Morbius release date, trailer, cast and everything else we know
Morbius is the next piece of Sony's Spider-Man cinematic universe
Jared Leto is starring in Morbius, the next Sony-made movie connected to Spider-Man. Arriving after Spider-Man: No Way Home, the film introduces another of Spidey's villains: Morbius, the living vampire. The movie is premiering soon and Morbius reviews are already flowing in.
But just like the Eddie Brock we met in Venom and Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage, this movie doesn't seem to be presenting Morbius as a baddie. Instead, just like his vampiric skin, we've got shades of gray.
Spoiler alert: this story covers news from Venom 2's post-credits scene and all the Spider-Man: No Way Home rumors. Plus, well, if the leaks and rumors are true? Morbius' post-credits scenes will have fans angry.
Morbius trailer and its Easter eggs
After waiting for a while, the first full Morbius trailer finally arrived on Tuesday, November 2. The clip, which gives people reason to wonder which cinematic world Morpheus is in, seems to be making a lot of teases about the collision of the Sony and Marvel Cinematic Universes. And if true, it'll be even harder to watch the Marvel movies in order.
As you can see, the trailer makes multiple reference to Venom (both as the San Francisco incident and Morbius acknowledging Venom by name. This could have you thinking it's a part of Sony's current Tom Holland and Tom Hardy-led Spider-Man and Venom movies.
Except at 1:41 in the trailer we clearly see an OSCORP logo on a building, and Norman Osborne's Oscorp hasn't appeared in the MCU at all yet — but it was in both the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies.
The Daily Bugle's appearance as a newspaper in the Morbius trailer gives us more reason to think Morbius is a Sony-verse movie. In the MCU, the Bugle is more of a
YouTube channel for the conspiracy theory-fueling J. Jonah Jameson. The paper's headlines also make nods to Spider-Man characters Black Cat and Rhino, and while the former has yet to appear in the movies, the latter was shown in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, played by Paul Giamatti.
Sign up now to get the best Black Friday deals!
Discover the hottest deals, best product picks and the latest tech news from our experts at Tom’s Guide.
But we also have reason to tie Morbius into the MCU.
The biggest piece of evidence is that Michael Keaton appears to be back as Adrian Tooms (who became The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming).
There's also another freeze-frame treat for you in the Spider-Man street art: the word "MURDERER" is spray-painted across an image of Spider-Man. This is referencing the accusations that Quentin Beck (Mysterio) leveled at Spider-Man/Peter Parker at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
How could it all fit together? Well, if only there was an incoming Spider-Man movie that saw the multiverse walls shatter. Oh, wait, the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer showed us exactly that.
Morbius release date changes again
Per Deadline, Morbius will arrive in theaters on April 1, 2022, having been pushed back from January 28. The outlet reports that Spider-Man: No Way Home's continued success is contributing to this decision, as Sony doesn't want to take away screens from the biggest movie of the last year.
And because it's a Sony Pictures movie, it won't be streaming anywhere at that date. Months after that date, though, expect Morbius to be on Netflix, thanks to a Sony/Netflix deal. And then about 18 months after that, Morbius will be on Disney Plus, thanks to (you guessed it) a Sony/Disney deal. Both services are available on the best streaming devices.
Morbius cast
As mentioned above, the big news here is that Michael Keaton is back in the role of Adrian Toomes. Is this the same Toomes that was imprisoned in Spider-Man: Homecoming? Or one from another universe?
The full cast list as we know it is it listed below.
- Jared Leto as Michael Morbius
- Matt Smith as Loxias Crown
- Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft
- Jared Harris as Morbius' mentor
- Al Madrigal as FBI agent Alberto Rodriguez
- Tyrese Gibson as FBI agent Simon Stroud
- Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes
Morbius' powers
Morbius sought a cure for his disease, and was met with a swarm of bats. This has led to a peculiar set of skills. As listed in the trailer, Morbius has:
- Increased strength and speed
- "Some form of bat radar"
Then, the trailer showed us that this Morbius can also fly and turn into a vampiric form. In the comics, Morbius also has night vision and accelerated healing.
Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.