Spider-Man: NWH and its missing second trailer have occupied the majority of the media attention. Meanwhile, Sony has started to promote another upcoming release: Morbius. The vampire-starring film will premiere in theaters on January 28, 2022, after a series of delays. Following this, a short featurette was released for the next official entry in the SSU. This provided new glimpses at the film and teased interesting connections to several Spider-Man characters.
Even more Easter eggs and references can be found in the new Morbius trailer following the Jared Leto-led featurette. It appears that the “web of opportunity” isn’t limited to Tom Holland’s current wall-crawler. There are hints about The Amazing Spider-Man universe, Venom, and more tease various other opportunities for Morbius to cross paths with Spider-Man and his numerous amazing friends.
To help you understand the Morbius trailer, we’ve broken down each teaser. Furthermore, an explanation of what it means for the Spider-Verse in which Morbius lives is also described below.
A few subtle and one less-than-subtle references to the fan-favorite symbiote were included in Morbius. These references did not shy away from Venom or Venom: Let There Be Carnage in the SSU competition. When it comes to Easter eggs, the Daily Bugle’s logo is the most subtle. It’s certainly a direct match to the one that appeared in Venom’s solo outing. It’s interesting to note that this graphic was also used in the Raimi trilogy. This further establishes an even stronger link between the two Sony Pictures films.
If you’re wondering if Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man universe includes Morbius, the next reference may dash your hopes. It’s a direct reference to the events of either Venom or its sequel when Al Madrigal’s Alberto Rodriguez mentions that they haven’t had anything like this since that thing in San Francisco. This shows that Morbius will take place sometime after Eddie Brock’s lobster-eating, symbiote-fighting antics in the Venom universe. It’s still not clear if Venom has joined the MCU by this point.
This is the line that ties Michael Morbius to Eddie Brock, as Leto snarls “I am Venom” about the anti-“We are Venom” catchphrase. Leto also uses this catchphrase as a scare tactic. Morbius was able to reference this line because it had become known that a creature was roaming the night and uttering it to criminals.
We may never know. Perhaps the Venom films are available on Blu-ray in the Morbius universe, and the doctor stole the line from one of his favorite Sony-produced films. In the end, it appears that Morbius is firmly established within the Venom universe. This may make some other Spider-Man nods a tad more difficult to discern.
Aside from Venom and Carnage, there are other Spider-Man villains in Morbius’ world. “Rhino on the Loose: Zoo Hoax Fools us All” refers to Aleksei Sytsevich, and “Black Cat: Friend or Foe?” refers to Felicia Hardy, Peter Parker’s love interest and possible foe. However, this raises a problem. Morbius appears to be set in the Venom universe, which does not yet have either of these characters established. So what’s the matter?
It was only in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that Paul Giamatti and Felicity Jones took on the roles of Rhino and Black Cat, respectively. Do Venom and Morbius share the same universe as Andrew Garfield’s web-headed character? There is a chance. The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Rhino and Felicia Hardy’s alter egos were only briefly glimpsed at the end of the film. Perhaps this universe begins several years after the conclusion of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 when both characters have had a chance to adapt to their comic book counterparts’ personas.
According to what we know about the SSU, it’s likely that it operates according to the same rules of space and dimension as the MCU. There is a possibility that the Rhino and Black Cat seen in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are Variants of their counterparts in other universes that are just a bit more advanced than their counterparts in other universes.
There appears to be an alternate version of a building in the New York City skyline that was previously seen. It appears in the Morbius trailer, sporting the same logo as Oscorp, which appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Even so, there is a noticeable difference in the skyscraper’s appearance, with the large spikes replaced by a more rectangular shape.
If this is another Oscorp tower or the company has undergone some remodeling, the previous Variant joke may not be so ridiculous; the Oscorp building may be a Variant. There may be another form of Oscorp that exists in the Morbius universe. It will justify that the corporation’s headquarters is in a different location.
Regardless of whether or not Morbius is linked to the Amazing Spider-Man universe, Sony is picking and choosing aspects of its previous Spider-Man franchise to preserve them for future generations.
Fans may be surprised to learn that a piece of Raimi imagery reappears from a previous trailer in a way that they hadn’t anticipated. On a New York City wall, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man suit is plastered with the word ‘murderer’ scrawled over it. You may have noticed the image used is a rendered version of Marvel’s Spider-Man. This takes place in an entirely different universe from the Raimi-verse of Spider-Man films.
What if Morbius exists in a universe where the Rhino and Black Cat have become villains and Oscorp has inexplicably changed its corporate identity? Maybe Morbius takes place in a live-action version of Marvel’s Spider-Man video game, where Peter Parker wears the Raimi suit? Is it possible that Rhino and Black Cat are also the game’s versions? Moreover, why would Oscorp Industries suddenly change its name to the same one as The Amazing Spider- Man’s? Isn’t this all a little out there?
Wall art depicting Spider-Man may simply be an artistic interpretation of the Marvel hero. It is also possible that a version of Spider-Man from Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man or a web-shooter who also designed the suit seen in Sam Raimi’s trilogy is present in Morbius’ universe.
No surprise that Morbius has a direct connection to the MCU, as Sony and Marvel are eager to work together. When Michael Keaton appeared at the end of the first trailer for Morbius and reappeared here surrounded by police officers, many people were surprised.
Initially, some speculated that Keaton would be playing a completely new character, rather than returning to his role in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The post-credits sequence in Venom: Let There Be Carnage strongly suggests that this is indeed the Vulture. However, what is he doing crossing paths with the Living Vampire?
For all we know, Spider-villains Man’s may have been accidentally sent out into the multiverse by Dr. Strange’s miscalculation. To Morbius, the Vulture may have been flung through the interdimensional cosmos, and he may have been left to seek assistance. The flashing police lights indicate that Keaton’s character is being arrested as Morbius bids him farewell.
In other words, why would someone like Toomes be arrested for crimes committed on another planet? After being released from prison, Toomes might have had no choice but to engage in some swindling when he arrived in this new world.
There is also the possibility that Adrian Toomes is simply a different version of himself. Even if there are other Spider-Man foes already in existence in the Morbius universe, who knows what else might exist elsewhere?
Morbius doesn’t seem to fit neatly into any one of the many Spider-Verses at play. This is why there is a lot of confusion. Assuming the Living Vampire is part of the Venom universe, this doesn’t explain why there are numerous references to other Spider-Man comics. The best parts of Spider-Man’s cinematic career may be combined in Morbius. Even though this may initially cause some confusion, it would allow the studio to build on the best aspects of their previous efforts while removing the burden of their mistakes from them.
There was a lack of use for Rhino and Black Cat in the past. They’ve been given a second chance at atonement. Peter Parker’s secret agent parents were a drag on the Amazing series? You can forget about it because it isn’t there. The Raimi suit is a fan favorite. It’s all pre-rendered and ready to view once more. A new Spider-Man could be introduced or a preexisting one could be used. Sony Pictures may have created a universe in which a former web-slinger can headline instead of Marvel Studios’ current superhero if that is the case.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is a truly unpredictable beast. All thanks to unexpected box office successes, a Kraven the Hunter movie helmed by a former MCU star. And now a Morbius trailer littered with web-slinging references. It is hoped that these decisions will lead to a new Spider-Man universe that fans can fall in love with.
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