Morbius is the start of a 'Spidey-verse' that could make us forget about the MCU – CNET

Marvel Studios noted last fall that Sony, which owns the rights to Spider-Man movies, was developing its own “Spidey-verse.” The Morbius trailer, released Monday, gave us a glimpse into the cinematic universe for the friendly neighborhood hero. While Morbius isn’t technically part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the trailer suggests the films won’t be completely removed from the Spider-Man world we’ve come to know from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Morbius, starring Jared Leto as the title character, will lay out the origins of a scientist who tries to cure himself of a rare disease but ends up turning himself into a “living vampire.” The character, who first showed up in a Spider-Man comic in 1971, is one of the many villains Spider-Man has faced over the years.

The first trailer for the film features two important Easter eggs that hint at the direction of Sony’s future Spider-Man movies. In one scene, Morbius walks by a drawing of Spider-Man with the word “murderer” spray-painted over it. The second is the return of Vulture (Michael Keaton) from Spider-Man: Homecoming. Vulture may be recruiting members for the anti-Spider-Man group, the Sinister Six. This shows that Morbius will possibly have ties with the MCU, unlike 2018’s Venom, a movie about a Spider-Man villain with no ties to the larger universe.

Here’s what we know 

Sony and Disney have agreed to one more Spider-Man film as part of the MCU. Ever since the web-slinger made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, the two companies agreed to share the profits for the movies starring Spider-Man (Tom Holland). That relationship went sour in September when Sony said the “door is closed” on whether Spidey will return to the MCU after the summer hit, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Sony blamed the dispute on Disney for taking a larger cut of profits in future movies featuring the hero. After some fan backlash and desperate phone calls from Holland himself, Sony and Disney agreed to work together on a third film coming in July 2021. 

Could Sony and Disney agree to create more films in the future? Sure, but Sony appears to have big plans for Spider-Man and his own Spidey-verse. This universe also has the potential to bring in billions for Sony without lending out the hero to Disney in future movies. 

What’s in the future for Spidey? 

Sony’s plans for Spider-Man look like they could be pretty big. Morbius is the first step in creating this Spidey-verse and could lead to the formation of the Sinister Six. 

The supervillain group has had numerous combinations of Spidey foes, and three were in Spider-Man: Homecoming — Vulture, Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) and Scorpion (Michael Mando). The trio was in prison, but it’s apparent that at least one escaped, which is probably due to the Thanos’ snap. Maybe it caused a lot of the prison guards to disappear, allowing the villains to break out. 

Morbius makes four. The final two could be any of the many villains out there, although the de facto leader of the group is Doctor Octopus, who has yet to be introduced in the Spider-Man movies. Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) was also another regular member of the group. But unless he faked his death in Spider-Man: Far From Home Mysterio likely won’t be a member. 

There’s also Kraven the Hunter, who was an original member of the Sinister Six. A movie featuring the hunter is currently in development with Sony, but there’s no release date set. 

Let’s not forget about Venom 2. The sequel featuring the Spider-Man archvillain comes out this October and is rumored to include a cameo by Holland. That cameo could set up a variety of possibilities, such as a movie focusing on just the two characters, a setup for Venom to join the Sinister Six, or, even better, Venom joining Spider-Man to fight against the villain group. 

There are many possibilities for the Spidey-verse. Whether it will succeed like the MCU or falter like the DC Universe remains to be seen. 

Morbius hits theaters on July 31 in the US and the UK. (Australia’s release date isn’t available yet.)