Morbius is the next major movie from Sony’s Spider-Verse and has already caused a lot of discussion by including pictures of Spider-Man, as well as the Vulture himself in the trailer. This seemingly confirms that the film will take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, while the character of Morbius is an excellent one, there are numerous reasons why it’s a bad idea to add him to the MCU. At the same time, there’s also plenty to get excited about. Here are 5 reasons why Morbius should and five why he should not be added to the MCU.
BAD IDEA: MCU CONFUSION
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is already becoming quite confusing. We’re not exactly sure where the old TV shows fall into this new universe and there’s plenty of Disney Plus shows that are going to be difficult to keep up with.
What’s more, the FOX acquisition and release of some of their past projects, such as New Mutants confuses matters further. Adding Sony’s own films to this universe muddies the waters further and only makes the situation far more complicated for audiences.
EXCITED ABOUT: SINISTER SIX
One team that Sony has been consistently trying to get off the ground is the villainous group known as the Sinister Six. Comprised of some of Spidey’s worst villains, the addition of Morbius to the MCU could bring with him this formidable team.
There’s plenty of other villains who could join the ranks of the Six, but the addition of Vulture to the trailer strongly suggests that Sony could be adding them to the MCU. This is an exciting moment for comic fans who have wanted to see the team in live-action for some time.
BAD IDEA: QUALITY OF FILM
There’s no telling how good this film actually is, as Sony has a pretty mixed track record when producing Spider-Man movies. The last few main films based on the titular character have been largely overseen by Marvel Studios, which is responsible for a lot of their success.
However, the last Sony project was Venom. Although financially this did spectacularly, there’s plenty of people who felt like the movie was average at best, with the critics not exactly being sympathetic for the hard work of the cast and crew. We don’t want a repeat of this!
EXCITED ABOUT: VAMPIRES INTRODUCED
While this could mean a bad film is added to this connected universe, it also means that vampires are finally introduced into the MCU. Vampires and Dracula himself have played a large part in Marvel Comics for quite some time.
Marvel has a few projects on the horizon that will include Vampires as well. The Disney Plus series Blade is about a Vampire hunter, and even Moon Knight is supposedly going to add Dracula into the mix. Morbius introduces this idea much earlier on.
BAD IDEA: ANTI-HERO OR MENACE
The trailer has already made the status of Michael Morbius quite confusing. Although there are plenty of parts that portray him to be a hero, or perhaps at the very least an anti-hero, other scenes suggest he’s a straight-up monstrous villain.
If the film doesn’t clearly state this then it could become confusing when he’s added to the larger universe. If fans don’t know how to feel about the character, then it’s unclear what will happen when he meets the likes of Venom, a clear anti-hero, or Spidey himself.
EXCITED ABOUT: SPIDER-MAN VS MORBIUS
There’s one obvious bonus to having Morbius enter this connected cinematic universe. He will get to come face to face with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man at some point, and we may even see the two battle it out. This would be an excellent meeting to watch.
Morbius is going to want to try to take some of Peter’s blood as it may be the cure to his life as a Vampire. This is of course going to cause conflict between the two, creating a situation that we think would be extremely entertaining and just like a splash page from a comic.
BAD IDEA: LIMITED CROSSOVER
Due to Sony owning the rights to the character though, there’s actually only limited crossover potential. The world that Morbius brings with him is one of monsters and magic, vampires, and werewolves. Sadly this won’t bleed into the larger MCU.
For instance, we’d love to see an on-screen version of the Midnight Sons, with characters like Doctor Strange, Blade, Ghost Rider and Morbius himself. The chances of this happening are pretty non-existent unless Sony and Disney came up with a new deal.
EXCITED ABOUT: TALENTED ACTOR
Jared Leto is an extremely talented, award-winning actor. We know that he hasn’t been overly favored in comic book movie roles in the past, with many people feeling let down by his portrayal of the Joker. That shouldn’t take away from his overall talent though.
Based on the trailers, his performance seems nuanced yet tortured. He’s an excellent casting choice now that we’ve seen him in a few shots from the film, and it adds yet another huge name to the larger MCU, with an actor that could excel in the crossover interactions.
BAD IDEA: LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES
There could be some long term consequences for this larger MCU crossover. At some point, the deal between Sony and Disney will come to an end, and the creative team will have to start thinking of ways to write Spidey out of the MCU.
Right now, that is a simpler process as it’s just Spider-Man’s franchise that needs worrying about. However, if you add both Morbius and Venom to the mix, this will become an even more confusing and complex task.
EXCITED ABOUT: INTERESTING CHARACTER
When it comes down to it though, there’s a very simple benefit to adding this Vampiric character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s just a really interesting creation from the comics, and one we believe could really flourish in the films.
There are so many interesting powers and characteristics that come with this potential anti-hero, and the MCU definitely needs more characters that operate in the grey. Plus, there’s a grittiness to Morbius that you don’t get with many other characters.
