Morbius Movie Guide: News, Easter Eggs, Reviews, Theories & Rumors

Touted as the next big Marvel legend, Morbius is, if nothing else, the next entry in Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Despite this name and premise, the continuity has focused more so on Spidey's usual villains, with the latest to be given the anti-hero protagonist treatment being a certain Living Vampire. Combining superheroics with horror, Morbius sees a desperate man become an inhuman monster in a bid to rid himself of a disease.

Now nearing its release date, Morbius will be the first "Marvel" movie of 2022. It will also determine the ensuing direction of where Sony goes with its versions of Marvel's characters. With its many delays keeping it from coming out when originally intended, some suspect that recent delays could involve some positively "amazing" connections. Here's all of the bloodcurdling information that fans should know about Morbius.

The Cast and Crew Behind Morbius

The titular Living Vampire is played by Jared Leto, who was confirmed to join the film back in 2018. Though Leto is known for method acting in films, he has claimed that he didn't do so for Morbius due to how much he drew from his own personality. Despite this, the role was said to still be challenging to him, perhaps because of where he was drawing from.

Matt Smith plays Milo, who was born as Lucien. A childhood friend of Morbius, he and Michael Morbius suffered from the same rare disease. Smith's character was loosely based on Loxias Crown/Hunger, though the original intent to adapt the villain full sail was apparently dropped. Adria Arjona plays Martine Bancroft, a fellow scientist and Morbius' fiancée. She apparently drew upon the mannerisms of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when it came to how she portrayed the character, who she described as "the smart one in the room."

Other characters include Jared Harris as the helpful scientist Nicholas, as well as Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson as Alberto Rodriguez and Simon Stroud, two FBI agents hunting Morbius. Stroud was originally white in the Marvel Comics, with his ethnicity changed in order to cast Gibson, who is signed on to appear in multiple movies. Perhaps the most mysterious casting is Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture from the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming. This has made many question if the film is tied to the MCU, if it is related to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, or if this is the Sony Universe variant of Toomes.

The Story of Morbius

Morbius is an origin story of the hunger that its anti-hero suffers from. Born with a rare blood disease, brilliant scientist Michael Morbius attempts an experiment that is meant to cure him of it. Unfortunately, it instead curses him with a form of scientific vampirism, causing him to thirst for human blood while also giving him a multitude of powers. All the while, his friend Milo craves the inhuman power that Morbius now has, seeing him seek a hunger of his own.

Easter Eggs and References in Morbius

There are many Easter Eggs to be found in the initial trailers for Morbius, many of which seem to tie into a greater Sony Spider-Man Universe. For instance, as Morbius is seen walking down a street, there's anti-Spider-Man graffiti with the word "murderer" shown on a wall. This would seemingly suggest that it's tied to the aftermath of Spider-Man: Far From Home, though there are other ideas about this, as well. FBI agents also state that the eeriness of current events reminds them of a situation in San Francisco, clearly referencing the Venom movies. One trailer even ends with Morbius jokingly referring to himself as Venom in a frightening manner, suggesting that he's become rather well-known to the public. The Daily Bugle newspaper is seen, and it references two Spider-Man villains in the form of both the Black Cat and Rhino. Oscorp is even seen at one point, and its design is more than familiar. A non-Marvel Easter egg is a reference to the vampire movie classic The Lost Boys, which Morbius states is the story of his life. Some of these elements being in the final film is debated, however, making its continuity even more dubious.

Morbius: Fan Theories and Rumors

The most supported theory among fans is that Morbius, along with both of the Venom films and likely the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie are in the same continuity as the two Amazing Spider-Man films. This would make Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man the Webslinger of Sony's official shared universe, and it would go a long way to explaining the presence of Rhino, as well as the design of the Oscorp building.

Planned to have been released in the summer of 2020, Morbius was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It seemed that early 2022 would finally allow audiences to sink their teeth into the Sony film, but it was eventually delayed for several more months to now come out on April 1, 2022. This was supposedly due to No Way Home still ruling large at the box office, but fans suspected that it could have been to include scenes of Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man. This turned out to not be the case, but the film does definitely set up future Sony Spider-Verse films. Morbius released to overwhelmingly negative reviews, but this hasn't stopped it from both making a good bit of money, as well as earning the positive reception of fans. Due to current events, the film will not be released in Russia.