Morbius the Living Vampire is finally making his big-screen debut - but how does Sony’s version compare to the comics? Michael Morbius was created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane back in 1971, and he was originally envisioned as a Spider-Man villain. He a scientist whose attempt to cure himself of a rare blood disease led to a horrific mutation - as he became a living vampire.
Morbius’ association with Spider-Man means that his film rights sit with Sony. The studio has cast Jared Leto for the starring role, and fans have been eager to get a proper look at the character. A leaked image generated strong reactions, but the first Morbius trailer has allowed viewers to get a real sense of Leto’s vampiric physical appearance. It’s remarkably comic book accurate - just as would be expected, given Morbius’ look was designed by the legendary Gil Kane. Kane was one of the most prolific comic book artists of the 1960s and 1970s, and with Morbius, he excelled himself.
Kane envisioned Morbius as an inhuman creature who’d been hideously mutated by his serum. Morbius was given exaggerated, slanted eyes that seemed to be permanently in shadow, a pug-nose reminiscent of a bat, and a deliberately exaggerated mouth with prominent canines. Morbius’ hair was typically rendered in a wild, unruly manner, and his skin was bleached ebony white. This was actually quite a risky decision at the time, because comics were still published on paper that were relatively thin, meaning printing from the other side of the page sometimes showed through on pure white. Sony’s Morbius designs follow Gil Kane’s concept to the letter.
Until now, there’s been a general sense of skepticism over Sony’s Morbius film. Sony’s Spider-Man spinoffs started well, with Venom grossing over $850 million and proving a hit in China. But Morbius has a far weaker brand than Venom, meaning this feels like more of a gamble. Fortunately, anyone who’s familiar with the comics will be delighted to see how carefully Sony has honored the character and story with their interpretation of Michael Morbius. This really does feel like the character from the comics brought to life - although the shadows around the eyes are also reminiscent of Morbius’ look in the classic 1990s Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
Morbius is well known for wearing a distinctive black bodysuit, perfectly contrasting with the whiteness of his skin, and it’s reinforced by blood-red highlights including a sinister, high collar and exaggerated bat-wings. Kane channeled the classic vampire look when he was designing the costume, giving the Living Vampire a dark and edgy appearance. The artist was truly ahead of his time, because this kind of design became all the rage two decades after Morbius’ creation. It seems to be having a bit of a comeback with Sony, so it’s safe to assume Morbius will sport this costume in the movie as well.
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- Morbius Release Date: 2022-04-01
