Web movie currently in pre-production. And they might still be doing that Sinister Six movie (although we already got pretty close with Spider-Man: No Way Home). Right now, it is still a little unclear as to what kind of connected universe Sony are actually trying to build, but here we are, in March 2022, with a Morbius movie just around the corner.
We haven’t seen the movie yet, so we’re not sure where they’re taking the character, but given his relative obscurity, we thought it might be a good idea to give you guys a quick primer on just who Morbius is ahead of his cinematic debut on March 31.
1. Who is Morbius?
Before being dubbed the “Living Vampire,” Dr. Michael Morbius was a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist (aren’t they all), who was renowned for his research on vampire bats. Why vampire bats? Because his life’s work was dedicated to curing a rare blood condition that was slowly killing him. Using vampire bats and electroshock treatment, he experiments on himself and ends up trading in his disease for a curse: vampirism.
Unfortunately, Morbius isn’t your average Edward Cullen or Lestat De Lioncourt (sorry ladies!). Think less pretty boy and more pretty damn scary. Now, living as a pseudo-vampire with superhuman abilities and ravenous bloodlust, Morbius has to meet more challenges than bargained for.
2. What Can He Do?
Alas, Morbius doesn’t sparkle. But his vampirism, does come with a few perks though. He possesses superhuman abilities including heightened strength and stamina, self-regeneration, acute senses, and minor hypnotic powers. He also uses his fangs and claws in close combat, and employs his hollowed bones to glide through air. Yes, he can kind of fly.
Since his transformation has roots in science rather than the supernatural, Morbius is immune to anti-vampire wards like garlic, holy water, or religious artifacts. But his insatiable bloodlust does come with feverish hunger pangs. The longer Morbius goes without blood, the weaker he gets, affecting his physical and mental state.
3. Hero or Homicidal Maniac?
While he began life in the comics as an out and out antagonist, these days Morbius is, for the most part, considered an anti-hero. Villainy, however, is not out of the question. He has, more than once, given into his bloodthirsty nature, and drank his victims’ blood, sometimes even killing them. When the hunger subsides, however, he’s weighed down with guilt and remorse. To keep the lines from getting blurred, he vows to only drink the blood of the corrupt and guilty. (Kinda like Dexter!) Which leaves him in that grey area of anti-hero/vigiliante.
4. Even Vampires Have Enemies
So who is the big bad? In the comics, Morbius has found himself at odds with all the big guns. He made is first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #101 where he faces off with Spidey and the Lizard. He’s taken on the Human Torch and even the X-Men. But since Sony doesn’t really have the rights to all of those characters, it looks like this movie is centered around the lesser known Loxias Crown aka Hunger (played by none other than the good Doctor himself, Matt Smith).
In the comics, Crown’s fascination with Morbius leads him to performs experiments on the Living Vampire in order to gain similar vampire-like abilities. Crown, however, takes his bloodlust up a notch by murdering people, kidnapping “cattle,” and siring children of the night. We’re not sure if Matt Smith’s version of the character will be in any way similar to the comic book incarnation, but we can’t wait to see his take.
ICYMIS: There’s also another familiar face in the trailer: Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) aka the Vulture from Spider-man: Homecoming. But is he an ally or enemy? We can’t say for sure.
5. Morbius and the Madness of Sony’s Multiverse
So here’s where things get a little confusing. In the first Morbius teaser from two years ago, there is a brief sequence in which we see Michael Morbius walking past some graffiti that labels Spider-Man a “murderer.” The Spidey suit in that image looks a lot like Tobey Maguire’s from the Sam Raimi movies. Which doesn’t quite make sense given Morbius’ “I am Venom” joke that we saw in the newer trailers to the movie. This is further compounded by the fact that Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes is also in this movie.
We know that there is no Spider-Man in Tom Hardy’s universe. Michael Keaton’s character is from Tom Holland’s universe. Morbius could be making a reference Topher Grace’s Venom from Spider-Man 3, but that doesn’t quite work either given how his story played out in that movie.
But wait, there’s more. In the two years between trailers, Sony also added an “OSCORP” sign to one of the buildings in the city. We’re not if that’s just a cute Easter Egg or if it’s plot relevant.
Speaking of cute Easter Eggs, all of these other characters from Spidey’s past (Rhino, Black Cat) are also referenced in this issue of The Daily Bugle.
In short, we have no idea what’s going on with the characters in this movie, from which universe they belong, or even how they tie into any of the other Spider-Man Universe movies that Sony has made since. Here’s hoping all of it will make more sense after we’ve seen the movie next week.
Follow Us