Here we are, a year after Sony announced its plans for a Morbius film and Jared Leto, cast as the titular character, is preparing for production, which is set to begin in February 2019. All this comes just a little over a month after Venom (directed by Reuben Fleischer) divided fans and critics with its PG-13 take on the lethal protector. Now, fans aren't sure what to expect.

If Venom is any indication of what Sony has planned for the other films in its franchise, we're thinking it's not going to last very long. Venom performed unexpectedly well at the box office but unlike other shared universes, the success of one film does not indicate success for another, especially since Sony is currently trying to adapt relatively obscure comic book characters.

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That may prove to be a problem with Morbius, who has never enjoyed the same height of popularity as Venom. If Sony is to continue its shared universe after Morbius, can the studio really afford failing to learn from the critical reception of Venom? To understand what is needed, we must first understand who Morbius is and why he's an interesting enough character to warrant a solo film.

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Where the vast majority of vampires in popular culture have mystical roots in one form or another, Morbius has his in science. He is a "living vampire," which means, unlike the others, he is not some resurrected corpse. He thirsts for blood, possesses sharp fangs, is super strong and has heightened senses, but he is not an immortal vampire and does not possess mystical abilities.

This monster was birthed by a laboratory experiment, not a curse. He was a brilliant scientist in Greece experimenting on vampire bats in an attempt to cure his own bloodborne disease. As you'd expect in a comic book, that experiment went spectacularly wrong and Michael was turned into a supervillain.

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Michael Morbius was first introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #101 (written by Roy Thomas, illustrated by Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia), in which he is first seen struggling to hide himself from sailors on a ship during the day, only to emerge and massacre the entire crew come nightfall.

Everything about the character from his costume to his speech was almost theatrical and melodramatic. That's partly because of the general style of comic book writing typical of the era (this was back in 1971 after all), but it's a trait that continued to follow the character across multiple adaptations, such as the much beloved Spider-Man: The Animated Series of the '90s, which gave Morbius quite a prominent role throughout the series.

Knowing all of that, why is Morbius an interesting character? With a living vampire, Marvel took the concept in classic gothic literature and reinvented it for modern audiences in a way that was true to its spirit, but wasn't quite as campy as other modern vampire characters.

Next Page: Morbius Could Win Big If It Learns These Lessons From Venom

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Of course, Sony isn't looking to make another vampire horror film, it's trying to make a superhero film. That's not that dissimilar to the situation with Venom. Morbius and Venom as supervillains or antiheroes share a lot in common. For example, they're both afflicted with ravenous appetites that usually compel them to spill blood, they both struggle to find an equilibrium in their duality and they are both literal monsters.

From a storytelling perspective, this means there will likely be similar beats in the films, and it also means there's a lot t learn from the critical reception of Venom in terms of what audiences expected -- and still expect.

RELATED: Morbius: 15 Things Only Real Marvel Fans Know About The "Living" Vampire

Fans had long fantasized about a live-action appearance by Venom, which is why, when Sony announced Venom, it didn't take long for the hype to start building. Fans expected blood, violence and all the elements of a slasher film accompanied by the complex and tragic Eddie Brock in the style of a superhero film.

There was no reason to expect anything else; after all, Fox's Logan (directed by James Mangold) and Deadpool (directed by Tim Miller) were both R-rated and did undeniably well both critically and financially. Despite all that, the monster film fans expected was not what Sony delivered. Critics consistently stated that the film fell flat with no emotional weight, a tone that was all over the place and a character that didn't really work.

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A Morbius film with the kind of juvenile humor and lack of R-rated elements in Venom will not work, proof of which can be found in the short-lived comic series of 2013, Morbius, The Living Vampire, which was cancelled after just nine issues. The series was not very well-received and critics often cited the change to Morbius' character.

He wore a hoodie, fought street crime, made bad jokes and became the reluctant guardian of Brownsville. It was a new take on the character, but new isn't always good -- especially to the often fickle comic book audience. There's no reason to think that doing something similar to the character on film will be any different.

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Morbius may not actually be a vampire, but a great adaptation will need at least a few of the elements of other great vampire films. Bram Stoker's Dracula (directed by Francis Ford Coppola) was true to the source material and presented a romantic version of the most famous vampire there is, to the praise of critics and audiences alike.

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Interview with the Vampire (directed by Neil Jordan) also stayed true to the Gothic spirit of Anne Rice's novels and is still praised for its dark tone and themes. Even Blade, with effects that have not aged well and the kind of tone people thought was dark (for its time), still stands out as a great example of what we should be able to expect from a superhero vampire film like Morbius.

Morbius doesn't need to be completely devoid of humor to be good, of course. The film simply needs to respect  the character and take it far more seriously than Sony's other superhero films. Otherwise, we're likely to see yet another campy monster film, only this time, Morbius' lack of mainstream fame will cause it to fail at the box office.

Films don't have to be actively funny to be fun, especially a film based on a character like the living vampire. Let Jared Leto have the dark, dramatic villain we know he can really play.