"Morbius" may be a solo movie for the Marvel antihero, but it references at least 5 other
villains from Spider-Man's rogues gallery.
Did you catch them all?
These are the small details you missed in "Morbius."
Let's get this out of the way – "Morbius" is not in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and
it's not produced by Marvel Studios.
It's a Sony product, part of its own universe of Marvel characters – namely, most of the
Marvel Comics characters mainly associated with "Spider-Man."
There's only three movies in this universe – the two "Venom" movies, and now "Morbius."
But that doesn't mean more movies in Sony's own series aren't on the way.
An early conversation between Nikols and Milo sees the wealthy villain explain that he recently
crossed paths with a certain "Russian gentleman," which is why he's hired bodyguards to look
after him.
He doesn't go into more detail, but it seems likely that this mysterious Russian he's referring
to is actually Kraven the Hunter.
Sure, there have been a few different Russian villains to grace the pages of the "Spider-Man"
comics over the years, but considering Sony is working on a "Kraven the Hunter" movie,
it seems likely that this is a reference to the iconic hunter.
Kraven's real name is Sergei Kravinoff, and he's been a longstanding "Spider-Man" villain,
first going up against the Wall-Crawler back in 1964's "Amazing Spider-Man" issue #15.
Kraven has gone after the Spider for decades, and he even dons the costume himself in the
iconic storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt" to prove that he can best the hero by being a better
vigilante than him.
The "Kraven the Hunter" movie started production in London in March 2022, as fans spotted Aaron
Taylor-Johnson filming a car chase through the streets.
The film is currently slated for a January 13, 2023 release, so it'll be quite some time
before fans get an official look at the spinoff movie.
However, it's likely he'll be a morally ambiguous anti-hero, rather than a full blown bad guy.
One of the key locations in the film is Horizon Labs, where Morbius looks after children with
the same blood disorder that he has — while also carrying out his research into curing
the condition.
This isn't just a random name.
Horizon Labs has been a huge part of the "Spider-Man" comics in the last decade, as Peter Parker
worked there during Dan Slott's run on the character.
It's a place for gifted scientists to work on the most cutting-edge technology and ideas,
without the restraints of having to pitch them to a board of directors.
Morbius also works for Horizon in the comics, and he's the one who creates a serum that
saves everyone in New York when the events of "Spider-Island" turn everyone into giant
arachnids.
But he's not the only villain to grace the laboratory's halls.
Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus, also works for the company after he transfers his consciousness
into Peter's brain in "Amazing Spider-Man" issue #700 — and he uses Horizon as a way
of developing new technology for his own heroic career.
It's also worth pointing out that Horizon also has a floating laboratory on a boat — called
the Zenith — so they can also operate in international waters.
But it's got a different name in "Morbius."
A key sequence in the film sees Morbius undergo his experimental procedure with the help of
his love-interest-slash-colleague Martine Bancroft on a huge ship way off the coast
of Long Island.
This is because the procedure isn't approved by the United States Food and Drug Association,
so they won't be prosecuted just for carrying it out.
It all goes south when Morbius transforms into a bloodsucking monster and slaughters
the gang of mercenaries they've hired to protect them.
Awkward.
But the ship itself is called the Murnau, a neat reference to the famed director F.W.
Murnau, who helmed the first-ever vampire movie: 1922's "Nosferatu."
The German silent film is an unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", and follows similar
story beats to the original tale, including scenes where Count Orlok kills the crew of
a ship as he travels from Transylvania to Germany.
Although "Morbius" is far from a traditional vampire story, with the main character explicitly
being a "living vampire," it's nice to see an homage to the very first cinematic bloodsucker
in this unorthodox, modern-day take.
Just in case it isn't clear that "Morbius" takes place in the same universe as the hugely
successful "Venom" franchise, the film spells it out for the audience a couple of times
over the course of Morbius' adventure.
When the authorities first find the Murnau with a horde of bled-out bodies onboard, FBI
Agent Rodriguez notes to Agent Stroud that they haven't had a weird case like this since,
oh, around fall 2018.
"We haven't had anything this good since that thing in San Francisco."
It's an obvious reference to Eddie Brock and Venom, demonstrating that the symbiotic anti-hero
isn't exactly a secret on the streets.
The Lethal Protector got into even more trouble in the 2021 sequel, "Let There Be Carnage,"
when he went up against the twisted Cletus Kasady.
And when Morbius takes over an underground lab used by a counterfeit gang, he jokingly
intimidates one of them by making a reference to the lethal protector.
"I. Am. Venom."
This means that news about Venom has spread across the country, although it's not quite
clear what the public knows about the symbiote, other than the fact that he occasionally eats
criminals, and fights other alien goo monsters in San Francisco.
It's also not clear why Michael Morbius knows Venom's cool line, either.
Maybe he saw the movie.
"We are Venom."
It'll be interesting to see whether Venom and Morbius will ever share the screen together
– but Sony seems dead-set on delivering a Sinister Six team-up movie at some point.
Venom isn't usually a member of that team, at least not in the comics, but it's still
a possibility that they might team up on screen.
Sony may not have the rights to the character, but "Morbius" writers Matt Sazama and Burk
Sharpless manage to squeeze a Hulk reference into the movie nonetheless.
Although Morbius' transformation cures him of his blood disorder and grants him enhanced
speed and strength, as well as a unique echolocation ability, it also means that he has to feed
on blood so that he doesn't revert back to his sickly self.
He manages to sustain himself on artificial blood for a little while, but it just doesn't
last as long as the real thing.
And when Morbius finds himself wrongfully locked up in the Manhattan detention facility
for the murder of a nurse in Horizon Labs, he starts to get a little hangry.
He makes it clear to Rodriguez and Stroud how desperate he is for blood, saying, "You
won't like me when I'm hungry."
While he doesn't really say it these days, the line is a definite callback to "The Incredible
Hulk" TV series from the 1970s, starring Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno
as the titular green monster.
"Don't make me angry.
You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."
It effectively became Banner's catchphrase, so much so that the actual MCU has been going
out of its way not to say it.
That said, the MCU does have its own version of the iconic line, with Bruce revealing in
"The Avengers" –
"I'm always angry."
Just to reassure fans that this movie is indeed Spider-Man-related, "The Daily Bugle" newspaper
shows up throughout the film – and its headlines are often Easter eggs.
The first one makes a reference to a Rhino getting loose from a zoo.
This doesn't exactly confirm that the famous Spider-Man villain necessarily shares a universe
with Morbius, since the headline sounds like it involves a literal rhino rather than the
supervillain of the same name.
It's still a cute reference – the Rhino is another of Spider-Man's more famous villains
in the comics, arguably more well-known than Morbius himself.
He's known for his brute strength and the fact that he… dresses up in a Rhino costume.
The Rhino previously smashed his way into live-action in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2,"
where he was played by Paul Giamatti.
He probably would've played a part in the original "Sinister Six" movie that Sony was
developing with Drew Goddard, before Sony reset its Spider-Man plans after the movie
underperformed.
The second reference on The Daily Bugle's front page reads "Black Cat: Friend or Foe?"
— which seemingly confirms that Felicia Hardy exists here, too.
The character previously appeared in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," played by "Rogue One"
star Felicity Jones in a minor role.
She briefly shows up as one of the assistants working at Oscorp, before Harry Osborn notices
her and hires her as his personal assistant.
She was also presumably going to have a larger role in that universe, before Sony scrapped
the third installment of "The Amazing Spider-Man."
Black Cat is an iconic character in the Spider-Man mythos, largely because she's one of the web
slinger's frequent love interests.
The burglar first appears in 1979's "Amazing Spider-Man" issue #194 when she hatches a
plan to break her dying father out of prison.
It also establishes that anyone who crosses her falls foul of her bad luck, riffing off
the common superstition regarding actual black cats.
It's highly likely that Black Cat will show up in a future film, with Sony already having
had at least one movie for the character in development.
The studio was originally planning to use the femme fatale alongside mercenary Silver
Sable in a team-up adventure titled "Silver and Black," from director Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The movie was set aside, and the director moved on to other projects.
However, the filmmaker told Looper in 2020 that she'd love to return to the characters
with the script she wrote.
But wait, there's a third Daily Bugle headline referencing yet another member of Spidey's
rogue's gallery!
"Chameleon's Great Escape" suggests that Dmitri Smerdyakov has already had a brush with the
authorities and has even managed to escape prison if it's on the front page of the Bugle.
Although many of the web-slinger's villains take inspiration from animals, Chameleon doesn't
actually dress up like the reptile he's named after.
Instead, he's a master of disguise and can impersonate anyone he likes to carry out robberies
and assassinations.
Surprisingly, fans might have already seen a version of Chameleon in live-action, with
a “Dmitri” showing up in "Spider-Man: Far From Home" as one of Nick Fury's associates.
"That is Dmitri."
He's played by Numan Acar in the MCU, but he doesn't actually get to do anything comparable
to his comic book origins.
Chameleon first shows up in 1962's "Amazing Spider-Man" issue #1 where he steals highly
classified missile plans and frames the titular hero for the crime.
The white-mask-wearing-villain will next be seen in the "Kraven the Hunter" solo movie,
this time played by Fred Hechinger.
It's worth pointing out that Chameleon is actually Kraven's half-brother, so hopefully
that dynamic gets the spotlight in the 2023 movie.
It just wouldn't be a comic book movie if the big bad didn't go after the hero's love
interest in the dramatic finale — and "Morbius" is no exception.
Unfortunately, Milo catches Martine Bancroft and forces her to cry out for her moody vampire
beau in a bid to kickstart the predictable final battle.
A hero and a villain?
With the same set of superpowers?
Groundbreaking.
Anyway, he ultimately leaves Martine bleeding out on a rooftop for Morbius to find her.
In a generous act of sacrifice, she lets the good doctor drink her blood so he's fully
powered to kill Milo.
But before she dies, a drop of Morbius' own blood drips into her mouth, and she licks
her teeth with it.
Weird, but hey, she's dying, so we won't judge.
One of the final moments of the film sees Martine wake up with bright red eyes, implying
that she's returned as a vampire.
This could be picked up in a Morbius sequel, and there's a precedent for it in the 30th
issue of the comic book "Fear," in which Martine is turned into a vampire by an enemy of Morbius.
Although she becomes a Living Vampire like Morbius, her newfound abilities made her aspire
to be a "true Vampire" like Dracula.
Oh, dear.
Hello Martine Vampcroft – and bring on "Morbius 2."
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