The new Spider-Verse kicks off in earnest this fall with the release of Ruben Fleischer’s Venom and that is just the start. There seem to be a lot of irons in the fire, or spiders in the web if you prefer, at the moment and while some like Nightwatch and Silver and Black are still in development, the Morbius spinoff film has gotten a jump on the casting process, with the DCEU’s Joker, Jared Leto, signing on to play Marvel’s Living Vampire.
Jared Leto has traded in his Suicide Squad Joker make-up for something a little different, as evidenced in the first trailer for Sony’s Morbius, centered around the Spider-Man antihero of the same name. The actor is seen climbing walls, echolocating, and thirsting for blood.
But there’s one important distinction between Morbius and vampires: He’s a living vampire. That is, he accidentally gave himself vampire-like powers through science rather than being bitten by a vampire. This might seem like a silly distinction — but without it, the character might never have been created
We have the official first trailer and we are super excited. This looks like an R-rated film possibly? Here’s everything you need to know about Morbius the Vampire. You can watch the trailer at the bottom of this post, but first here’s everything you need to know about the Vampire Morbius:
History:
Born in Greece to a single mother, Michael Morbius grew up with a rare blood condition that made him extremely weak. Intellectually gifted, Michael Morbius went on to become a doctor and a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist. In an attempt to find a cure for fatal blood diseases, to save himself and others, Dr. Morbius developed an experimental treatment using his knowledge of biochemistry. The treatment involved the use of vampire bats and electroshock therapy. He subjected himself to the process, which both succeeded and failed, proving sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. His blood condition was cured but he was left with truly horrific side effects.
Born in Greece to a single mother, Michael Morbius grew up with a rare blood condition that made him extremely weak. Intellectually gifted, Michael Morbius went on to become a doctor and a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist. In an attempt to find a cure for fatal blood diseases, to save himself and others, Dr. Morbius developed an experimental treatment using his knowledge of biochemistry. The treatment involved the use of vampire bats and electroshock therapy. He subjected himself to the process, which both succeeded and failed, proving sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. His blood condition was cured but he was left with truly horrific side effects.
Hero?
Plenty of debates roam the internet on whether Morbius is a hero or a villain. Though Morbius started out as a villain, he shifted to more antihero tendencies in later comics. He’s since appeared in a few of the Spider-Man animated series and video games. This perfectly dark and edgy anti-hero seems like a natural choice for Leto, who in 2006 was awarded the Prince of Darkness award.
In his quest for a cure and because of his need to consume the blood of human innocents to stay alive, Morbius has run afoul of multiple heroes. In addition to his run-ins with Spider-Man, he has also battled members of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. As an anti-hero, he has served as a part of the S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff agency A.R.M.O.R. and more notably Morbius has been a member of the Midnight Sons. The Midnight Sons were first formed by Doctor Strange to battle the goddess and mother of demons Lilith. They have since fought against dark and supernatural forces. Morbius has even led the group and has fought alongside famous members like Doctor Strange, Wong, Iron Fist, Ghost Rider and the vampire hunter Blade. Morbius and Blade have an interesting relationship as the two have fought as allies against common enemies but have fought each other as well and maintain a healthy level of mistrust.
Accept this vow, then: If I must drink blood, let it be the blood of the corrupt of those who deserve to die. The blood of the guilty. – Morbius
Powers and Weaknesses:
Morbius shares some of the benefits vampires traditionally enjoy
– Superhuman strength and
– Speed as well as flight (sort of gliding really).
– Enhanced senses like night vision and echolocation
– The ability to hypnotize people
– Healing factor, similar to, but not as strong as, Wolverine’s.
– Those that suffer his bite only transform into living vampires like him some of the time.
– Unaffected by garlic, holy water, silver or crucifixes.
He shares some of the weaknesses as well. All in all he is a formidable opponent for Spider-Man or any other foe, but he is not without his weaknesses, even if they are different from what you might expect:
– Sunshine: Although he doesn’t burst into flames if he ventures out during the day, Morbius’ skin is photosensitive
– His powers are also diminished during the waking hours. Morbius doesn’t share all vampire weaknesses though. Any amateur vampire hunters encountering Morbius will be unpleasantly surprised to find out that because his condition is not mystical, he is
– Cannot shape-shift.
