The first trailer for the new Sony/Marvel film, Morbius released Monday and teases connections to Spider-Man and possibly the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jared Leto plays Michael Morbius, a doctor with a rare fatal blood disease looking for a cure. Fans of the source material may know that Morbius' research leads him to use bats to try and combat the disease. Using himself as a test subject, the procedure transforms him into a "living vampire" a being who needs human blood to sustain himself.
While seeing a comics-accurate depiction of Morbius on the big screen has fans excited, it's the nods to Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home that has them talking.
Before we get into that, watch the first teaser trailer for Sony's Morbius above.
SPIDER-MAN MURDERER?
Our first connection to Spider-Man and the MCU comes around the 2:08 mark when Morbius is walking down a street with the word, "murderer" graffitied over a poster of the wall-crawler.
This seemingly refers to the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home when Mysterio (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) doctored video to show the hero was the one behind his death. The video also showed Spider-Man unmasked as Peter Parker, to the shock of the hero.
If Morbius does exist in the MCU, then the timeline would suggest the film takes place after Far From Home. The only part of this scene that's confusing is the image of Spider-Man is used is from the 2018 PlayStation title and not from the actual films.
More specifically, the outfit is the one based on the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films.
Whether that's a simple nod to the game and older movies or a mistake on the part of Sony is unclear, but we'll learn more when the movie arrives in theaters.
VULTURE AND SINISTER SIX?
While the Spider-Man "cameo" was eye-opening, the biggest tease is the reveal of Michael Keaton's role in Morbius.
The Oscar-nominated actor appears saying, "Michael Morbius....Got tired of doing the whole good guy thing, right? What's up doc?" Fans of the Spider-Man films may recognize Keaton as Adrian Toomes, The Vulture. However, it's not clear whether that's the role he's playing in this film.
Keaton was last seen in Spider-Man: Homecoming where he was arrested and taken to prison. The scene from the trailer with Morbius may suggest that the titular character has been taken to the same prison - as it's the same outfit he wore at the end of the film - or that Toomes is out and is looking to recruit him.
If Morbius is tied to the Spidey films and the MCU, then it's likely Sony's way of integrating its properties into a larger story, namely the Sinister Six. While the supervillain team movie has been in limbo for years, this could be the next step to making it a reality.
Producer Amy Pascal told Vanity Fair in 2018 that a Sinister Six movie can happen.
"All of these villains that we now have in our universe happen to be characters that are in the Sinister Six," explained Pascal. "There may be something that happens with that.....I'm just waiting for Drew to be ready to direct it. I would do anything with Drew Goddard. I'm just waiting for him to tell me he wants to."
With the possible connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Morbius has become a much bigger deal than many fans believed.
Morbius is set to release this summer.
What do you think of the first Morbius trailer? Are you interested in a Sinister Six film? Let us know in the comments section.
