The upcoming release of Sony's Morbius may have fallen victim to delay, but with the popularity of Spider-Man plateauing thanks to Spider-Man: No Way Home, the studio will be looking to put the Living Vampire's solo film out as soon as possible. Morbius began as a rogue of the web-head, meeting him by chance when they both sought refuge in the same building. He's been good, he's been bad, but something Morbius hasn't been is well-known: the star-power of his portrayer, Jared Leto, is quite possibly the sole reason the film has received as much attention as it has.
Regardless, Morbius has a fair amount of history apart from Spider-Man that looks to inspire much of the film's aesthetic and plot. With comics starring a vampire, it's natural to experiment, thus resulting in the mixture of traditional Marvel stories and horror fantasies that the character has appeared in. The Living Vampire has found himself involved in some of the most consequential comic arcs in Marvel history and will undoubtedly look to channel this rich history for the big screen.
10 Morbius Arrives By Ship
The film is pulling significantly from Morbius' first appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #101-102, penned by Roy Thomas and drawn by Gil Kane. Initially portrayed as a hideous monster, the issue takes significant pain to flesh out what led him to become this beast. As shown in most of the marketing, Morbius is a Nobel-Prize winner who suffers from a rare blood disease. He seeks a cure through the DNA of vampire bats, transforming into the Living Vampire as a result and massacring those on a transport vessel he boards.
Spider-Man stumbles across the scientist after he seeks refuge in the same building as him. Tyrese Gibson's Simon Stroud mentions in trailers that Morbius was found on a ship with the entirety of the crew dead, echoing the events of his original appearance. This storyline will receive more than a few nods throughout the film as the latter seems to be primarily dealing with the doctor's experiments that mutated him.
9 Collateral Damage On The Shore
After his defeat at the hands of Spider-Man, Morbius washes ashore elsewhere in New York in Gerry Conway and Ross Andru's Marvel Team-Up #3. The brothers Jacob and Jefferson Bolt are arguing about the merits of education with the latter wandering off alone subsequently. He stumbles across Morbius' body and when he approaches, the Vampire attempts to feed on him. Jefferson is turned into a vampire and decides to use his newfound abilities for criminal activity.
This is a classic story of a hero (or villain) discovering the impact their actions have on the world around them, with Morbius' bite bringing together both Spider-Man and the Human Torch against Jefferson. In the end, it's Morbius who ends his twisted creation, albeit accidentally. A subplot involving Morbius turning a citizen, especially fresh off his own transformation, could very well be included in the film before he faces his main antagonist.
8 The Motive Of Loxias Crown
Every hero, whether blossoming or established, has the primary villain that challenges them as a character in a perfect way. Captain America has the Red Skull, Spider-Man has Green Goblin, and perhaps Morbius' first independent antagonist is that of Loxias Crown. Set to be portrayed by Doctor Who's Matt Smith in the 2022 film, Crown is a HYDRA agent that kidnaps Morbius for study in Howard Mackie and John Romita Jr.'s Spider-Man #79-80.
The Living Vampire obviously takes offense at this and the two fight amidst an enormous explosion following Spider-Man's intervention. The two disappear afterward but not before Morbius drains Crown of his blood. This would seem to spell doom for the agent but the rogues of comics oftentimes find a way back from the underworld.
7 The Appearance Of Hunger
Morbius' vengeance upon Loxias Crown has a rather disastrous unintended consequence: the latter is transformed into a Living Vampire as well, taking on the appropriate name of Hunger. While Morbius does not appear in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #4-7, Hunger continues to prey upon the citizens of New York City and attracts the attention of both Spider-Man and Eric Brooks, a.k.a. Blade.
While these two characters' appearance in the upcoming film is assuredly not happening, this run gives readers a grasp of what drives Crown's general villainy. Whether or not the character will become Hunger within the plot of the film is hard to say but he does appear to be the only major antagonist opposite Leto's antihero.
6 Morbius' First Starring Feature
An untapped market for superhero cinema is that of horror fans, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe making its biggest scary push with the likes of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Moon Knight. Morbius' simultaneous appearance in Sony's Spider-Man Universe seems perfectly orchestrated to reinforce this idea: the Living Vampire first made an indelible mark on the pages of the horror comics that he sought prey within.
Adventure into Fear, introduced by Mike Friedrich and Paul Gulacy, is Morbius' first featured role and the character leads issues #20-31. The comic almost serves as a mini-universe in and of itself, with hardly any of Morbius' previously-related characters returning. This informed how the character was written in every solo series since and may receive a homage in the film.
5 Simon Stroud Hunts Morbius
Tyrese Gibson's aforementioned role as Simon Stroud takes center stage in some of the later issues of Morbius' run in Adventure into Fear. Specifically, issues #27-31 recount the CIA agent's pursuit of the vampire in New York and fleshes out the character's relationship with Morbius. Previously, the agent had hunted down the likes of Man-Wolf, so his role in Marvel's horror arena is well-established.
The film's version of Stroud is portrayed as an ally of the doctor, potentially reaching out to him amidst his bloodthirsty episodes. As with any vigilante character, Stroud serves as the proxy for the authorities in Morbius' adventures.
4 Morbius' First Starring Role
While Adventure into Fear serves as the character's first featured role, Vampire Tales boasts Morbius as the main attraction given he's one of Marvel's most well-known vampires (despite his relative anonymity to mass audiences). The character returns throughout the comic's run, beginning with issues #1-5 and separately returning for #'s 7-8 and 10-11.
Told in classic black and white, the comic recalls Universal Studios' antique monster films like Frankenstein and The Wolfman. This is a horror story through and through and should, at the very least, inspire the film's tone as Morbius hunts the crew of the ship following his transformation.
3 Morbius' First Eponymous Series
A feature and a starring role all led to Len Kaminski and Ron Wagner's Morbius: The Living Vampire, an early '90s comic exemplifying the artistic style of that time period. Drawing visual inspiration from characters like Cable and Deadpool, Morbius reinvents himself as a true antihero in his first self-titled comic book.
A nod to this interpretation of the character is included in the 2022 film as it appears Leto's Morbius wears a similar coat, with purple coloring beneath the black exterior. The comic book industry of the '90s enjoyed gritty heroes and subdued coloring and will bear many parallels to this run in terms of optics.
2 Morbius & Horizon Labs
A brief shot of Horizon Labs in the Morbius marketing renders the vampire's time in Amazing Spider-Man #671-691 essential reading. Initially written by Dan Slott and illustrated by Humberto Ramos, the story follows an incognito Morbius as he searches for a cure to both his and Professor Curt Conners, a.k.a. the Lizard's condition.
Further, the storyline introduces the character of Max Modell, a possible contender for Jared Harris' role in the film. Modell acts as a mentor figure to Morbius, with his influence more than likely being expanded for the film. This is an entertaining story with Spider-Man desperately trying to uncover what Morbius is up to, much less than it's even him.
1 Morbius Searches For A Cure
The most recent addition to Morbius' canon, Vita Ayala and Marcelo Ferreira's Morbius #1-5 follows the vampire once again searching for a cure to his condition. In this venture, he ends up worsening his condition as his hunger continues to escalate. Taking on the appearance of an actual bat, this may receive a shout-out during the film's runtime in one specific way: Leto's Morbius may undergo a similar leveling up.
In an interview with Deadline, Leto alluded to several "transformations" taking place. Morbius taking full flight during the third act in an attempt to defeat Hunger may be what's in store come this April. If so, it will make for a consequential film, adding yet another unstable rogue to the backstreets of the SSU.