I cannot be the only one excited for Morbius! Directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Jared Leto as the main role, Morbius follows Michael Morbius. He’s a doctor who becomes a vampire after attempting to cure himself of a rare blood disease. Morbius first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #101. So before the project actually lands, here are 10 things that you should know about Morbius to get ready for his film.
1. Experiment Gone Wrong
When we think of a vampire, we right away think that it’s the result of another vampire biting the person. But that is not the case with Morbius. Michael Morbius actually becomes a vampire because of a faulty scientific experiment. he had a rare blood disease that left him pale and sick. It was his efforts that led to an experiment that transformed him into a living vampire with a need to feed off blood. But he is not your traditional vampire, so he does not possess their weakness, like exposure to sunlight.
2. A Spider-Man Villain
See, Morbius is not a villain in a true sense. But he was introduced as an antagonist of Spider-Man in 1971. Moreover, he met with Spider-Man in New York when he was trying to find a cure for his condition. Spider-Man teamed up with his usual enemy the Lizard to get a sample of the vampire’s blood. Hence, things did not start on a good note between both sides. That is why the bitterness trickled down the line in the years to follow in the comics.
3. Vampire Tales
Time and again Marvel has proved that they never fail to capitalize on the opportunity or the market trends. So, when Marvel saw that Vampires are a major component of the market in the 70s, they came up with Morbius. Needless to say, the character gained extreme popularity. Not soon after, Morbius would be a big part of the horror revival in the ’70s and led his own book, Vampire Tales. It started in 1973 in a magazine-style format. This allowed Marvel to get out from the restrictions of the Comic Code Authority.
4. Changes In The Comics Code Made Morbius Possible
Even before Vampire Tales, The Comics Code Authority had a major impact on comic books through most of the Silver and Bronze Age. So when in 1971 the Code started to relax a little, Marvel saw this as an opening to explore previously forbidden subjects like vampires. That is exactly when writer Roy Thomas came into the pictures and considered using Dracula as the villain in The Amazing Spider-Man #101. But in reality, it was Stan Lee’s desire for a new villain that led to the creation of Morbius.
5. Morbius Was Almost Cured
Morbius has come close to curing himself on several occasions. But the most dramatic one came in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #38. In this story, Morbius finally drinks Peter’s blood and is struck by lightning. This unusual chain of events actually seemed to cure him. But, not for long. Morbius actually returned back to his human form. But he soon realized that his thirst for blood was still evident. Not too long after he reverted back to his pseudo-vampire state.
6. Morbius Nearly Cured The Lizard
Morbius has had encounters with the Lizard too and is a part of the Sinister Six. Moreover, in The Amazing Spider-Man #101, he even nearly cured Lizard of his condition when he first bit him during their first encounter. The bite seemed to temporarily cure the Lizard. As a result, this led Curt Connors and Peter Parker to trail Morbius to see if the effect could be made permanent. So, my best guess is this storyline itself to bring the three on the same screen. I mean, it all depends on Sony and Marvel after all.
7. Spider-Man’s Ally
This unusual alliance started to take shape in the 90s. Morbius teamed up with Spider-Man to defeat Carnage in the massive Maximum Carnage storyline. Needless to say how strong Carnage is, Spider-Man was not able to stop him alone. Morbius teamed up with Spider-Man and Venom to stop the mad hosts’ destruction in New York. In the story, Morbius helps Spider-Man fight all of New York after Shriek turns ordinary people into a violent mob. Would you like to see Morbius, Spider-Man, Venom, and Carnage sharing the same screen?
8. Allies With Doctor Strange
This might seem a little weird, but Morbius and Doctor Strange actually became friends and went on many adventures. So, considering their history in the comics, Morbius can somehow play a role in the future movies of Doctor Strange. Even though his condition isn’t supernatural, he still became a member of the Nine (Midnight Sons), a secret group of superheroes Strange formed to battle supernatural threats to the world. Moreover, many of the team members are existing in the MCU at this very moment!
9. Morbius Helped The She-Hulk
In hindsight, Morbius wasn’t a bad guy at all. While he was still human, he tried to help other superheroes with their conditions. And one of them was She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters. At the time of this storyline, Walters was facing some serious swings between being her regular self and the She-Hulk. So, Dr. Michael Morbius gave her the serum that he had invented to use on himself as well. So, I think the upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk can include this story somehow?
10. Enemy Of Blade The Vampire Hunter
I mean, it’s pretty obvious that Blade the Vampire Hunter is not in agreement with Morbius because he’s a vampire too. Duh. The two first crossed paths in the 70s, in issues #20-26 the Adventure Into Fear comic book series. Even though Morbius wasn’t our day-to-day vampire, Blade just couldn’t wrap his around the fact and they remained antagonistic over the years. Many of their stories can be adapted in the upcoming Blade reboot.
So these are all the things that you should know about Morbius to get ready for his film.
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