Morbius, the next instalment in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, has had more release dates than the DCEU has had fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Now it has finally landed its sixth release date, after originally being slated for July 2020, along with a new trailer.
Almost two years after the first teaser, we finally have the official trailer for the Jared Leto comic-book movie. Set to release only a month after the hotly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have been itching to find connections between the two.
Ditching the Joker’s green hair and grills for a PhD and a thirst for blood, Leto sheds his previous role in a superhero film to bring Dr Michael Morbius to life. In the trailer we see him try an experimental technique in order to cure himself, and others, of a rare blood disease. In true Marvel fashion, something goes terribly wrong, giving him powers but also violent tendencies and a thirst for blood. With the trailer telling us that “the line between hero and villain will be broken,” it’s fair to expect a much darker side to this anti-hero than we got with Venom.
Exploring the powers of the ‘living vampire’ is something the trailer really focuses on, giving us a taste of the good doctor’s newfound abilities, namely “increased strength and speed, and some form of bat radar” (as well as flight, obviously). We also get a closer look at a transformed Morbius, suggesting director Daniel Espinosa and co. aren’t shying away from the character’s more horrific aspects.
On top of all this, we also get some references to other Spider-Man films. Michael Keaton reprises his role as Adrian Toomes/Vulture from Homecoming. We get a glimpse at the Oscorp building, as seen in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. And lastly, in the final moments of the trailer, Venom gets mentioned by name.
So, as for what cinematic universe this takes place in, your guess is as good as ours, but with the opening of the multiverse in the MCU—anything could happen…
Morbius is set to open exclusively in cinemas 28 January 2022.
Words by Richard Ord
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