It looks like Morbius is going to be the first of Sony’s Marvel movies to actively link up with the MCU. The first trailer for the Jared Leto vehicle, released way back in January 2020, broke the internet with its Michael Keaton cameo, which appeared to tell us that the film – and, by extension, the Venom franchise – took place in the Marvel Studios universe. That’s definitely the belief of one of Morbius‘ stars, too – Fast and Furious icon Tyrese Gibson.
ComicBook.com recently spoke to Gibson, who plays FBI agent Simon Stroud in the superhero-horror flick, and asked him whether Morbius is “part of the MCU, in the Avengers’ world.” The actor didn’t say much in response, but he also didn’t hesitate in giving his brief but illuminating answer. “Yes,” was how he replied.
While Gibson’s confirmation may be enough for some fans, others may still be skeptical about how connected Sony’s projects are to the MCU. After all, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has previously tried to distance Venom from his franchise. But Keaton’s return as Vulture in Morbius definitely changes things in a big way, as do the references to Spider-Man, and his fugitive status in Far From Home, hidden in that same trailer. These do seem to paint a clear picture that Gibson is right and the two worlds share the same continuity.
But gluing the different canons together creates some glaring plot holes, like Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock not believing in aliens in Venom and the Sam Raimi Spidey suit being glimpsed in Morbius. Originally, we would’ve been able to see the latter film by now and have received a definitive answer, but it was held back by a whole year and a half due to the pandemic. Jared Leto will finally make his debut as the Living Vampire, though, when Morbius hits theaters on January 21st, 2022.