After a flurry of news in recent days, including the leak of several images that the studio probably didn’t want you to see, the first trailer for Morbius has finally dropped online to reveal Jared Leto’s latest foray into the comic book genre. Based on the footage alone, the movie seems to be following the template that Sony are hoping to establish for their own Marvel universe.
Much like Venom, Morbius comes from a journeyman director with a background in action and sci-fi and stars a critically-acclaimed actor in the title role as a troubled individual that inherits powers that they ultimately struggle to control. In fact, Morbius even seems to be using the same dark blue-tinged color palette as 2018’s Tom Hardy-led box office smash about Spider-Man’s symbiotic nemesis.
There are already plenty of questions being raised by the first Morbius promo, too, with fans confused by the appearance of Spider-Man in the background of one shot. Although, the trailer boasting that it hails from the same studio as both Homecoming and Far From Home indicates that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will definitely become part of the franchise in the future.
Not only that, but the appearance of Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes took everybody by surprise, further hammering home the idea that Morbius takes place in the same timeline as Spider-Man’s adventures under the Marvel Studios banner. However, given Sony’s track record for revealing too much in the marketing for their Spider-Man related properties, the big Vulture moment may have actually gone ahead and spoiled Morbius‘ post-credits scene.
After all, the studio has done it before, with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 trailer concluding with a money shot of Andrew Garfield’s Spidey squaring off against Rhino, which actually turned out to be the final shot of the movie. Similarly, another promo featured a look at gear belonging to the Sinister Six, which again only ended up being a throwaway moment in the finished film.
The last shot of Spider-Man: Homecoming that showed Aunt May discovering Peter’s identity, meanwhile, was used in the movie’s marketing, Venom’s infamous ‘turd in the wind’ sequence from the very last scene was also used as promo material and Far From Home used footage from the mid-credits scene of the web-slinger taking Zendaya’s MJ for a spin around the city.
While Sony are understandably keen to let the fans know that Morbius is connected to the wider Spider-Man universe as soon as possible, the studio should have at least kept Keaton’s return under wraps, where it would have made for a genuine surprise. The actor had been rumored to reprise his role at some point down the line, but Sony doesn’t seem to be able to hold their wad when it comes to their superhero blockbusters.