What to Expect from Morbius (2022)? Maybe not Spider-Man
- Eve Andrews
- Mar 30, 2022
- 4 min read
After its initial delay, the anticipation for Sony and Marvel’s Morbius has only continued to grow. With the long-awaited movie not only being highly anticipated for its subject matter but having been directed by renowned filmmaker Daniel Espisona, expectations are running high. While it's not entirely clear whether or not the movie will take place in the Sony Verse or the MCU, fans have certainly had fun speculating, and now, with the release only hours away, we’re ready for answers!
Morbius originated from Stan Lee’s desire to introduce a Dracula inspired villain into the Spider-Man universe. However, this occurred during the height of comic book censorship by the Comics Code Authority, banning the depiction of supernatural characters and thus prohibiting Lee from his dream of a vampiric antagonist. However, by 1970, numerous creators had begun pushing back against the Comics Code Authority, a fight in which Marvel Comics joined forces by reviving the idea of Spider-Man’s vampire villain - hence, Morbius was born. Making his first appearance in 1971 in The Amazing Spider-Man #101, Morbius has since made a small handful of on-screen appearances, including his own episode in the classic 1995 animated Spider-Man series. However, we think it's high time the character was given a proper go on the silver screen. Now, after the extended wait, Marvel fans, both veterans and newcomers alike, are waiting with bated breath. So what can we all expect?
Firstly, Jared Leto seems far better suited to the role of Morbius after the unfortunate stint as DC’s Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad. With the soft voice, intense stare and, of course, long flowing locks, Leto’s incarnation of the character appears to have a certain gravity, which is reminiscent of his comic book predecessor. He’ll be starring alongside Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft. In the comic books, Martine Bancroft was both Morbius’ romantic partner and secretary. While we’re not entirely sure what Bancroft’s role will be in the movie as of yet, the two appear to have promising on-screen chemistry. Additionally, we’ll be seeing Matt Smith making an appearance as Loxias Crown (known as Hunger in the comics), Tyrese Gibson as Simon Stroud, and Micheal Keaton reprising his role as the one and only Adrian Toomes - exciting stuff!
In terms of the story itself, it seems the movie will be sticking reasonably close to the source material when it comes to general lore. In the comics, Dr Micheal Morbius is introduced as a frighteningly intelligent, Nobel prize-winning biologist, highly renowned and respected in his field. However, he suffers from a rare blood disease that he seeks to cure via experimental therapy, involving electro-shocks and the DNA of vampire bats - you can probably see where this is going. Sure enough, the experiment goes awry, saddling Dr Morbius with an even worse affliction: pseudo vampirism, hence becoming the infamously titled Living Vampire. While pseudo vampirism does have its perks, AKA a range of special abilities, several of which we get a few sneak peeks of in the Morbuis trailer (can we just appreciate that epic flight scene for a sec?!), it also leaves him with a crippling aversion to light and an insatiable thirst for blood, one that can be deeply debilitating if left unsatisfied. The movie appears to be focussing on a similar origin story and the inner turmoil of Micheal Morbius coming to terms with his condition. His uncontrollable thirst for blood coming into conflict with his lifelong efforts to heal appears to be the movie's primary focus. And as a bonus, we also see Jared Leto’s Dr Morbius exhibiting many of the same powers as his comic book counterpart. The trailer depicts classic Morbius abilities such as flight, superstrength, enhanced reflexes, and echo-location.
However, given that the movie focuses so heavily on the birth of Morbius as the Living Vampire, it's doubtful that we’ll get to see him go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man as he did time and time again in the comics - yet. From what we know of the movie, the predominant focus of Morbius will be that of an origin story and honestly? That’s great! As much as we’d love to see our favourite vampiric villain clash with his arch-nemesis, Spidey, it’s a battle that can wait. If we ever get to see that in the future, having it backed by a carefully crafted origin story will lend it all the more weight and make it that much more fun to watch. When it comes to big battles, we need high-stakes and this first instalment of Dr Morbius’ journey onto the silver screen could be what perfectly sets the stage.
Are you as excited for Morbius as we are? Do you have any ideas of your own on what might go down? Let us know your theories in the comment section below!
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