The film Spider-Man: No Way Home officially introduced Marvel's multiverse to the MCU, inviting anyone who knows Peter Parker's identity a way to enter the cinematic universe. Many of these characters were familiar villains and heroes associated with the webslinger, but there are many more who didn't make an appearance. One of these might not be a "classic" enemy of the web-head, but he's definitely one of the deadliest.
Morlun is the original interdimensional Spider-Man villain, traveling to different universes to feed upon the energy of those with "Spider totems." This has made him an incredibly powerful villain in the comics, but he could be primed now more than ever to make the jump into the movies. Although he might fit in a little better in the animated Spider-Verse films, Morlun could also be one of the next big villains in Sony and Marvel's Spider-Man films.
Who is Morlun, the Multiversal Spider-Slayer?
Morlun debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #30 in 2001, and was created by J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita, Jr. Hailing from Earth-001, Morlun is a being who travels throughout several dimensions, hunting down the various "Spider totems." These have included the mainstream Earth-616 Spider-Man as well as several others.
Morlun is a member of the Inheritors, a family of similar people who feed upon the life energy of totems (who are characterized as those in between animals and humanity). Their war against the various Spider-Men and Spider-Women was showcased in storylines such as Spider-Verse. In other stories, however, Morlun has taken on other totem characters such as Black Panther.
Powers And Weaknesses of Morlun
Morlun and the other Inheritors possess some degree of superhuman strength and dexterity, making him a formidable adversary against Marvel's wallcrawler. He has survived harrowing attacks, such as being struck head on by a vibranium tipped missile. Morlun and the Inheritors can enhance their strength further by draining the energy of living beings. Although this can be done with any life form, those with superpowers and especially Totems give Morlun and his kin substantial boosts to their already impressive power.
Morlu's main weakness is that he requires these feedings to survive. Without feasting upon the life force of others, particularly the Totems, Morlun will begin to age and weaken at an accelerated pace. Given his power and aristocratic nature, Morlun is also incredibly arrogant, which can lead him to rush into battle without thinking.
How Could Morlun Show Up In the Spider-Verse?
Morlun's very nature is to travel to different universes, and with the multiverse firmly established in both the MCU and Sony's Spider-Man Universe, it would be a waste to never introduce him properly. Not only would his presence give good reason to unite many multiversal Spider-People, but it would also require it just for them to stand a chance of defeating him.
This makes Morlun potentially the worst personal villain that Spidey could ever face on film, and if both movie studios see fit, he could also be used to kill off some of the other Spider-Men. At the same time, he might fight a better home in the animated Spider-Man movies, allowing the live-action flicks to focus on the more popular classic villains. The live-action movies would also do well to focus on the "friendly neighborhood" part of the Spider-mythos, returning him to his status as a more street-level character.
In the end, the Sony Universe and the MCU will likely interact again, and Morlun is the best way to connect the two. If Knull, the King in Black is used as the Thanos of Sony's Universe, Morlun could be built up to in order to threaten the Spider-Men of all universes.