A brand-new second trailer has been released for Morbius as a post-Halloween treat and fans are wondering if the character is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or not.
Daniel Espinosa’s origin film will follow Michael Morbius - a scientist searching for the cure to a rare blood disease that he also suffers from. After finding a dangerous cure that could potentially be the answer, Michael starts to notice some vampiric changes.
Is Morbius part of the MCU?
While there is no straight answer to this question, there are a few obvious signs that point to Morbius being a part of the MCU.
Sony is keen to keep Spider-Man characters close to its chest, but the fact that we’ve already seen Michael Keaton’s Vulture, a.k.a. Adrian Toomes, in both trailers is a sure-fire connection to the MCU.
Easter eggs in the trailer
Another point that is indicative of Morbius’ existence within the MCU comes from both the first and second trailers.
At one point, we see Michael walking past a graffiti image of Spider-Man in the streets with “Murderer” written over it - even though the image appears to be showing the Sam Raimi costume.
The “Murderer” accusation directly lines up with the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, when Mysterio reveals Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker and calls him a murderer.
Tyrese Gibson’s statement
Back in June of this year, Morbius star, Tyrese Gibson, was asked directly if the film was set within the MCU, to which he responded “Yes.”
According to GameSpot, Sony Pictures quickly jumped to correct Gibson by saying that Morbius does not take place in the MCU, but instead within Sony’s universe of Marvel characters.
Even though this statement directly contradicts Morbius’ existence in the MCU, the fact that Morbius is sharing a space with characters that have appeared in the MCU suggests otherwise.
However, if Spider-Man: No Way Home unlocks the multiverse, and in turn, the gateway to multiple Spider-Man variants, then Morbius could indeed be set in Sony's universe, with Keaton's Vulture crossing timelines.
Are you with us so far?
Morbius is scheduled to release on January 28, 2022.