The highly anticipated Morbius was released on April 1, 2022. The film told the story of Dr. Michael Morbius. After the search for a cure to a rare blood disease goes horribly wrong, Morbius ends up infected with a strange form of vampirism. This earns him his name as Morbius, the Living Vampire, portrayed by Jared Leto. Development for the film began when it was announced that a shared universe of films was to come into existence under Sony, spawning a number of new films and beginning with Venom, which was originally pegged as a standalone film outside the MCU but has since become a part of the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU).
Updated October 11, 2023: This article has been updated by Jessica Peerez with more information on whether Morbius belongs to the MCU or not.
Thanks to this new creation of the connected SSU, many characters and concepts within can be reimagined, like the classic Spider-Man villains Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus. Right now, Sony is in the process of developing a plethora of new SSU stories, including the release of Kraven the Hunter, a film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular hunter, set to be released August 30, 2024, and Silk, a new series based around Cindy Moon, an ally of Spider-Man’s. Created in collaboration with Columbia Pictures and Marvel Entertainment, many are wondering where exactly Morbius falls within the MCU and if it is connected to the franchise at all.
Is Morbius in the Same Universe as the MCU?
Morbius is not a part of the MCU. Instead, the character belongs to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which began with Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The original concept of the SSU was concocted after the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. However, the film’s overall failure led corporate execs to abandon the idea altogether, and instead, Sony settled on a partnership with Marvel Studios to produce a series of films that revolved around characters within the Spider-Man Universe. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is a smaller part of the MCU and has a focus on all Spider-Man characters, including Morbius and Kraven the Hunter.
One specific cameo that appeared to tie Morbius in with the MCU is the appearance of Michael Keaton, who previously played the role of Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The scene ties Morbius to the MCU through the multiverse, as Vulture is brought into the universe by Doctor Strange’s spell from Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, that does raise an issue as to why it would transport Vulture to another universe, as that is not how the spell works.
This firmly established Morbius is not a part of the MCU and instead takes place in the same universe as Venom, making it the third film in the SSU after Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The film will soon be joined by new entries to the universe with the release of Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web.
Is Morbius Connected to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?
As stated previously, the appearance of Vulture in the Morbius trailer confirmed that the film takes place in the Spider-Man Universe, which is separate from the MCU. This is further confirmed by another Sony Spider-Man film: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Spider-Verse: Across the Spider-Verse establishes that Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Morbius take place is designated Earth-688, firmly establishing it is separate from the MCU. That film also provides an explanation for why Vulture was brought from the MCU into this new universe, as it ties back to Kingpin’s collider from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now, various characters from different universes are popping up in other universes.
While Vulture proposes a team-up with Morbius against Spider-Man, Morbius agrees. Currently, no Spider-Man has been established on Earth-688, but clearly one exists. It would be one separate from Tom Holland that Morbius would face off against. Yet with the multiverse in shambles, it is highly likely Jared Leto’s Morbius could be transported to the MCU or Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could end up in Sony’s Spider-Man universe.
What Does the Future Hold for Morbius?
In early 2021, Jared Leto was hinting at plans for Morbius that extended to possibly teaming up with the MCU’s Blade or crossing over with other characters like Venom. Morbius didn’t go on to become a box-office success. Following its release in 2022, the film received extremely harsh reviews. The film was also only able to accumulate roughly $167 million at the box office and was considered a bomb.
At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation from Sony regarding a Morbius sequel. With the underperformance of the first movie, Sony may not be too inclined to pursue a second film in the near future. Even if Sony doesn’t bring us a dedicated Morbius-centered film, the character can still appear within the SSU.
Morbius could crossover with Venom in his planned third movie, as it might be a good way to rebrand the character. Similar to the Hulk in the MCU, Morbius might no longer be a major starring character but can be a recurring supporting character. He could also face off against Kraven the Hunter sometime in the future or team up with him. Both Kraven the Hunter and Vulture are members of the Spider-Man villain team, The Sinister Six, in the comics. Those two, combined with Morbius and Venom, could be the beginnings of a new team-up film and one that Sony had been planning to make as far back as 2014.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
