The timing of Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret has prompted questions about why the documentary arrived now, more than a year after an earlier report detailed allegations against the Oscar-winning actor. Some online commenters have suggested the BBC released the film on the 2026 movie calendar because Leto’s recent box office struggles had weakened his position in Hollywood.

Director Alice McShane rejected that interpretation during an interview with Variety. When asked about chatter that the documentary came out after Leto had become “box office poison,” McShane said:

McShane acknowledged that some of Leto’s recent movies have struggled, but she argued that he remains a major celebrity with access to prominent roles. Those movies included Disney’s Tron: Ares and Amazon MGM’s Masters of the Universe, in which Leto played Skeletor.

The question about his industry standing followed reports about the financial performance of his recent projects, but the documentarian said the BBC’s work was guided by its journalistic purpose. She continued:

McShane said work on the documentary began before the Air Mail story detailed multiple women's allegations of sexual assault by Leto. Because a television investigation takes time to report, corroborate and produce, she knew other journalists could publish first. The magazine eventually ran accounts from nine women who accused Leto of sexual misconduct, allegations his representative denied.

According to McShane, the limited effect that the report appeared to have on Leto’s career gave the documentary team further reason to continue its investigation.

Released July 29, Jared Leto: Hollywood’s Dark Secret features allegations from 10 women concerning incidents they say occurred between 2002 and 2016. Four women accused Leto of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers, including allegations of sexual assault, statutory rape, explicit calls and sexual propositions. The BBC said it corroborated the accounts, though the Associated Press could not independently verify them. Leto and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment before the documentary aired. After its release, the Dallas Buyers Club actor issued a statement denying the accusations.

The documentary has also brought some of Leto’s old interviews and set stories back into the spotlight. Margot Robbie’s comments about working with him on Suicide Squad are among those resurfacing. She once recalled panicking after learning Leto would remain in character as the Joker because Harley Quinn and the villain share an abusive relationship. In the same interview, however, Robbie also described him as respectful, professional and fascinating to watch work.

Other stories about Leto’s on-set behavior are receiving similar scrutiny as viewers revisit years of comments from former collaborators. Those accounts predate the allegations and do not prove them, but the documentary has changed the context in which they are being discussed.

The American Psycho performer has denied the accusations, saying he has never sexually assaulted anyone and calling the claims “absolutely and categorically false.”

When it comes to straightforward Spider-Man movies, Sony Pictures has been knocking it out of the park in recent years with the Tom Holland-led MCU-set adventures and the animated Spider-Verse film series. The Spider-Man-adjacent movies, on the other hand, have largely failed to impress ever since Venom launched got that cinematic ball rolling in 2018. Now Sony chairman and CEO Tom Rothman has confirmed that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is being rebooted, and I hope this new iteration of the franchise takes away one big lesson from its predecessor’s failure.

Before I get into that, let’s first talk about what Rothman specifically said. While appearing on The Town with Matthew Belloni, the Sony boss confirmed to the podcast’s title host that the “larger Spider-Verse” is not dead and that it will be retuned to at some point. However, it will be a “fresh reboot” with “new people,” and Rothman later added:

I think it’s safe to say that most Marvel fans won’t shed a tear about the first iteration of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe ending. Although the Venom movies were commercially successful, it’s not like they were critical darlings. Then Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter just flopped across the board, so it’s best to put this chapter of Spider-Man film story to a close. Which is ironic considering that Spider-Man never actually appeared in any of these movies.

Which brings me to the big lesson I mentioned earlier: this new franchise needs to actually include the Web-Slinger. It’s always been weird that Spidey never had a presence in these earlier movies despite the fact that all these characters are part of his rogues gallery or, in the case of Madame Web, one of his allies. And yes, I’m aware that an infant Peter Parker is born during the Dakota Johnson-led movie, but I’m talking about seeing a suited-up adult Peter spinning webs and crawling on walls in the next version of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Or just skip Peter and have Miles Morales be this franchise’s Spider-Man, as he deserves to be depicted in live action.

I’m not saying Sony’s Spider-Man Universe 2.0 can’t include villain-centric movies, but they need to directly tie to Spider-Man rather than jump through hoops to try and exclude him. That was my biggest problem with the previous franchise, although certainly not the only one. Tom Rothman and the rest of the Sony leadership know where thing went wrong with those Spidey spinoffs, so let’s hope they learn from those mistakes rather than repeat them.

In the meantime, we’ll reunite with Tom Holland’s Peter Parker when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings onto the 2026 movies schedule on July 31. Then Shameik Moore’s Miles Morales will jump back into action when Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse follows on June 18, 2027. It was also recently reported that an animated Venom movie is in the works, though it’s still unclear if it will be connected to any of the established franchises.

Though it'll be a cold day in comic book hell when Marvel fans can finally forget the morb-strosity that was Daniel Espinosa's 2022 flop Morbius, Jared Leto's performance wasn't the worst thing about it, and his efforts were certainly more reined in than they were during his tatted-up Joker era for DC. Now, the House of Gucci vet is reportedly being eyed for another comic-centric Marvel role, which opens a can of speculatory worms.

As fans wait to see how Leto fares in the Disney sequel Tron: Ares and as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe, we can now wonder how much trust to put into the report shared by industry insider MyTimeToShineHello that claims Jared Leto is "in talks" for a Marvel role that specifically is "not Ghost Rider." Which is fine, since I don't really want to see Leto as a biker with a burning skull. Instead, here are some Marvel characters I'd love to see the Fight Club vet portray in an upcoming Marvel TV show or future MCU film, along with a trio of roles that should never become a reality.

Would Love: Deathlok

As it goes with comic books, multiple iterations of Deathlok have surfaced over the years, but the core origin hook created by Rich Buckler needs no big alterations: he's a former U.S. soldier who was killed in combat and resurrected years later as a powerful cyborg complete with an A.I.-esque computer.

Leto has alread played a character who lives well beyond his means in Mr. Nobody, and portrayed a tech genius in Blade Runner 2049, which is basically boot camp for playing Deathlok. I like the idea of the actor going all hyper-brilliant Universal Soldier on the MCU.

Would Protest: Any Kind Of Revamped Take On Kang

The behind-the-scenes legal issues involving Kang portrayer Jonathan Majors combined as an unforeseen hindrance for plans to fully spin that character out into the multiversal villain of lore, and rumors about Majors’ return are still bandied about. While I don’t see the Lovecraft Country character ever reprising the role in full after Loki Season 2, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kevin Feige & Co. went the “recast and rewrite” route.

And while I might not have hated the idea of Jared Leto as a time-jaunting conqueror from the outset, the thought of him taking over the role in mid-stride just makes me want to get drunk in the Quantum Realm. (Because of the tiny hangovers.)

Would Love: Sleepwalker

One of the most '90s superhero characters to applicably emerge form the 1990s comic scene, Bob Budiansky and Bret Blevins' dream-centric alien Sleepwalker isn't necessarily a go-to choice for an MCU good guy, but the horror fan in me definitely wishes he could bring his fear-inducing heroism to live-action adventures. Though I'm obviously envisioning a character aged beyond the college-bound alter ego Rick Sheridan for Leto, who can easily play this brand of dark weirdo with ease.

Considering the character's ties to Moon Knight, I think the ideal Sleepwalker pitch would be a Disney+ series that weaves dreams and waking life together in a manner similar to FX's non-MCU Marvel series Legion. Or, if this project happened to exist without Leto in the main role, he could play Nightmare instead.

Would Protest: The REAL Victor Von Doom

We all know Marvel sometimes likes to play switcheroo with its comic characters' true identities, leading to situations like Iron Man 3's Mandarin twist, which Kevin Feige still stands by. So part of my expectations for the Russo brothers' Avengers: Doomsday are tied to the idea that returning MCU vet Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Doctor Doom will be subverted and flipped around in one way or another.

While there are ways to make that approach interesting and meaningful, what I really don't want to see is Jared Leto revealed to be a backstage puppetmaster with the ability to morph his look into anyone else's visage, with Tony Stark being one of his transformations. And I really don't want the soundtrack to be blaring Thirty Seconds To Mars' "A Beautiful Lie" when and if that scene ever happens.

Would Love: Blackheart

After all the times Blackheart came up during Agatha All Along's speculation conversations, only for Aubrey Plaza's character to be revealed as someone entirely different, I think Marvel fans are due a live-action take on the demonic hellspawn, and I weirdly think Jared Leto would be an interesting fit to play someone straight from Hell like this.

Plus, I think we can all agree that it would be fantastic to get Blackheart into the MCU, because Mephisto. The evil entity's long-awaited arrivial is supposed to be happening with Ironheart, which is hitting the 2025 TV schedule in June, with Sasha Baron Cohen allegedly cast as the demon. But if that doesn't actually happen, then maybe Jared Leto's Blackheart was the piece we were missing all this time.

Would Protest: Magneto

With X-Men '97 winning over both old school fans and younger generations alike, anticipation is as high as ever for the X-Men's eventual MCU movie, which is still in the early developmental phases. And with the new batch of mutants will come a new round of casting decisions, both for the heroes and for whatever villains are utilized.

I can't imagine an X-Men feature without Magneto's presence being accounted for, though it will be extremely hard to top Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender's respective performances from the Fox franchise. And while Leto is technically old enough and established enough to serve in an elder statesman role for a project like this, I do not want to see Magneto floating in the air with "Repellant" and "Attractive" tattooed on his face. There are others in this world, though...

Would Love: Fantomex

I like Jared Leto when he's playing characters who are scrappy and unpredictable, with or without a streak of menace. And if we're talking X-Men characters, I think the actor would be a perfect fit for the live-action debut of Fantomex. While not the most namechecked Marvel character, the Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey creation is a fast-healing, reality-warping marksman whose body courses with nanotech.

I'm not sure why I have an eagerness to see the Requiem for a Dream vet to portray a character whose humanity is enmeshed with biotechnology, but I think he's a great fit for that kind of role when he's not playing someone vulnerable. And he so rarely gets to portray anyone that operates solely on confidence and badassery. I don't readily assume that the MCU will tackle the Weapon Plus Program at the same time Charles Xaviers' students are brought into the fold. But maybe one day...

I’m going to look back at 2024 and think of it as a strange year for superhero movies. The two big dogs – Marvel Studios and DC Films – largely circled their wagons and prepared for a rebirth, which looks to begin in 2025 with the arrival of Superman for James Gunn and The Fantastic Four: First Steps for Kevin Feige and his team. The lack of overall comic-book competition helps explain why last summer’s Deadpool and Wolverine outperformed recent Marvel releases. At the same time, Sony Pictures stayed very busy in 2024 adding to its unusual universe of Spider-Man adjacent films, though the final entry might have concluded that experiment with a whimper, instead of a bang.

As Sony Pictures Chief Executive Officer Tony Vinciquerra prepared to step down from his post on January 2, he spoke with the L.A. Times about his tenure, and opened up about the performances of and reception for the Sony movies Madame Web, Venom, and December’s release Kraven the Hunter. But the more I thought about the comments made by Vinciquerra – who I’ve always thought to be an intelligent studio executive with plenty of hits under his belt – the more it bothered me because it seems to have missed the point of the failed Sony Spider-Man universe, and dooms the future of a franchise that I still feel has so much potential, if handled correctly.

Here’s what was said about the Spider-Man spinoff movies.

Unfortunately for Tony Vinciquerra, the final movie released under his tenure – Kraven the Hunter – will forever be remembered as what he called “probably the worst launch” of his nearly eight year run. Kraven, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular hero (Villain? Hero? Does anyone really know?) opened to a very soft $11 million on December 13, then failed to compete against the likes of Wicked, Mufasa, Nosferatu and other well-reviewed movies. It quickly tumbled down the box office Top 10 list.

When asked about the underwhelming performance of Kraven the Hunter, especially in relation to the previous Sony Spider-Man spinoffs, Vinciquerra seemed to get defensive as he argued:

Almost everything Tony Vinciquerra said to the L.A. Times checks out. He’s correct in surmising that Madame Web underperformed because of bad reviews. The film boasts an 11% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But bad reviews largely affect an opening weekend. If a movie is good, word of mouth will pique people’s interests. As Vinciquerra said, it happened with the Venom movies. So I don’t buy his summation that Madame Web, Morbius, and Kraven failed because critics “destroyed” them.

If Vinciquerra accepted some blame for the creative decisions behind these Spider-Man blunders, then I’d start to believe that someone at Sony understood the larger reason why these films faltered. However, the outgoing CEO concluded this portion of the interview by discussing what he thinks the long-term strategy of the Sony Spider-Man spinoffs needs to be. And it shows a complete misunderstanding of the biggest fan complaint regarding these stories.

Here’s Vinciquerra:

Wrong. Dead wrong. Spider-Man fans are practically begging Sony to make a good live-action spinoff. Is the animated Spider-Verse series snake-bitten? Quite the contrary. Have we already written off the Spider-Man: Noir series starring Nicholas Cage? I think most of us die-hards want that show to work, and are certainly going in with an open mind.

There’s an obvious reason why these spinoffs are failing – to me, anyway – as well as one not-so-blatant but still important factor. Let’s break it down.

There’s no Spider-Man in these movies.

I mean, duh, right? Spider-Man fans want Spider-Man in their movies. I’m not even talking about Peter Parker, as the Spider-Verse films have proven that fans easily can invest in the stories of Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Jessica Drew, Hobie Brown or Miguel O’Hara. Find a way to include a Spider-Man in the Kraven the Hunter movie, and I guarantee you, more Spider-Man fans will show up.

Instead, somehow, Sony made three full Venom movies, and didn’t include Spider-Man in any of them. I’m not sure I’ll ever understand that decision.

Here’s the problem: Sony went out of its way to tease the possible involvement of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man every chance it got. And the longer Sony kept going without ever delivering on that promise, the more goodwill it lost from the dedicated audience. Let’s go back over a few recent examples. At the end of Jared Leto’s Morbius, Sony – for some bizarre reason – had Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes “beam” over from the MCU and stage a meeting with the vampire. The transition was linked to Doctor Strange’s sorcery in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Toomes (aka The Vulture) told Morbius that he blamed the shift on Spider-Man.

Here, watch:

It’s a cool scene, watching The Vulture swoop out of the sky and interact with Morbius, the Living Vampire. But what did it amount to?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

When Michael Keaton was asked point blank by Josh Horowitz if he knew what was happening in that scene, the Vulture actor told him he had “no idea.” Then added:

Double yikes.

Then we had the Venom teases. Comic readers know that Venom basically doesn’t exist unless the alien symbiote forms a bond with Peter Parker, then gets rejected. Tom Hardy’s Venom trilogy ignored that origin story – which is fine – but then dangled the possibility of a Spider-Man and Venom crossover, even going so far as to have the symbiote recognize Holland’s hero on a TV screen. Remember this tantalizing scene from Venom: Let There Be Carnage?

Do you know what that scene led to? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The longer Sony kept up this ruse, the more frustrated fans became. If Sony truly wanted these Spider-Man villain spinoff movies to stand on their own, then these unfulfilled promises of Spider-Man action should never have been included. The frustration I personally felt at these Sony movies had little to do with the lack of quality. I’d go so far as to say that Morbius and the Venom movies are perfectly fine – albeit dated – comic book adaptations, and only Madame Web seemed to be a misguided stinker that didn’t justify its own existence. No one involved with Madame Web seemed to understand why they were making the movie, including the film’s star, Dakota Johnson.

Unfortunately, Sony didn’t seem interested in ever including Spider-Man – be it Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, or a live-action Miles Morales – in any of these spinoff movies. They’d happily include a shot of Jared Leto walking in front of a Spider-Man mural in a Morbius trailer. Just, don’t look for that shot in the finished movie.

The endless bait-and-switch is what turned me off on these movies, and I’m willing to bet the same goes for countless rabid Spider-Man fans who likely would have traded a body part to see the wallcrawler fighting with Venom, Kraven the Hunter, the Rhino, the Chameleon, or other characters introduced into this world. Not Madame Web. No one cared about that character. Or some of the weird names floated for other movies. That was the other part I never understood. What the hell is El Muerto? Or the Hypno-Hustler, rumored to have been played by Donald Glover? No one knows. Not at Sony. And not in the fandom.

Tony Vinciquerra is correct. Sony needs to completely rethink its approach to Spider-Man movies. But it has nothing to do with the franchise being “snake bitten.” It has everything to do with the bizarre creative decisions made behind the scenes on these movies since Venom started the saga in 2018, and the studio’s inability to balance Tom Holland in the MCU, and the access they have to Spider-Man characters.

Until they figure that out, I fear that true Spider-Man fans will choose to stay home.

Unlike a lot of people on the internet, I don’t take pleasure in a studio’s failure. That’s because when a studio makes money, it gives them the opportunity to make even more movies, and hopefully, take even more risks. It’s the reason why we even have a Phase 5 and a Phase 6 of the MCU in the first place. Because if not for 2008’s Iron Man being a mega-hit, we wouldn’t have upcoming Marvel movies like Thunderbolts* and Avengers: Doomsday.

However, I have to call it how I see it. With a recent article from The Wrap detailing how Kraven the Hunter’s failure might spell the end of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (at least for a while), I honestly do hope they stop making Spider-Man-adjacent movies, and I have a few reasons why.

I'm Tired Of All The Teases Of Spider-Man That Are Never Going To Come

I will never forgive seeing Spider-Man in the Morbius teaser trailer. Never ever. In fact, it’s what led many of us to wonder if Spider-Man would actually appear in Morbius, with the answer being a resounding “NO!” once we eventually saw it.

But, this wondering if the ol’ Web-Head would ever appear in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has been a question ever since the first Venom movie. Honestly, it never made sense to me that there would be a Venom movie without Spider-Man since the two characters are so intrinsically intertwined.

That said, they got away with it in the first Venom movie, so I was hoping that if they were going to continue making Spider-Man movies without Spider-Man. Then they would at least stay as far away from the MCU as possible.

But then Sony got greedy. First we saw Venom lick Tom Holland’s face on the TV screen at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which filled us all with false hopes. Then there was the Tom Hardy cameo at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Hell, even Jon Watts, director of the first three MCU-set Spidey movies, thought it would be “pretty special” if the two characters met.

However, after all that teasing with no pay-off, I’m glad that we hopefully no longer have to wonder if Spider-Man will ever appear in the ironically-titled Sony Spider-Man Universe. It’s kind of a shame, too, since Kraven the Hunter is my favorite Spider-Man villain, but more on that later.

I Also Never Liked The Idea Of Two Ongoing Universes

As I mentioned earlier, Tom Hardy making a post-credit cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Tom Holland (on a TV screen!) making a cameo in Venom: Let There Be Carnage solidified the fact that there were two ongoing universes, and I’m glad that one of them is hopefully over.

Honestly, the Sony Spider-Man Universe was seriously dragging down the MCU’s Spider-Man, whether Sony was willing to admit it or not. The thing is, it could have worked, as Spider-Man: No Way Home could have merged the two. Because if there was any movie to introduce Venom into the MCU, it was the one where we got all three Peter Parkers.

Remember, the infamous Spider-Man 3 was the one where we actually got Venom in it. And I’m sure they could have somehow explained a way for Tom Hardy’s Venom to be pulled into the MCU.

But no, we didn’t get that. Instead, we somehow had an alternate Spider-Man universe with Morbius, Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter and, oh yeah, Venom (who occasionally licks TV screens with “That guy” on it). And, oh, oh, yeah! Remember The Vulture being in Morbius? That scene made so little sense that even Michael Keaton didn’t even understand what he was doing there.

All of this is to say that I really didn’t like there being two ongoing universes, with Sony desperately wanting to merge with the MCU, while the MCU just kept on driving and blocking the lane. What a waste.

After Venom, They Picked Some Of The Strangest Spider-Man Characters To Make Movies Around, And I Hope There Won't Be Any More

When the Sony Spider-Man Universe started with Venom, I thought it was weird to not feature Spider-Man, but in the end, it made sense. Venom is, after all, a very popular and recognizable character.

But when they went with Morbius next, all I could do was raise an eyebrow. Because Morbius? Seriously? Being a ‘90s kids, I of course knew who Morbius, The Living Vampire was. I read his comic growing up and even remember his cheesy appearance on Spider-Man: The Animated Series. Even so, Morbius seemed like the last character I thought they would pull from the Spider-Man universe.

At least, that’s what I thought until they announced Madame Web. When I heard that, I remember thinking, "Are they insane?" I had a similar reaction when I first heard that the MCU was adapting Guardians of the Galaxy, since I definitely considered them D-tier Marvel growing up compared to A-tier characters like Hulk, Spider-Man and the X-Men.

But, I could tell that Guardians of the Galaxy would be something special from the very first trailer. Not so with Madame Webb, which had one of the most mediocre trailers I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Now we have Kraven the Hunter. Kraven is actually a well-known Spider-Man villain, but that’s just it. Why are they using Spider-Man villains?

If I were a higher-up at Sony, I would have tried to get Andrew Garfield (the best Spider-Man) in an alternate universe movie following Spider-Man: No Way Home. I don’t care how much it would cost. The fans would love The Amazing Spider-Man 3 now. But no, Sony gave us Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. What were they thinking?

Let's Be Honest With Ourselves. None Of These Movies Have Been Any Good

Perhaps the greatest cardinal sin, though, is that none of the Sony Spider-Man Universe movies have been any good. Now to be clear, I’m obviously NOT including the Miles Morales Spider-Verse movies, as both Into and Across are arguably the greatest Spider-Man movies of all time.

No, I’m just talking about the live-action movies that DON’T include Spider-Man in them, those being the three Venom movies, Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter. Honestly, two out of the three Venom movies haven’t been that bad, but they also haven’t been that good, either.

However, Morbius instantly became a laughing stock, and was even brought back to theaters… only to flop again. Madame Web was D.O.A. at the box office and it’s found on many “Worst of 2024” lists. And as of this writing, Kraven the Hunter is currently sitting below 20% on Rotten Tomatoes.

So what happened? Well, the movies are just plain bad. While I haven’t seen Kraven the Hunter yet (I will eventually), I have watched all of the other movies, and besides the first two Venom flicks, I haven’t found any enjoyment whatsoever out of the other movies.

It’d be different if Madame Web, Morbius or even the recent Venom: The Last Dance were great movies, but they aren’t, and that’s just how it is.

Hopefully Some Of These Characters Can Finally Make Their Way Into An MCU Spider-Man Movie

However, here’s a silver lining. Perhaps some of these characters could one day appear in a future MCU Spider-Man movie. Because as I alluded to earlier, I adore Kraven as a character, and I would love, love, love if he appeared in a future Spider-Man movie.

In fact, my ideal Spider-Man movie would be a Sinister Six story. I know we were supposed to get something like that after The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but that never transpired.

Still, how cool would it be if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was constantly being chased by six villains, and Kraven was leading the hunt? I know Sony has kept a tight fist on some of these characters, but now that the Sony Spider-Man Universe is apparently ending, I assume the studio might be a little more lenient to lend these characters out (especially if there was a high price tag involved).

None of this is to say that any of this would happen, but I think there’s now more hope than ever to find a new version of Venom, Kraven or even Morbius in the MCU. Hey, stranger things have happened.

So those are my reasons. Are you happy that the Sony Spider-Man Universe is possibly ending? For more news on upcoming movies, be sure to swing by here often.

As with any genre, not every superhero movie is going to be well received by everyone, but there is a selection of such movies that are basically derided across the board. One of the most recent examples is Morbius, which saw Jared Leto playing a geneticist who turns into a vampire in an attempt to cure his rare blood disease. The third movie set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was a critical and commercial flop (our own Eric Eisenberg gave it just one star out of five in his Morbius review), and that’s despite playing in theaters twice. It sounds like actor Jared Harris knew going when coming aboard that this was one of those jobs he was doing solely for the paycheck.

Harris starred in Morbius as Emil Nichol, the father figure of Michael Morbius and Matt Smith’s Milo Morbius, his surrogate brother. Although the actor said while speaking with iNews that he doesn’t like how Hollywood has been steering towards “ticking boxes” and a “mass-production” approach when it comes to storytelling, he did acknowledge that he agreed to star in Morbius, which definitely fits those categories, for this understandable reason:

Hey, acting is ultimately a job, and while Jared Harris has gained recognition for his roles in projects like Mad Men, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Lincoln, Chernobyl and Foundation (which can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription), he still needs enough money to pay the bills. So Morbius certainly won’t go down as his favorite movie to act in, which is even more apparent when he was asked how his time on the movie was, and he responded:

At least Jared Harris doesn’t need to worry about reprising Emil Nichol again considering his character was killed off. Although even if that hadn’t happened, there’s been no announcement of Morbius 2 being in development, which isn’t surprising considering how the first movie fared. Frankly, there hasn’t even been any mention about if Jared Leto will reprise the vampire anywhere else in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. If there's any change on that front, we'll let you know.

You’re welcome to judge Morbius for yourself by streaming it with a Disney+ subscription. The next of Sony’s live-action Spider-Man spinoffs, Venom: The Last Dance, arrives October 25 on the 2024 movies schedule, and Kraven the Hunter follows on December 13.

It’s an amazing time to be a fan of Spider-Man. If you love animation, there are two spectacular Spider-Verse movies that showcase a slew of multiversal webheads. We are waiting on any new updates regarding an MCU Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland. And Sony continues to develop out its side of the Spider-Man universe by introducing feature films based around his popular villains. Venom and Morbius each have received their own movies, while Aaron Taylor Johnson prepares to play Kraven the Hunter in a movie that was delayed until 2024. Kraven has been delayed. A movie centered around Silver Sable, however, seems to be off the radar at Sony altogether.

In an historic deal, Sony agreed to let Disney and Marvel Studios use Spider-Man in five MCU movies, which included a Spider-Man trilogy, and two Avengers films. At the same time, Sony Pictures continued to develop its own Spider Universe, and floated a number of potential movies that were built on classic Spidey villains. Many of those – including El Muerto with Bad Bunny – have been canceled. And according to screenwriter Lindsey Anderson Beer, we can throw Silver Sable onto the discard pile. While speaking with ComicBook, Beer talked about being hired by Sony to work on Silver & Black, an oft-delayed movie that might have teamed Silver Sable with Black Cat. And she admitted:

That doesn’t sound promising for the potential future of Silver & Black, a movie that once had The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood attached, until she explained to us why she thinks the movie is stuck in limbo. The thing is, Sony has access to an unlimited number of Spider-Man characters that the studio could play with. And in the end-credits sequence for Jared Leto’s Morbius, the narrative at least started to draw these characters together into the same universe, as when Michael Keaton’s Vulture met with Dr. Morbius in the desert and started talking to him about their shared hatred for Spider-Man.

The thing about Silver & Black – and really, about all of these – is that until Sony starts to bring Spider-Man into these movies, they have to figure out how to stand on their own as stories. Kraven has the potential to create a universe of its own, and even suggests the introduction of a Rhino character for this side of the Sony universe. And because Silver Sable is a paid mercenary, and Black Cat is a master thief, there are plenty of places that the story could go without needing to lean on Spider-Man. But now it sounds like that movie is on hold (and possibly dead).

I’m on board for all of these spinoffs, and if they eventually lead to a Sinister Six movie, all the better for it. I also want news on Spider-Man 4, and now that the WGA has ended its strike, hopefully this means Marvel Studios can catch us up on their behind-the-scenes plans. 

Superhero movies have been a popular genre in Hollywood for more than two decades now, so no one blinks an eye anymore when multiple Marvel and DC movies come out per year. 2022 was no different, as looking over strictly the theatrical offerings from just these two companies, we scored seven movies: three from Marvel Studios, three from DC and one from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

While 2022 isn’t over just yet, there aren’t anymore superhero movies hitting the big screen in these remaining days. As such, now is the time to rank what we did get this year, from worst to best, before we starting thinking about what Marvel and DC will be released next year. Let’s start off with the worst of the bunch, which saw Jared Leto causing a ruckus as a vampire.

Oh, and warning: SPOILERS are ahead for the listed movies.

7. Morbius

The critical reception for Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the first two entries in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, ranges from mixed to negative, but at least both movies were financial successes. Morbius, on the other hand, scored both primarily negative reviews and bombed at the box office. Even with Matt Smith playing the lead antagonist and Michael Keaton briefly popping in as Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, from Spider-Man: Homecoming, Morbius failed to hit with most moviegoers due to its subpar story, bland performances, the list goes on. Its biggest claim to fame is spawning numerous internet memes, including “It’s Morbin’ time,” but those weren’t enough to get people to see Morbius during its second go-around in theaters. 

Where to stream Morbius: Netflix

6. Black Adam

Roughly a decade and a half after Dwayne Johnson first became attached to the Black Adam role, the WWE superstar finally debuted as the DC Comics antihero this year. While the Black Adam movie did stand out in a few ways, such as spotlighting the Justice Society on the big screen for the first time and bringing back Henry Cavill’s Superman, the overall product was an underwhelming affair and didn’t make a great case for Johnson’s character changing the hierarchy of the DC universe. With Black Adam reportedly being a money-loser for Warner Bros., while it’s unlikely we’ll never see Johnson again as the Man in Black, the prospects of him leading another solo movie should be called into question.

Where to stream Black Adam: Not available on HBO Max yet, but can be purchased/rented digitally.

5. DC League Of Super-Pets

A few months ahead of Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson left a different sort of DC mark by voicing Krypto the Superdog in DC League of Super-Pets, the only animated movie on this list. Considering that most of DC’s animated movies go straight to video, it was nice to have one for audiences of all ages to enjoy in a theatrical setting, and DC League of Super-Pets certainly has enough entertaining elements. However, it never soars to exceptional heights, and this is arguably one of those movies that’s enticing to the kids watching compared to the adults. Still, if you’re for a couple hours of solid superhero entertainment free of cinematic universe baggage and packed with humor, this is a solid pick.

Where to stream DC League of Super-Pets: HBO Max

4. Thor: Love And Thunder

Although Taika Waititi successfully rejuvenated the Thor film series in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok, his follow-up, Thor: Love and Thunder, didn’t fare quite as well. Highlights included Jane Foster’s time as The Mighty Thor, Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr the God Butcher and the Guardians of the Galaxy briefly teaming up with Chris Hemsworth’s God of Thunder, but various critics felt that the fourth Thor movie suffered from an overabundance of humor and didn’t have as much bite as its predecessor. Still, at least Love and Thunder’s ending and its end-credits scenes left us with some interesting material to absorb, particularly with the introduction of Brett Goldstein’s Hercules.

Where to stream Thor: Love and Thunder: Disney+

3. Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

With a title like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, you’d expect one of the craziest superhero movies of all time, right? Well, maybe this sequel didn’t quite reach those lofty heights since we only ended up spending a significant amount of time in a few alternate realities. That being said, with Sam Raimi at the helm, Multiverse of Madness did stand out in a number of ways, including Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch taking a villainous turn, presenting Earth-838’s Illuminati (with its membership including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and John Krasinski’s Mister Fantastic) and Benedict Cumberbatch’s main Stephen Strange inhabiting the corpse of one of his variants. The execution wasn’t perfect, but no one can argue this wasn’t one of the more unique Marvel movies.

Where to stream Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness: Disney+

2. The Batman

Originally envisioned as a vehicle for Ben Affleck’s Batman, The Batman ended up being a non-DCEU-set story, with Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne in his second year of crimefighting and crossing paths with characters like Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman, Paul Dano’s Riddler and Colin Farrell’s Penguin. The Batman gave audiences a gritty noir story that emphasized the Caped Crusader’s detective skills more than any Batman movie before it, but also didn’t skimp on the action. The Batman is a great enough watch on its own, but with a sequel on the way and multiple TV spinoffs in development (starting with The Penguin), it’s also the launching pad for an exciting new continuity.

Where to stream The Batman: HBO Max

1. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

With Chadwick Boseman having died in August 2020, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever faced the daunting task of moving forward without its lead actor, but director/co-writer Ryan Coogler and the cast and crew did an admirable job shifting course. Wakanda Forever struck a great balance of delivering the kind of superhero action we expect from these blockbusters, but also being emotionally gripping and paying proper tribute to Boseman’s T’Challa, especially with that tear-jerker of an end-credits scene. Furthermore, Letitia Wright’s Shuri made a memorable debut as the new Black Panther, Tenoch Huerta’s Namor shined so much that it would be foolish for him not to appear in the MCU again, and Angela Bassett gave one of the most powerful performances of her career. The film side of Phase 4 unquestionably ended on a high note with this one.

Where to stream Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: Still playing in theaters, will become available on Disney+ at a TBD date.

Now that we’ve ranked 2022’s Marvel and DC movies, head over to our 2023 release schedule to see what these companies will deliver to theaters in the year ahead. Marvel will kick off its run with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17, and DC will get its ball rolling with Shazam! Fury of the Gods on March 17. For the latest updates on these movies and many more, keep checking back with CinemaBlend.

When it comes to the best Marvel movies, no superhero appears more times than Spider-Man, aka, Peter Parker. Since the turn of the 21st century, three main live-action franchises (starring Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland) numerous crossover films, and multiple cinematic universes — the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe — have given fans of the Web-Slinger dozens of hours of epic fights, whimsical banter, and some of the most emotional moments in the history of comic book movies. But on top of that, there have been various spinoffs about villains, anti-heroes, and other comic book characters.

With so many movies set across the vast Spider-Verse, trying to figure out the best way to watch them in order can sometimes leave you looking like the Spider-Man pointing meme due to the variety of options. To make sense of it all, and prevent someone from entering a multiverse of madness, we’ve put together a guide including all the movies ordered by release date so that you can have the ultimate Spidey marathon. 

Spider-Man (2002)

Tobey Maguire first played the Web-Slinger in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, which saw the Marvel superhero take on one of his most iconic, and personal villains, Green Goblin, who was played masterfully by Willem Dafoe in one of the best performances of his career. Going from a nerdy and socially awkward high school student to New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, the fledgling superhero makes his mark.

A lot of the major points of the first Spider-Man movie come into play throughout the rest of Raimi’s trilogy, as well as Spider-Man’s cinematic journey (as seen later in Spider-Man: No Way Home), making it the most logical starting point.

Stream Spider-Man on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Spider-Man on Amazon.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 2 saw the Web-Head continue the internal struggle between his own life and that of a superhero, creating an outstanding sequel that was at one point the gold standard for comic book movies. If his own existential crisis wasn’t enough for Peter Parker, the brilliant yet distracted college student was forced to defeat his one-time idol: Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), a.k.a. Doc Oak after the scientist’s failed experiment sends the grieving widower on a path of destruction.

Revisiting Spider-Man 2 decades after its release, it’s easy to see why the movie was so celebrated back in the day. And like its predecessor, this 2004 movie plays a major role later on in Spidey’s journey, especially in Spider-Man: No Way Home, when it comes to Dr. Octavius and his path to redemption.

Stream Spider-Man 2 on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Spider-Man 2 on Amazon.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire would work together one final time on 2007’s Spider-Man 3, though there were plans for a fourth installment in the franchise at one point. With the introduction of characters like Eddie Brock/Venom (Topher Grace) and Flint Marko/Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), the latter of which had ties to Spider-Man’s origin story, the movie pushed the Web-Head to new extremes in an overstuffed and over-the-top superhero movie.

Although at the bottom of the list of every Spider-Man movie ranked, Spider-Man 3 featured an incredibly personal story and some of the most ridiculous dance scenes and character transformations you’ll see in not only the Spider-Man cinematic universe but also all superhero movies. 

Stream Spider-Man 3 on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Spider-Man 3 on Amazon.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

In 2012, Andrew Garfield took over as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man, which served as an origin story for the Web-Slinger and saw Garfield’s Peter Parker fight his first battle after donning the mask and spandex. But, instead of facing Norman Osborn, this version of Spider-Man’s first battle was against Dr. Curt Conners (Rhys Ifans), a.k.a. the Lizard.

Arguably the most underrated Spider-Man movie, the 2012 summer blockbuster was released between the superhero juggernauts, The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises.

Stream The Amazing Spider-Man on Disney+.
Rent/Buy The Amazing Spider-Man on Amazon.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

The Amazing Spider-Man focused on the Web-Slinger as he battled three different supervillains — Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Green Goblin (Dean DeHaan), and Rhino (Paul Giamatti) — throughout New York City. But the battles weren’t just physical, as Peter Parker faced one of his biggest tragedies yet, one that continued to have an effect on the character years later.

A third Amazing Spider-Man movie focused on Garfield’s Peter Parker never materialized, but the version of the character would come back in a big way in the 2021 box office smash hit, Spider-Man: No Way Home, creating one of the movie’s most touching moments.

Stream The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on Disney+.
Rent/Buy The Amazing Spider-Man 2 on Amazon.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

What once seemed like the impossible became a reality in 2016 when Tom Holland’s Spider-Man made a brief yet unforgettable appearance in Captain America: Civil War. Introduced when Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is putting together a team to take on Captain America (Chris Evans) and company, the teenage superhero-in-the-making is far from as established as previous iterations of the character.

If anything, this is the coming out party for Holland’s youthful Web-Slinger, a version of the character we’d be seeing a lot of in the years following his big debut.

Stream Captain America: Civil War on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Captain America: Civil War on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

In the summer of 2017,  Holland reprised the role in his first solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, directed by Jon Watts. Set following the events of Civil War, Peter had a bond with Tony that became more of a father-son relationship than the OG Avenger would care to admit. The movie also centered on Parker as he fought his first big threat — Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), a.k.a. the Vulture — while also navigating high school.

Full of intense and hilarious moments, Spider-Man: Homecoming was a fun, imaginative, and action-packed adventure for the Web-Slinger.

Stream Spider-Man: Homecoming on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Spider-Man: Homecoming on Amazon.

Venom (2018)

Although Venom doesn’t include Tom Holland’s Web-Slinger, the 2018 comic book movie starring Tom Hardy as reporter Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote, Venom, is set within Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Upon investigating the powerful Life Foundation and its founder, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), Eddie came in contact with the alien organism that would turn him into a hot, hungry, and powerful anti-hero. 

Some would argue Venom doesn’t necessarily need to be watched with the other Spider-Man movies, but with its world-building, and surprisingly fun action, it's a nice breather, especially with the harder titles coming up.

Stream Venom on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Venom on Amazon.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

After two-and-a-half phases and 18 movies, Marvel Studios and the Russo Brothers pulled off the impossible with Avengers: Infinity War, which saw Thanos (Josh Brolin) finally put his plan in motion to bring balance and order to the universe. Splintered and scattered across the cosmos, the Avengers tried to stop the Mad Titan from gathering all six infinity stones and snapping away half of all life in the universe.

From the first time you see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker on screen until the shocking final moments, the Web-Slinger is at the heart of Avengers: Infinity War and its action-packed story. And while a lot of characters have shining moments, few, if any, compare to Peter in this massive crossover event.

Stream Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Avengers: Infinity War on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Vers (2018)

The sole animated movie on this list, 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse turned its focus away from Peter Parker (though he does show up) and instead centered on Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) after the high schooler was bitten by a radioactive spider and forced to deal with the tearing of the multiverse. Together with multiple versions of the character, Miles became a hero in his own right while also becoming comfortable with himself.

This one may seem out of place, but you could argue that the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse belongs in this spot as it deals with a similar blending of the Multiverse like in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Rent/Buy Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Amazon.  

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Although Holland’s Spider-Man only appears in a handful of scenes in Avengers: Endgame, his presence (along with others lost in “The Snap”) can be felt throughout the epic. Years after being lost to the Mad Titan’s plan, Peter Parker did return in time for the all-hands-on-deck “Avengers, assemble” moment during the final fight, and was there during Tony Stark’s most heroic moment that sent Thanos and his army packing.

The movie also served as a turning point for Peter Parker, as he no longer had the luxury of having Tony as a mentor, though his spirit (and tech) would live on with the young superhero for years to come.

Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Avengers: Endgame on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Set in the aftermath of Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home followed Peter as he navigated life in a post-Snap world, one that was also without his father figure: Tony Stark. Upon taking off on a class trip through Europe, Spider-Man is forced to team up with the mysterious Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) to take on the Elementals. But when the truth, and Beck’s games, are exposed, Spider-Man finds himself in what could be his most consequential fight yet.

Spider-Man: Far From Home accomplished a lot in the world-building department, and the movie’s mid-credits sequence introduced the Web-Slinger to a whole new world, one that was far different from anything he had faced up to that point.

Stream Spider-Man: Far From Home on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Spider-Man: Far From Home on Amazon.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Despite living in tandem for some time, life wasn’t much easier for Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote by the time Venom: Let There Be Carnage was released in 2021. In fact, things were never more on edge than they were when the anti-hero was forced to square off against the deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) who became host to an even more dangerous alien organism known as Carnage.

Although the main portion of the movie had little to do with Spider-Man, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage end credits sequence saw Eddie Brock thrown into a different universe, one where JK Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson was revealing the identity of the Web-Slinger.

Buy Venom: Let There Be Carnage on Amazon.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Spider-Man: No Way Home saw Tom Holland’s Peter Parker team up with versions played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to take on multiple villains from each of three main franchises, after Peter-One’s attempt to make the world forget him tore apart the multiverse.

With payoffs nearly 20 years in the making, incredibly emotional moments, and some of the best superhero action not in an Avengers movie, the amazing and spectacular Spider-Man: No Way Home is perhaps the ultimate Spidey movie.

Buy Spider-Man: No Way Home on Amazon.

Morbius (2022)

After numerous delays, Morbius was finally released in April 2022, and introduced the world to Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius, who was transformed into a blood-sucking beast following a failed experiment. Torn between his old and new lives, Morbius was forced to jump feet-first into an epic battle of life and death.

Like Venom: Let There Be Carnage a few months earlier, Morbius was connected to Spider-Man via a pair of end credit sequences brought on by the effects of Dr. Strange’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And, this could just be the beginning of Morbius’ journey…

Stream Morbius on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Morbius on Amazon.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse could very well be the most spectacular and amazing addition to the franchise yet. This animated adventure, a sequel to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, expands both the lore and cast of characters as Shameik Moore's Miles Morales comes in contact with countless others with the same powers as he tries to hunt down The Spot (Jason Schwartzman).

The Across the Spider-Verse ending, which concluded with a major cliffhanger, has us all excited for what comes next when we see Miles team up with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and the rest of his Spider-Friends when Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse arrives.

Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Amazon.

Madame Web (2024)

Though Madame Web doesn’t really revolve around Peter Parker, it is still set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and a required part of this list. The movie, which stars Dakota Johnson as Cassie Web, a paramedic who discovers she has the power to see into the future with the “Spider World” and her subsequent attempts to make sense of it while saving three future superheroes. 

The movie got roasted by critics and failed to bring folks to the theaters in February 2024, but it quickly found a following on Netflix upon its streaming debut. And while Madame Web takes place in its own universe, we are putting it between the first two Spider-Man movies because it’s set in 2003.

Stream Madame Web on Netflix.

This is everywhere Spider-Man has been up to this point in his journey, but this doesn’t mean it’s the end. With movies like the highly-anticipated Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and upcoming Marvel movies, this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Spidey just yet. 

Ever since Matt Smith flew into the zeitgeist as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who, viewers have been captivated by the actor. Like many performers, Smith has taken a myriad of roles and played a range of characters from despicable to delightful. In light of his most recent character, House of the Dragon's Daemon, who is maybe the most ethically ambiguous he’s played, I thought it’d be interesting to rank Smith’s best-known characters, from delightful to devilish. 

So, here we go:

The Doctor - Doctor Who

Ranking: Delightful, he literally saves the universe all the time

Most people saw Matt Smith for the first time when he showed up as the Eleventh Doctor on Doctor Who. He crash-landed the TARDIS, and when he popped his head out the door, we met the goofy, mostly carefree, optimistic, fez-loving, bow tie-wearing doctor. All the Doctors are good beings and overall fun characters, but I’m of the opinion that Smith’s take on the Time Lord is the most delightful. Across some of the best episodes of Doctor Who, you will find that two-hearted alien from Gallifrey cares deeply about all and is always working to make the universe a better place, with the added bonus of some great jokes every now and then.

Martin Bright - Official Secrets

Ranking: Well-intentioned and overall good person

Official Secrets is a movie that tells the true story of Katharine Gun, a British whistleblower who leaked information about an illegal operation to get the UN security council to approve the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Smith plays journalist Martin Bright, who receives the memo that was leaked and runs the story. He’s a responsible journalist who was dealing with a really tricky story, and overall I think he handled it well. Bright is a good guy who is driven by good motives. 

Prince Philip - The Crown 

Ranking: It’s the patriarchy, you know?

Overall, Philip is not a bad human. The prince is devoted to his wife, the queen; however, he does struggle with accepting his place behind the queen rather than in front. It’s a typical male privilege problem. He can be rigid at times, and The Crown hints that he may have committed an act of marital infidelity. In conclusion, Prince Philip is not a terrible person, but he is flawed. 

Parson Collins - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Ranking: Your funky cousin who is annoying, but can do no harm

No person who says “Oh fuddle” unironically is a totally bad human. In Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Smith plays Parson Collins, the cousin of the Bennet family who is unhelpful in battle and an enthusiastic dancer. He makes the ladies carry all the guns, he’s terribly clumsy and is not built to thrive in the apocalypse. Collins is a goofy character who is not bad-intentioned, but he is an odd fellow who is quite selfish. 

Jack - Last Night in Soho 

Ranking: He’s the reason women should not walk home alone at night

When we meet Jack, he seems nice, as he dances with Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) and woos her at the nightclub. But then the nightmare begins, and Jack ends up being Sandie’s pimp and uses her to make money. This man is the person mothers warn their daughters about, and he is the reason a lot of us women walk home at night scared. To be in an abusive relationship is terrifying, and to have someone use you like Jack uses Sandie is horrific. By the end of Last Night in Soho, we really see the toxic impact Jack had on the women in the film. 

Milo - Morbius

Ranking: Bloodlust and greed will really drive a guy mad

We see Milo go from Morbius' friend to a greedy vampire in Morbius. The two meet and become surrogate brothers, and they bond over the fact that they both have the same blood disease. Eventually both of them become vampires. However, while Morbius is trying to not give into the bloodlust, Milo can’t resist. Based on the dance scene alone, it’s giving Bully Maguire energy from Spider-Man 3, and I feel like that comparison encapsulates the badness of Milo. He’s a bad dude who is overtaken by power and greed, which is a fairly typical villain origin story. 

Daemon Targaryen - House of the Dragon

Ranking: Devil with funky ethics

You know, I was positive Daemon Targaryen would be at the bottom of this list. When I started House of the Dragon, I needed to watch Doctor Who to cleanse my soul after watching Daemon brutally murder many innocent people in King’s Landing. However, Smith justified the prince’s violent actions by saying he has his reasons and cares about his family. Then in Episode 8, we got a glimpse of Daemon’s good side, and fans were so touched by his heartfelt actions. Daemon is an enigma: while overall, he’s a bad dude, he has his moments which is why he’s not at the bottom of the list. However, we also can’t excuse the number of brutal murders he’s committed and how unbothered he is by said crimes.

Alex - Terminator Genisys

Ranking: Evil, murderous hologram

Smith’s character in Terminator Genisys, Alex, the human embodiment of Skynet, causes a lot (and I mean a lot) of trouble. He really shows just how scary artificial intelligence could be, and how much destruction it can cause. Seeing that this guy's (or better yet, gram’s) goal is to destroy the human race, I’d say that makes him a pretty bad dude. 

Charles Manson - Charlie Says

Ranking: A real-life cult leader and murderer, therefore the worst

Charlie Says follows the story of Karlene Faith as she works with three women from the Manson family to help them realize the crimes they committed, and what they went through when they were with Charles Manson. Smith plays Manson, who was a terrible, real and scary human. The fact that this actually happened scares me so much, and that is why this character is at the bottom of this list. The movie follows the women who were involved in the Tate and LaBianca murders. It shows Manson as a cult leader who brainwashed these women, was responsible for various murders, and tried to start a race war that he called “Helter Skelter.” So yes, this is Smith's most wicked role.

Well, there you have it. Matt Smith’s characters ranked from best human to worst human (and in some cases, alien or AI). Since his breakout in Doctor Who, the actor has played a diverse set of roles, tending to lean toward the more evil side of things. However, it’s always nice when he can be the hero of the story from time to time. Overall, Smith commits to all his roles and will have you captivated, whether he’s a good, bad or ethically questionable character. 

When it comes to some of the latest and greatest actresses that are popping up more and more, one of the first names that I think of is Adria Arjona. The young woman has been around for some time in Hollywood, but has been making strides recently with her appearance in the Disney+ original show, Andor, as part of the Andor cast, alongside fellow star, Diego Luna. 

However, Arjona has done plenty prior to her role in the Star Wars TV show. For those who want to check out some of her best work pre-Andor, here are seven choices that feature the young actress. 

The Belko Experiment (2016)

Staring off on this list, we take a look at the horror film, The Belko Experiment. Directed by James Gunn, this film follows a group of workers who seem to be working for an ordinary company, but one day, they are locked within the confines of their office building and are given a surprising ultimatum – kill each other, or be killed. 

The film moves in directions that you would never expect, and has twists and turns that will truly blow your mind. Adria Arjona is great in her role and honestly, it made me want to see her in a lot more horror films before her part in Andor. Here’s hoping she gets the chance in the future – maybe even an A24 horror film. That would be so cool.

Stream The Belko Experiment on Tubi. 
Rent/Buy The Belko Experiment on Amazon.

6 Underground (2019)

Next up on the list, we have 6 Underground, a Netflix original film starring Ryan Reynolds. In this action movie, we follow a group of people who want to rebel against a dictator. So, in order to do so, they fake their deaths and take actions as a team to take down those closest to the leader, moving closer to their target. 

Look, I won’t say that this film is “the best action film out there” because it’s not. But I’ll say that the cast that they had was a lot of fun and Adria Arjona was badass in every way possible, which is why I have to bring it up here. It’s not the best Michael Bay-directed film, but in my mind, it’s also not the worst. 

Stream 6 Underground on Netflix.

Emerald City (2017)

Let’s get into a great television show. In this series from NBC, Emerald City was a spinoff of the classic Oz story, and takes place in a modern universe featuring a young woman that is transported back to Oz, and goes on an adventure to find the wizard in a world that is far different from our own. 

Emerald City isn’t on the level of some of the best fantasy shows out there, like Game of Thrones or The Witcher, but it is enjoyable as a fantasy fan and watching Adria Arjona as the lead was well worth my time. She played the story's Dorothy, who works as a nurse in the real world and I really enjoyed this different take from what we usually follow with any Wizard of Oz adaptation. It’s only ten episodes, as it was cancelled by NBC, so give it a shot. 

Stream Emerald City on NBC.

Pacific Rim Uprising (2018)

Now, let’s take a look at an action film, Pacific Rim Uprising. Acting as a sequel to the hit film, Pacific Rim, this film takes place about a decade after the first movie, and follows Jake Pentecost (played by John Boyega), who has to somehow prove himself as sea monsters are released into the world. Now, with the help of his team, he has to find a way to save the world. 

Though Adria Arjona is one of many actors in this large ensemble cast, what I will say is that she had great chemistry with everyone and was a kick-butt officer. All the cast members felt as if they fit into the plot and told a pretty entertaining story. I personally don’t think the film beats the first Pacific Uprising, which was directed by Guillermo del Toro, but it comes close and is enjoyable with its cast. 

Rent/Buy Pacific Rim Uprising on Amazon.

Good Omens (2019)

Amazon Prime has been coming out with some awesome original shows, and Good Omens is one of them. Good Omens, based on the novel of the same name by Terry Pratchett, follows the story of a demon and an angel who are close acquaintances on Earth, but have to work together in order to prevent the coming of the Antichrist, turning their eternal lives upside down. 

I am still upset that the season was only six episodes. First off, Adria Arjona was spectacular as Anathema Device, and I truly wish she had been given more recognition for her role in this series. Secondly, David Tennant and Michael Sheen = stellar casting for Crowley and Azirphale. I literally could not picture a single other person in those roles. I need Season 2 of this show now.

Stream Good Omens on Amazon Prime.

Triple Frontier (2019)

In this Netflix film, Triple Frontier, we are given a very simple action premise that delivers on all fronts. The main story is following a group of former army veterans who end up coming back together to take down a South American crime lord and run a heist, taking all of his money. 

This film has a stacked cast. Besides Adria Arjona playing Youvanna, there’s Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam – even Ben Affleck. Also Oscar Isaac and Adria Arjona need to be in more things together because their chemistry was amazing in this film and I need to see more. 

Stream Triple Frontier on Netflix.

Morbius (2022)

Last but not least, we have Morbius. In the Sony film, we follow Dr. Michael Morbius, who, after attempting to cure himself of his rare blood disease, ends up developing vampire traits, such as the need for blood. Now he has to learn to navigate his life as his brother also turns into a vampire and causes trouble. 

Is Morbius a well-written film? No, absolutely not. I’m being straight-up honest here. This movie has been great for the memes and that’s about it. 

However, what I can say about Morbius is that the cast was really well-done, and it gave Adria Arjona an opportunity to shine in a more prominent role. She's one of the few reasons I ended up watching this movie in the first place, and I genuinely enjoyed her character, Dr. Martine Bancroft. I also really enjoyed Matt Smith’s Lucien. The Morbius cast overall did a great job – I just wish the film had been written better. Even so, it’s a great performance regardless from Arjona.

Stream Morbius on Netflix. 
Rent/Buy Morbius on Amazon.

With so many options, you’ll surely be entertained for hours on end with projects featuring Adria Arjona, and hopefully, as more episodes of Andor come out, you’ll enjoy even more awesome features from her in the future. Only time will tell. 

Matt Smith is an actor who knows his way around genre work, having played the Eleventh Doctor in Doctor Who and the T-5000 (the physical embodiment of Skynet) in Terminator Genisys, and he’ll soon be seen as Daemon Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. This year also marked Smith’s comic book movie debut, having starred in Morbius as Milo, the surrogate brother to Jared Leto’s Michael. However, the third entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe failed to impress critically and at the box office, and Smith has now shared his thoughts on the Marvel comic book movie bombing.

Following six months after the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which earned better critical reception than its predecessor and made over $506 million worldwide, Morbius, even after being released in theaters twice, only pulled in close to $164 million across the globe and ranks at a measly 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. But Matt Smith isn’t letting Morbius’ underwhelming performance bother him, telling Rolling Stone:

Morbius saw Matt Smith filling the main antagonist role, with Milo, who shared the same blood illness as Michael, taking the same vampiric cure to eliminate his condition, despite warning him of the dangers. With Milo succumbing to his bloodlust, Jared Leto’s character was forced to kill his brother with an antibody that eliminated the vampirism. Cut to four months after its release, Morbius is now arguably more well-known for its memes (which Leto got in on) rather than its actual story, but Smith is ok with the movie simply not clicking with audiences. He carried out his acting duties and is content with Morbius simply being another movie on his resume.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe isn’t going anywhere, as Kraven the Hunter is coming out in January, and Madame Web, El Muerto and Venom 3 are on the way too. As far as Jared Leto’s Morbius the Living Vampire goes, the Morbius movie’s post-credits scene showed him meeting with Michael Keaton’s Vulture, who originated from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but was transported to the Sony universe as a result of the events in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Vulture proposed to Morbius that they form a team, which has since been confirmed to be the Sinister Six, but there’s still no word on where or when we’ll see these two again.

For now, you can see Matt Smith starring opposite actors like Paddy Considine, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans when House of the Dragon premieres August 21 on HBO. Jared Leto can next be seen in the Haunted Mansion reboot, which is among the slotted 2023 movie releases.

Ever since it was released, Jared Leto’s Morbius has been receiving an unusual amount of attention in the form of social media memes. Sometimes, the stem from Matt Smith’s bizarre dances in the film (one of which he performs after turning into a vampire). Other times, the lean into the idea of Morbin Time, a concept that Morbius fans – well, “fans” – dreamed up that really has stuck on Twitter and TikTok. Sensing an opportunity to capitalize on the buzz, Sony put Morbius back into theaters over the weekend, aiming to add more to the film’s domestic take. And they did… just, not as much as they likely were hoping to do.

Going up against the juggernaut that is Top Gun: Maverick, which won the box office weekend for its second frame and stacked up enormous amounts of cash, Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius managed a measly $300,000 across 1,037 theaters, amounting to $289 per location (according to The Numbers). The rerelease wasn’t able to crack the Top 10, and finished behind the new David Cronenberg and Kristen Stewart film Crimes of the Future, Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City (in its 11th weekend), and Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore… which is available to stream on HBO Max.

Morbius deserves more than that. While our own Eric Eisenberg hated the movie and said so in his review, the film is far better than the Rotten Tomatoes score suggests, which is why the Critics’ score is 17%, and the audience rating is 71%. Perhaps Sony was hoping that the hype that Morbius gets on social media would translate into tickets sold, even if people were heading back to theaters to goof on the movie. But the numbers suggest that people chose to stay home. 

That didn’t stop Morbius’ online army from mobilizing in the face of the rerelease. Even better, Morbius star Jared Leto played along, suggesting that he was reading a script for a sequel when he got caught on camera.

It doesn’t look good for a Morbius sequel. Even after the rerelease, the Spider-Man spinoff film, which is part of Sony’s larger Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (or SPUMC), sits at $73.6 million in the U.S., and $163 million worldwide. This is a massive downturn from the $856 million earned by Venom in 2018, and the $501 million earned by Venom: Let There Be Carnage worldwide. These numbers could be troubling for Sony as they seek to establish a separate universe that doesn’t have Spider-Man in it. 

Sony’s next effort in that universe will be Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web, aiming for a 2023 release date. If you are unfamiliar with the character, we made a list of interesting facts about her. We also dove into some speculation on who Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney might be playing in the movie. Let’s just hope Sony makes a great movie, so the SPUMC can get back on track.

Sony’s Morbius has had an “interesting” impact on the moviegoing public thus far. The Jared Leto-led comic book movie received negative reviews ahead of its release in April, and some fans later took to social media to express their disdain as well. However, the film overcame negative reviews to top the box office in its opening weekend and, more recently, the viral “Morbin’ Time!” meme has caused the movie to go viral. This notoriety arguably earned the production its recently announced second theatrical stint. And on the heels of that news, Leto is getting in on the meme madness himself.

Fans have seemingly been enjoying themselves with the “It’s Morbin’ Time” meme that’s been making the rounds. As you’ve probably figured out, the saying is a play on the iconic “It’s Morphin’ Time!” declaration made famous by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in the ‘90s. Some may have never expected such a crossover, but here we are. In a Twitter post, Jared Leto expressed his appreciation for the post through a video. The clip shows the star holding what appears to be a script for a Morbius sequel. And you can probably guess what the subtitle for the proposed flick is:

Such a sequel idea would be pretty wild, and I honestly can’t shake the thought of the titular character uttering that phrase when transforming into his vampiric alter ego. It’s probably safe to say that Sony wouldn’t actually give the film that title if it were to come to fruition. However, if it does happen, I wouldn’t be surprised if the filmmakers poke fun at the viral trend due to just how popular it’s become. 

A second installment still feels like a pipe dream at this point, but the panned production’s staying power on the Internet could help its chances of getting a follow-up. As we’ve seen in the past, social media can be crucial when it comes to making things happen within the cinema and TV landscapes. For instance, without a social media campaign, fans may never have seen Jared Leto return as Joker in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

And though Sony has yet to confirm any kind of sequel, it’s not far-fetched to assume that the studio would consider one if there seems to be interest. Morbius eventually plunged at the box office, but it wasn’t a total disaster financially. Plus, the lead actor is still hoping that his character will meet up with Spider-Man one day. While social media doesn't automatically equate to massive financial numbers, this re-release could still be an interesting experiment, right? 

Meanwhile, other stories are taking shape within Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The next film on the docket is Kraven the Hunter, which will see a ripped Aaron Taylor-Johnson play the starring role. Dakota Johnson will also star in Madame Web alongside Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney. From a BTS standpoint, there seems to be optimism surrounding the future of the Spidey-centric franchise.

We’ll still have to wait and see what role Jared Leto’s Living Vampire has to play in it, though. The ending of Moribus definitely set up an interesting (if not confusing) future for the eponymous character, so there are more stories to tell. Until a concrete announcement arrives, I’m sure fans and Leto will continue to have fun with the meme. And I’d bet that if (or when) something is confirmed, much of the Internet will collectively shout, “It’s Morbin’ Time!”

Morbius is currently playing in theaters once more and is also available to own on Digital HD. Be sure that you also check out CinemaBlend’s schedule of upcoming movies for updates on other releases in the SSU.

At the beginning of April, Morbius, the third entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, premiered on the big screen, but unlike the prior Venom movies, it failed to make a splash at the box office. In addition to being met with primarily negative critical reception, the Jared Leto-led vampire flick only made approximately $163.3 million worldwide. However, now Morbius is getting some extra time to increase that amount, as it’s heading back to domestic theaters.

For those of you who live in the United States, this weekend will be Morbin’ time! Exhibitor Relations Co. reports that Morbius is returning to starting tomorrow, June 3, Morbius will return to 1,000+ theaters. It’s unclear if this revived theatrical run will only last for the weekend or if it could stretch beyond that, but if you missed out on seeing Morbius on the big screen in April, you’re welcome to rectify that now. Right now, Morbius’ domestic total stands at $73.3 million, so it’ll be interesting to see how much more money is added 

As for why Morbius is returning to theaters, that hasn’t been officially disclosed, but this does follow a little over two weeks after the movie became available on digital platforms. Since then, Morbius has spawned a lot of memes, many of which incorporate the  aforementioned phrase “It’s Morbin’ time” (which wasn’t actually in the movie). Between this social media chatter and Morbius grabbing attention online in other ways, like when it was streamed in its entirety on Twitch, Comicbook.com speculates that this theatrical rerelease could be looking to capitalize on the flick’s internet fame.

Just like Venom did in 2018, Morbius took an antagonist traditionally associated with Spider-Man and fashioned an origin story for him that didn’t involve the Wall-Crawler (that Spider mural didn’t even make the final cut). Similar to his his comic book counterpart, Jared Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius attempted to devise a cure for his rare blood condition involving vampire bats. While the cure worked, Morbius was subsequently transformed into a vampire, giving him abilities like super strength, super speed and echolocation, but also requiring him to drain blood from living creatures.

Jared Leto’s costars on Morbius include Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson. Michael Keaton also reprised his Spider-Man: Homecoming role of Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, but I won’t spoil how he fits into the narrative; you can read our Morbius mid-credits scene breakdown for that information. Behind the cameras, Daniel Espinosa directed the feature (and is optimistic about the future of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe), and Matt Salaam and Burn Sharpless wrote the script.

If you’re not interested in seeing Morbius in theaters, along with it still being able to buy digitally, the movie arrives on Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD on June 14. Like other Sony movies released between 2022 and 2026, Morbius will also eventually make its way to Netflix, as well as Disney+ and/or Hulu later down the road thanks to a streaming deal struck between Sony and Disney.

The Bad Guys kept its spot at No. 1 at the box office in its second weekend, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 maintained a firm grip on second place after four weeks. While family films continued to see success from April 29-May 1, it was a relatively slow weekend, with little movement in the domestic box office rankings ahead of next week’s release of the Marvel Studios blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Martin Campbell's Memory starring Liam Neeson was the lone new release to crack its way into the Top 10.

Let’s take a look at the full Top 10, plus some analysis of how it all shook out below:

The Bad Guys And Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Make Impressive Weekend Showings

Parents accompanying their children to the theaters this weekend meant good news for Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The Bad Guys, which stars Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Awkwafina and Anthony Ramos as the titular protagonists, made an impressive $16.1 million in its second weekend, dropping just 33% from its opening week, according to The Numbers. 

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, meanwhile, had a better-than-expected fourth weekend. Not only did the video game movie sequel maintain a firm grasp on the No. 2 spot on the weekend domestic chart, but its $323 million worldwide gross earnings officially put it ahead of the first installment, which earned $304.9 million internationally. 

These two movies may prove to have a long life at the box office, as there are no other G or PG-rated movies on the horizon. Both Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (out May 6) and Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10) are rated PG-13, and there are rumblings that Lightyear (June 17) could be Pixar's first PG-13-rated movie. 

Word-of-mouth advertising is almost certainly playing a hand in the family-friendly movies' success, as The Bad Guys has a 93% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 garnering 96% positive reactions from the audience.

Fantastic Beasts 3 Continues To Fall, As The Northman And The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent Score Average Week 2 Numbers

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore continues its disappointing but, not unexpected, decline. While it held firm in the No. 3 spot and topped $300 million internationally, per Forbes, it dropped another 41% week over week, garnering only $8.3 million for Warner Bros. for a domestic total of $79.6 million after three weeks. It appears the film is going to struggle to reach $100 million domestically, which is really bad news, as Fantastic Beasts 3 had a $200 million budget to clear. Its predecessor, The Crimes of Grindelwald, in comparison, made $651.3 million worldwide back in 2018.

The Northman stayed at No. 4 in its sophomore week, pulling in another $6.3 million this weekend for a $22.8 million 10-day domestic gross. Nicholas Cage's critically acclaimed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent dropped a spot to No. 6 but added $3.9 million to its opening weekend sum for a two-weekend domestic total of $13.5 million. The movies' earnings fell 49% and 45%, respectively, which is what you generally expect to see in a Week 2 drop. 

Memory On Par With Liam Neeson's Previous Open Road Releases

The lone movie mixing up the charts this week was Martin Campbell's Memory, which debuted at No. 8 in the domestic rankings. While that might be a little lower than Open Road Films hoped for, its $3.1 million is on par with the studio's other Liam Neeson-led movies, 2020's Honest Thief ($4.1 million) and last year's The Marksman ($3.1 million). 

Critics were largely unimpressed with Memory, but this might be a case in which audience opinion could result in more earnings in the weeks to come. While 68 critics on Rotten Tomatoes have rated the film 31%, the audience reaction is much higher at 80% (with more than 100 ratings). Word-of-mouth advertising could cause an uptick in moviegoers who were put off by the critical reception — that is unless every single film patron next week is spending their money elsewhere...

Get Ready For Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

We already know how next week's box office is going to go down, and it's going to be all about the MCU. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set to kick off the summer movie season Friday, May 6, and it's already setting box office records. During the first 24 hours of Multiverse of Madness ticket presales, Fandango sold more tickets for the upcoming Marvel movie than any other 2022 movie so far and the most since Spider-Man: No Way Home tickets went on sale back on November 29, 2021.

The Sam Raimi-directed blockbuster is expected bring in around $200 million on opening weekend, four months after Sony Pictures' No Way Home scored the second biggest domestic opening of all-time with $260.1 million. The first Strange movie, released in 2016, brought in $85 million domestically in its opening weekend.

Come back next week to see just how big of an opening Benedict Cumberbatch's MCU blockbuster will have, as well as how the family-friendly films continue to fare. You've still got some time to do your homework, so be sure to check out the movies and shows to watch ahead of the Doctor Strange sequel. You can also check out what else is coming to theaters this summer on our 2022 Movie Release Schedule.

David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore did not get off to a great start at the box office. As reported last Sunday, the blockbuster set an opening weekend low for the Wizarding World franchise, and the news generated a whole lot of concern about the future of the Fantastic Beasts series. Now, things are looking even starker for the movie, as Pierre Perifel's animated The Bad Guys arrived in theaters and not only blew the movie out of the #1 slot, but pushed it down to third place.

Check out the full Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis!

The Bad Guys Continues To Show The Power Of Family Films At The Box Office

When executed properly, major G/PG-rated animated movies always have tremendous potential at the box office. Whole families going to the local multiplex for a new release obviously generates extra revenue – as we saw just a couple weeks ago with the arrival of Jeff Fowler's Sonic The Hedgehog 2, which opened to the tune of $72.1 million in its first three days. 

The Bad Guys is actually the first wholly animated feature from a major studio to arrive in theaters in 2022, with Domee Shi's Turning Red controversially becoming Disney+ exclusive, but based on its opening weekend results, the viability of the material is still very strong. According to The Numbers, the new movie has made $24 million since Friday, which is the eighth biggest debut of the year thus far (behind Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's Scream, and in front of Jeff Tremaine's Jackass Forever). 

It's the strongest start that a DreamWorks Animation feature has had since 2019 and the release of Dean DeBlois's How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, and more than the last releases made in their opening weekends combined. (Tom McGrath's The Boss Baby: Family Business, which was given a streaming/theatrical hybrid release in July 2021, only made $16 million in its first three days, and Elaine Bogan's Spirit Untamed brought in only $6.1 million when it debuted a month prior.)

The Bad Guys, featuring a voice cast including Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Anthony Ramos, Craig Robinson, and Awkwafina, earned solid buzz when domestic reviews landed at the end of last week, and it appears that audiences are enjoying it as well. According to CinemaScore, survey-takers ended up giving the animated feature an "A" grade – which could result in the film showing off some impressive legs in the weeks to come

The good news domestically for the film comes after it has already had some success abroad. The Bad Guys actually had its international debut in theaters a while ago, as it was released in some foreign markets back in mid-March. To date it has made $63.1 million overseas, meaning its global total as of right now stands at $87.1 million. According to Deadline, the movie cost a reported $69 million to make (before publicity and marketing expenses), so it is well on its way to being profitable.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore Takes A Tumble From The Top, Takes Third Place Behind Sonic The Hedgehog 2

While there are likely cheers that can be heard out of Universal Pictures following the release of The Bad Guys, the sound coming from Warner Bros. is teeth grinding and collars being pulled. As noted, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore did not get off to the hot start that the studio was hoping for when it hit theaters last week, and the news has only gotten more grim one week later.

When compared to the $43 million that the fantasy blockbuster made last Friday-to-Sunday, the $14 million it made this weekend represents a terrible 67 percent drop. That's not quite as bad as the tumble performed by Daniel Espinosa's Morbius earlier in April, which fell 74 percent in its sophomore weekend, but that comparison is not exactly going to earn any cheers from Harry Potter die-hards. 

Globally, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore has made $280 million, which may sound great, but you have to factor in that this is a feature that cost a conservative $200 million to make. The sequel's predecessor, David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, made $651.3 million by the time it was done playing theatrically back in 2018, and it doesn't appear that the follow-up is going to make anywhere near that total.

What's bad news for Fantastic Beasts is good news for Sonic The Hedgehog 2. Because of the steep drop by the Wizarding World feature, the video game movie was able to hold on to second place for the second week – making $15.2 million in its third weekend. To date, it has made $216.8 million, and it is now on pace to outgross the first Sonic The Hedgehog, which made $304.9 million before it was done playing on the big screen around the world in early 2020. 

The Northman And The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent Put Up Strong But Not Spectacular Opening Weekend Numbers

Clearly family-friendly content dominated at the box office this weekend, but not to be dismissed is the new R-rated content that arrived this weekend, including Robert Eggers' The Northman and Tom Gormican's The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent. The Viking revenge epic starring Alexander Skarsgård began its theatrical run this weekend and made $12 million, which was good enough for fourth place, and the critically-acclaimed new Nicolas Cage movie landed in fifth place after having made $7.2 million.

Surely the idea behind the launch of both films was to serve as counter-programming for kid-friendly movies that have been arriving in the last few weeks, but neither did either surprisingly well or disappointingly bad. The Northman and The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent had production budgets of about $70 million and $30 million respectively, so both still have long roads to travel before being called profitable – but cinephiles who are rooting for the movie can hold fast to hope that all of the positive buzz around both will allow them to stick around in the bottom half of the Top 10 in the weeks to come.

Slow growth certainly isn't impossible: just look at what Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once has done in the last month since its debut in limited release. The multiverse action/drama/comedy has made $28.3 million to date, making it the fourth biggest movie that has been distributed by A24.

We'll continue to track the performance of both films next weekend as they, along with everything else currently playing, faces off against new releases including Martin Campbell's Memory starring Liam Neeson. Head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to see how the Top 10 gets shaken up, and plan your next trip to the theater with our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.

Spider-Man fans had fun speculating on the silhouettes spotted in the purple cracks caused by Doctor Strange’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Because Peter Parker’s wish had gone awry, every figure in the multiverse who knew that Parker was Spider-Man was crossing over into the prime MCU timeline. Kraven the Hunter and Scorpion were clearly outlined in the purple magic void (though we don’t know for sure if that Kraven shape was modeled after Aaron Taylor Johnson), Black Cat and the Rhino also were included. But a new video detailing Spider-Man: No Way Home Easter eggs has been released by Sony, and it confirms the presence of an obscure Spider-Man character who I’ve not yet heard speculated. 

In the video posted to Sony’s YouTube, the special features on the Spider-Man: No Way Home Blu-ray break down the villains who cameo during this pivotal scene. Kraven and Scorpion are mentioned. And then the video confirms that the figure to the left of the cover art in the below photo is none other than the six-armed Spider-Man who appeared in the Marvel Comics for a three-issue arc in 1971.

How did Spider-Man end up with four additional arms? Around this time in the narrative of The Amazing Spider-Man series, Peter Parker was incredibly frustrated by all of the terrible things happening in his life, many of which he attributed to the fact that he had an alter ego in Spider-Man. Fed up with the powers bestowed upon him, Peter whips up a formula that he thinks is going to remove the radiation that caused his enhancements. Instead, it turned him into this:

Now, given the sheer number of Spider-Man villains who could be showcased in this wild crossover moment, why would Sony choose to include the six-armed Spidey in the purple haze? It’s worth noting that when Peter Parker had these six arms, one of the villains he encountered before Curt Connors healed him was Morbius the Living Vampire, who Jared Leto brought to life in a standalone movie earlier this year. In fact, this storytelling arc marked the debut of Morbius. Does this hint at the fact that if and when Leto’s Morbius and a Spider-Man cross paths, there could be a live-action version of this monstrosity on screen? Sony confirming that the six-armed Spider-Man exists in the multiverse is a pretty cool indicator that we’re one step closer to seeing him realized in a feature film. 

Just don’t hold your breath on this happening any time soon. I recently speculated that the release-date delays for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse might impact production on Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man movie. And before Morbius returns to theaters, Sony has plans to introduce a buff and ripped Aaron Taylor Johnson as Kraven the Hunter (spotted in the purple haze), and then shift gears to a Madame Web movie centered around Dakota Johnson and Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney. There’s also an assumption that Venom 3 will be part of the studio’s plans. And the mid-credits scenes for Morbius hint at the construction of a Sinister Six roster. There is a lot happening in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, so keep it on CinemaBlend as we continue to report on all of the happenings. 

In the box office world, everything is relative. If a movie makes $30 million in its opening weekend, it's a huge success if the film was made for just $5 million – but it's an utter disaster if it was made for $150 million. Looking at the theatrical returns for David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, this is an important thing to keep in mind. 

The early numbers show that the blockbuster had the fourth biggest debut of 2022 thus far, which looks good on paper... but those results are colored by the fact that it is far and away the worst start for any title part of the Wizarding World franchise. Take a look at the full Top 10 below, and join me for analysis.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald Is The Number One Movie, But The Results Aren't Great

Between 2001 and 2011, the Harry Potter series proved to be a consistent slam dunk for Warner Bros., each title earning an average of $103 million in its first three days. The Fantastic Beasts movies, on the other hand, have not experienced anywhere near that kind of success.  When David Yates' Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them debuted domestically in 2016, the $74.4 million it made was a new low for the franchise, and things haven't exactly gotten better since then.

Released in 2018, Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald made just $62.2 million in its first Friday-to-Sunday in the United States and Canada, and now we have the follow-up, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, which only managed to bring in $43 million over the last three days.

In a time when theaters are very much relying on tentpole releases and blockbusters to keep audiences excited and buying tickets en masse, the latest chapter from the Wizarding World didn't manage to fully deliver. It outperformed Daniel Espinosa's Morbius and Aaron and Adam Nee's The Lost City, but to refer back to my point in the opening paragraph, both of those movies were made with reported budgets around $75 million, and Variety reports that Fantastic Beasts 3 cost $200 million to make.

This decline comes despite the fact that Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore got a more positive response from critics and better pre-release buzz compared to its predecessor. That being said, the difference between it and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald on Rotten Tomatoes is the distance between 48 percent and 36 percent – both grades considered "Rotten" by the review aggregator.

Clearly things don't look great for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore on the home front, but what may ultimately save the future of the series and the Wizarding World on the big screen is the response that the sequel has gotten overseas. The movies in the vast Harry Potter franchise have always done better in foreign markets than at home (at least 67 percent of total grosses for every release have come from outside the United States and Canada), and that is continuing to hold true with the latest film.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore premiered in a number of markets last weekend prior to its domestic debut, and after two weekends its worldwide gross stands at $193.4 million. That equates to 77.8 percent of grosses coming from abroad, which inches upwards from the 75.5 percent split for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald and the 71.2 percent for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

Where this leaves the future of the Fantastic Beasts series is a big question mark. According to Variety, Warner Bros. executives are waiting on box office returns for The Secrets Of Dumbledore before making the decision whether or not to give the green light to the two sequels that are planned to conclude the spinoff series, and it's hard to say at this point if these numbers will ultimately inspire enough studio confidence in the material to keep the story going. 

Mark Wahlberg's Father Stu Finds The Middle Of The Box Office Chart In Its Debut

At the very least, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore didn't embarrassment of opening in second place – but there was no real chance of that given Rosalind Ross's Father Stu was the blockbuster's only competition as far as new releases go. The Mark Wahlberg movie earned middling reviews early in the week, and got a jump start by opening on Wednesday instead of Friday, but still it only managed to make a total of $8 million in its first few days of release.

The R-rated faith-based feature surely couldn't have cost that much to produce (obviously nowhere near the price tag of Fantastic Beasts 3), but considering that Mark Wahlberg invested millions of his own money in the venture, I'm willing to guess that the results aren't exactly what the all of the filmmakers behind the project were hoping for.

Everything Everywhere All At Once Continues To Climb The Charts

Arguably the most exciting story developing in the box office world right now is what's going on with Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once, the multiverse comedy/drama/action/sci-fi movie starring Michelle Yeoh. The feature was given a limited release last month from A24, and it has been spreading into more and more theaters ever since. As I noted in last Sunday's box office column, the film expanded into wide release on April 8, and made $6.1 million in its first three days. This weekend, the title expanded into 970 more locations, and it has climbed from sixth place to fourth place as a result.

The $6.2 million that the acclaimed film has brought in since Friday brings its domestic gross up to $17.7 million, and the remarkable buzz that the movie has earned could mean that number will continue to rise steeply in the coming weeks. Everything Everywhere All At Once is now ranked as the tenth highest grossing title in A24's history, having now surpassed the $17.2 million that was earned by David Lowery's The Green Knight last summer. (Josh and Benny Safdie's Uncut Gems holds the top spot, having made $50 million in 2019.)

Looking ahead to next week, there will be a lot of eyes on the second weekend performance of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, and it will have some interesting competition in the form of Robert Eggers' The Northman and Pierre Perifel's The Bad Guys. I'll have the full run down of the box office new for you here on CinemaBlend next Sunday, and between now and then you can check out our 2022 Movie Release Calendar to plan out all of your own movie-going plans for the coming months.

This past weekend’s box office results saw an impressive performance for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as well as a somewhat lackluster opening for the latest Michael Bay film Ambulance. In-between those pillars of new releases, the second weekend for Marvel/Sony’s Morbius has a rather interesting story to tell. While its second weekend grosses plunged, Jared Leto’s bloodsucking offering isn’t a total disaster in the realm of current and upcoming Marvel movies. 

Just How Far Did Morbius Plunge At The Box Office?

Based on reporting/number crunching by Forbes, director Daniel Espinosa’s MCU adjacent movie took quite a tumble. Last Friday alone, Morbius brought in only $2.95 million in domestic grosses for that day alone, tying Dark Phoenix's record setting dip of 83%. The picture is a bit rosier when looking at the total weekend’s grosses, as our box office report saw an estimated $10.2 million falling into Sony’s pockets. Compared to Morbius’s $39.1 million opening weekend, that would indicate a 74% drop for the full weekend’s take.

It looks like bad news if you’re comparing this particular project to the standard performance of comic book movies. While those films do tend to shed a sizable percentage of audiences after opening weekend, this sort of drop is still pretty significant. Even when compared to the second weekend for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius looks to have fallen quite mightily. However, from a certain point of view, this bat has accomplished as flying feat that should soften this weekend’s monetary blow to a degree.

Why Morbius Might Not Be A Box Office Disaster

It's good news time for you folks hoping Jared Leto will once again return to the world of Morbius. While the news discussed above pertains to the domestic box office, the worldwide grosses look pretty promising. $126.4 million is the current standing total in the bank, meaning that Sony’s latest Spider-Man connected property is very close to doubling its production budget. 

For reference, the movie’s price tag is in the range of between $75 - $83 million, which sets up a $150 - $166 million threshold to double its money. Of course, that doesn’t give us the exact figure that Sony and Marvel may have on paper to consider Morbius a profitable venture. Under normal circumstances, backend expenses like print and advertising, as well as a number of other factors unknown to the public at large, need to be considered. 

But let’s not forget that much like other COVID-19 delayed films, this is a title that was subject to several delays to its ultimate opening. Just as No Time To Die incurred about $1 million in additional costs for each month it sat on the shelf, one could assume that Morbius has a specific figure it racked up in a similar manner. Using that figure as a rough benchmark, and taking into account its intended July 10, 2020 debut and the April 1, 2022 date it finally landed, about $21 million may need to be added to the equation. 

Again, that’s not an exact figure, as James Bond movies tend to be more expensive, with more moving pieces to account for in the budgetary pie. Morbius may not have as much weight on its shoulders, and we’ll have to wait and see how Morbius’ fortunes progress in the weeks to come. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, or have a notion to revisit Matt Smith’s bonkers performance, the film is exclusively showing in theaters. To catch a glimpse of what other excitement waits in the wings, head over to our schedule of 2022 movie releases, and quench your thirst for cinema!

When Jeff Fowler's Sonic The Hedgehog hit theaters in early 2020 (prior to the domestic arrival of COVID-19), it was instantly considered a hit – the video game movie earning $58 million in its opening weekend and easily stealing the #1 spot from Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn). It instantly solidified the blockbuster as a franchise-starter, and now, a little over two years later, the big screen series' hit status has been confirmed, as Fowler's Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has done even better than its predecessor in its first three days.

Check out the full Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis!

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Outperforms Its Predecessor To Win The Weekend At The Box Office

Given the way in which the COVID-19 pandemic has suppressed and depressed movie-going habits in the last two years, it's exciting to see a sequel do better than its pre-pandemic predecessor. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 earned a more positive response from critics when reviews are aggregated, the movie sporting a 67 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes (four points higher than the 2020 release), and now the movie can say it outgrossed the original in its opening weekend as well.

As reported by The Numbers, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 made $71 million in its debut, which is the second biggest of 2022 thus far (Matt Reeves' The Batman made $134 million when it came out at the start of last month). It's the fourth substantial victory for Paramount Pictures in the calendar year, following their box office wins with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's Scream, Jeff Tremaine's Jackass Forever, and Aaron and Adam Nee's The Lost City. 

The performance by Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has also shattered a box office record – though its not all that surprising if you know the history. In 2020, Sonic The Hedgehog had the biggest opening weekend of any video game adaptation ever, and that held strong even a couple months ago when Ruben Fleischer's Uncharted had a strong opening weekend. 

Now Sonic The Hedgehog 2 holds claim to having the best start ever for a movie based on a video game, and we'll just have to wait and see if it can outgross the original (which made $319.7 million before the end of its theatrical run) and lay claim to being the biggest video game adaptation of all time.

Having been released in a number of foreign territories at the end of last month, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 has already made $70 million outside of the United States and total, which means that to date it has made $141 million worldwide.

Michael Bay's Ambulance Doesn't Inspire As Much Excitement As Expected

What turned out to be good news for Sonic The Hedgehog 2, turned out to be bad news for Michael Bay's Ambulance. The movie didn't cost nearly as much to make as a typical Bay production ($40 million, according to Polygon), but it also didn't draw the audience that the director usually gets. The $8.7 million that the film earned this past weekend is the weakest start any of his theatrically-released features have had – despite the thriller getting a mostly positive response from critics. 

At the very least, the movie is getting some support from overseas, where it was released prior to its domestic debut. Including the money made from North America this weekend, Ambulance has thus far made $31.2 million worldwide. This means that it still has a chance to be a profitable venture; it just needs word of mouth and buzz to keep it in the Top 10 in the weeks ahead.

Morbius Gets Utterly Crushed In Its Second Weekend

In last weekend's box office column, I specifically questioned what kind of legs we would see under Daniel Espinosa's Morbius, particularly given the fact that it was going to be facing some seriously stiff competition in its second Friday-to-Sunday. As it turns out, the comic book blockbusters metaphorical lower limbs are reminiscent of the tiny infant ones that Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool grows back in David Leitch's Deadpool 2 after his body is cut in half. 

In short, the comic book movie didn't so much run in its second week as fall flat on its vampire face.

It turns out that there was a lot of crossover between the audience for Morbius and for Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and in the last three days they abandoned the former in favor of the latter. The $10.2 million made represents a catastrophic drop of 74 percent from weekend-to-weekend, and it's not exactly expected to bounce back in what remains of April. The would-be blockbuster has received some of the worst reviews of 2022, and while a base level of curiosity in what the adventure has to offer led the movie to a $39 million start, it's looking like its success is front-loaded.

Looking ahead, the PG-13 Morbius is likely going to fade from the Top 10 quickly. Not only does it look like audiences are going to be much more likely to double dip Sonic 2 than the latest entry from Sony's Spider-Man Universe, but there is even more family-friendly fare set to debut on the big screen in the next couple of weeks, including David Yates' Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore and Pierre Perifel's animated The Bad Guys.

Morbius has made $112.8 million globally thus far, but that's not so great when you consider the reported $75 million budget (which doesn't include marketing or publicity costs) and note that Andy Serkis' Venom: Let There Be Carnage made $141.4 million domestically by the end of its second weekend in theaters.

Everything Everywhere All At Once Goes Into Wide Release And Finds Even More Success

Arguably the most exciting movie now playing in theaters everywhere is Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once, which has earned near unanimous praise from critics and has spent the last few weeks crushing in limited release (last weekend I highlighted the fact that the film was working with a stunning $26,631 per theater average). Now the multiverse-centric sci-fi feature is playing nationwide, and it continues find curious audiences. 

Playing in over 1,200 new locations starting this past Friday, Everything Everywhere All At Once brought its domestic total up to $8.4 million, meaning that it is now in the Top 20 of films theatrically released by A24 (it's also easily among the best movies released by the studio). As I note in my review of the film for CinemaBlend, it's a genius piece of work, and if you haven't seen it already, now is the time.

Coming up next weekend, the box office will be getting a shake-up with two new films in wide release: the aforementioned Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore, which continues the big screen legacy of the Harry Potter franchise, and Rosalind Ross' Father Stu, starring Mark Wahlberg and Jackie Weaver. How will the two titles perform during the Easter holiday weekend, and shuffle the Top 10? Be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to see the results.

To learn about all of the features set to hit theaters and streaming in what remains of the year, check out our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.

A very light spoiler for Morbius lies ahead.

Morbius, the latest installment in Sony’s Spider-Man franchise, has finally seen the light of day, and the reception to the movie hasn’t been so positive. The Jared Leto-led superhero flick has received mostly negative reviews, with many, like CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg, criticizing the plot and performances, among other things. Director Daniel Espinosa is completely aware of the response and has shared his feelings on those reactions. In spite of it though, he’s also shared a positive update on the future of the film series as a whole.

Sony has made it no secret that it wants to expand on its Marvel universe, even if it’s yet to include the web-slinger himself. So far, Morbius, Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage make up the burgeoning, big-screen world, with a number of other projects in various stages of development. Daniel Espinosa recently chatted with our sister site, GamesRadar+, during which he shared thoughts on what’s to come:

There’s a lot in the works when it comes to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Principal photography recently kicked off for Kraven the Hunter, which will see a ripped Aaron Taylor-Johnson play the fan-favorite Spidey villain. A feature film centered on the character of Madame Web is also in pre-production, and Dakota Johnson is set to lead the spinoff movie. While these may be exciting to some, there’s another movie that fans are truly hoping to see reach the big screen. 

For years, many have wanted to see a movie centered on the Sinister Six, the iconic supervillain team. The project has seen its share of starts and stops, but it now seems the movie could be closer to becoming a reality, especially considering what transpired during Morbius’ mid-credits scenes. In the same interview with GamesRadar+, Daniel Espinosa shared thoughts on the bad guys finally getting their time in the sun:

Regardless of how you might have felt about the Living Vampire’s first cinematic outing, it’s fair to say that there are plenty of storytelling opportunities for this franchise. Only time will tell how these plans, along with the series’ loose connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will continue to unfold.

Morbius, one of 2022’s biggest new movie releases, is now playing in theaters.

Sony’s newest movie in its Spider-Verse is here with Jared Leto’s Morbius and things are… not looking that great with the new film. Morbius did open at number one at the domestic box office, bringing in $39 million, which isn’t terrible all things considered, but it’s certainly no blockbuster and the movie is being savaged by critics. Having said that, director Daniel Espinosa is taking the movie’s poor reviews in stride.

With only a 17% score on Rotten Tomatoes, most critics really don’t like Morbius very much. Speaking with Insider, Daniel Espinosa admits that he’s no stranger to strangers telling him what’s wrong with his movies. It’s happened to him even with his smaller productions, so he’s used to being told what he did wrong. Espinosa explains… 

I’m not sure you can make it to the world of directing feature films without gaining a pretty thick skin. Very few movies are truly universally loved so even if most people thought Morbius was great, there would be some talking about what was wrong with it.

Critical response and box office response are very different things more often than not. It’s far from uncommon for movies that critics don’t seem to like to still make a lot of money.  It’s unlikely that the lack of critical praise is the reason Morbius had a luke warm opening. There are numerous other factors including a significant delay brought on by a global pandemic, 

And for what it’s worth Daniel Espinosa doesn’t even need critics pointing out what’s wrong with his work, as the director admits that he can be pretty hard on his own films, though he’s made some solid projects that people . He knows he can improve and potentially sees that his work has problems, but he is ultimately proud of the work he does.  Espinosa continues...

Few movies are seen as universally great and just as few are universally bad. Even if Morbius isn’t a great movie, it may still have elements worthy of praise. It may just be that not everybody will find those praise worthy moments in theatres. 

Matt Smith is no stranger to franchise work. Probably best known for his run on the massively beloved Doctor Who, Smith also appeared in a Terminator sequel, had a recurring role on The Crown, and is currently filming a part for the Games of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. The actor knows his way around pop-culture storytelling, so we weren’t that shocked to learn he was taking a stab at a Marvel movie – by way of Sony Pictures – when he agreed to play the villain opposite Jared Leto in Morbius. The character doesn’t start off as evil, and part of the fun of Morbius is seeing Leto and Smith sink their teeth into the moral quandary that comes with being a vampire. But that’s not all the actor enjoyed about taking a turn in the comic book genre, as he recently told CinemaBlend during an exclusive interview:

Before signing on to do Morbius, Matt Smith admitted to being on the fence regarding taking the part. But a conversation with fellow Doctor Who alum Karen Gillan, who has been part of the MCU for years, convinced him that he’d have a good time at the gig. And if nothing else, Matt Smith appears to be enjoying himself in every scene of Morbius. Case in point, there’s that hilarious dance that Smith does, which occurs during a subway fight between Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) and his ailing colleague, “Milo” (Smith). The latter has just taken out a team of police officers, and proceeds to dance like Michael Jackson in celebration of his new powers. These types of asides bring a needed levity to the scares found in Morbius.

Some of the best parts to be found in Comic Book movies are the villains. Earlier this year, Spider-Man: No Way Home made history by bringing classic villains like Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and more back to the big screen after years of hiatus. The Morbius mid-credits scenes bring back a popular MCU villain, while teasing the possibility of a Sinister Six team up. And perhaps in the most famous bit of casting yet, the late Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for the big swings that he took in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, playing the Joker.  

Morbius looks to continue the ever-expanding Spider-Man universe at Sony, one that… well, needs a Spider-Man. Until we know if Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire or someone else is playing Spidey in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, we’ll just continue to track progress on the Kraven the Hunter movie, as well as the recently announced Madame Web, with Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney. Morbius is in theaters as we speak.

A little over two years has passed since legendary director Martin Scorsese made his infamous comment on comic book films. That doesn’t mean this particular pop culture coal fire has died down, as plenty of people still reference and meme the “cinema vs. not-cinema” debate that came from the filmmaker’s candid thoughts on Marvel movies. In the wake of Sony’s Morbius debuting at the box office, someone generated a post of fake praise from Scorsese that was so convincing, it managed to confuse actor Tyrese Gibson into temporarily sharing it as a real deal. 

While the posts themselves were eventually removed from the Morbius star’s social media presence, someone on Twitter had already taken screenshots. Sharing both the fake praise that supposedly came from Martin Scorsese, as well as Tyrese’s boosting of that signal, you can see how someone might have been convinced this was a genuine article. Take a look at both the message, and Gibson’s reaction, included below: 

On first blush, the photoshop job that looks like Martin Scorsese walking the carpet at the Morbius premiere is passable. Though by time an onlooker starts to read the quote attributed to this gag that was probably intended to capitalize on the film’s April Fools Day release date, you can see where it all starts to fall apart. At least, that’s if you're using the critical reaction to Jared Leto’s Marvel adjacent blockbuster as your guideline. 

There was still plenty for Tyrese Gibson and director Daniel Espinoza to celebrate, thanks to their joint effort was the king of the movies this past weekend. As Morbius debuted at #1 with $39.1 million, Sony’s latest Marvel adjacent property showed that the audience will still flock to a new comic offering. While this isn’t anywhere near the record smashing opening that kicked off Spider-Man: No Way Home’s massive theatrical campaign, it’s still a promising sign that the numerous delays may have been worth it.

At the time of this writing, Morbius is sitting at 17% with critics, but has a healthy 70% rating with audiences. That sort of divide will be interesting to keep an eye on this weekend, as the second frame for this bloodsucking hero will see Sonic the Hedgehog 2 presenting the stiffest competition. Even Martin Scorsese is probably sitting on the edge of his seat, waiting to see who wins. Just don’t expect him to give any quotes out about the matter, as he’s probably busy working on his latest project, the Apple original film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon. 

Morbius continues to feed on the lifeblood of cinema, as it’s exclusively showing in theaters at the moment. To take a look at all of the other movies heading to theaters in the year ahead, please consult the full slate of 2022 movie releases at your earliest convenience. Though if you’re one of those fans who really loves to know when upcoming Marvel movies are on the way, there’s an entirely separate guide for that very subject. 

Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters (or SUMC) is growing, as the franchise has now welcomed Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius in his own solo film. While fans have been curious about how the Living Vampire would be introduced into the big-screen franchise, others are more concerned with when he might finally cross paths with Spider-Man. Neither Sony or Marvel Studios have yet to drop specifics on that front, but that hasn’t stopped people from asking Leto about the possibility of a face-off. And the actor does have feelings about his blood-thirsty character meeting Spidey on screen one day.

That confusing “murderer” mural aside, it seems that Sony does intend to bring the websligner into Morbius’ orbit at some point in the future. Such a meet-up makes sense, considering the vast history between the two comic book characters. A fight could be a sight to behold and, when CinemaBlend spoke with Jared Leto about his work on the film, he expressed his own eagerness for some sort of crossover:

In the past, the Oscar winner has shared some other positive thoughts, which indicate that he does indeed want his character to take a bite out of the friendly neighborhood hero. When he was previously asked if Spidey would appear in the new movie, he enthusiastically stated that he would  “love to get in the ring” with him. He even dropped the iconic superhero’s name while discussing the comic book lore in a video. The Blade Runner 2049 star also praised the work of Tom Holland, (who may or may not be returning for upcoming movies).

That history goes all the way back to 1971, when Dr. Michael Morbius was first introduced within the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #101. After the scientist turned himself into a living vampire, he came into contact with webhead, who was also dealing with a mutation of his own at the time. From there, the two would be forever linked in Marvel Comics history, with their battles having been depicted in multiple mediums over the past several decades.

When it comes to the big screen, the crossover possibilities do seem to be limitless. The multiverse has been cracked open and encompasses the aforementioned characters along with Venom. Marvel Studios has been very shrewd about how the Marvel Cinematic Universe has crossed over with the SUMC, with Eddie Brock’s brief appearance in the Spider-Man: No Way Home mid-credits scene being a prime example. Only time will tell how Kevin Feige and co., in conjunction with Sony, find a way to bring the iconic figures face to face.

Regardless, it’s encouraging to know that Jared Leto will be ready to go if or when the call finally comes. There’s no telling how Morbius might react when he sees Spider-Man for the first time. He may serve as an unlikely ally to the vampiric doctor or he could merely become his latest victim. 

Sony’s Morbius is in theaters and is one of 2022’s biggest new movie releases.

When Josh Trank's Fantastic Four arrived in theaters back in 2015, its box office performance was synchronous with the absolutely dreadful critical response. The would be blockbuster, which had a troubled production and a reported budget of $120 million, opened with a lackluster $25.7 million take, and it ended up only making $167.8 million worldwide by the time it was done playing on the big screen. 

Such a fate has seemingly not struck Daniel Espinosa's Morbius this past weekend, however, as the comic book movie has survived a critical drubbing and had a modestly successful debut at the box office. Check out the full Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis!

Morbius Just Had The Third Biggest Opening Weekend Of 2022 Thus Far

Film critics (admittedly including myself) tore Morbius a new one following the lift of the review embargo last week, but the terrible buzz evidently wasn't enough to undermine the popularity of modern comic book movies. Reporting from before the release of reactions put box office estimates between $33 million and $50 million, and the results are a midpoint between those numbers.

A take of $39.1 million means that Morbius has had the third biggest opening weekend of the years, with the numbers being just big enough to beat out Aaron and Adam Nee's The Lost City, which made $31 million in its debut last week. It fell short of surpassing the total put up by Ruben Fleischer's Uncharted back in February, the video game adaptation starring Tom Holland having made $44 million in its first three days, and it came nowhere close to matching Matt Reeves' The Batman, which earned $134 million at the start of last month.

When you add in the overseas ticket sales for Morbius, the film has already earned more than its $75 million reported budget (though that number not only tends to be conservative, but doesn't include marketing and publicity costs). Theaters abroad have seen the comic book movie earn $44.9 million thus far, bringing the Sony release's total to $84 million, according to The Numbers.

The big question mark when looking at Morbius' performance thus far is sustainability and legs. There are a lot of comic book movie fans who commit to seeing every new blockbuster in its opening weekend, but long term success for the new release is going to depend on those who are on the fence about seeing it, and the word of mouth that is generated. 

Should the non-committed folks decide that the negative reviews are enough to make them reconsider purchasing a ticket and just waiting for the eventual release on Netflix, that could have a devastating impact on Morbius' second weekend. A weekend-to-weekend to drop over 60 percent would be a big hurt. 

Another key factor here is competition, and the reality is that the new Sony movie isn't in a particularly comfortable position. Most of the biggest films thus far in 2022 have had what could be called buffer weeks in the release calendar, with major studios holding off on putting out features in the wake of big blockbusters (The Batman and Uncharted being the best examples). 

Morbius doesn't have that luxury. Rather than facing off against zero new major releases in its second weekend, its instead going to be going head to head with Jeff Fowler's Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Michael Bay's Ambulance. A sub-$20 million third place finish isn't outside the realm of possibility for the current #1 Movie In America in its second Friday-to-Sunday.

The Lost City Has A Solid Second Weekend, Eclipses $50 Million Domestically

Staying on the subject of second weekends, The Lost City performed admirably even while losing its box office crown. The $14.8 million it earned is 51 percent of the aforementioned $31 million it made during its opening, and it means that the romantic comedy has now earned $54.6 million to date. 

It hasn't yet quite covered its reported $68 million budget (via Variety), but it also hasn't gotten a full international release yet, and by the end of its run it's easy to imagine that Paramount will consider it a hit. It's the studio's third success story of the year after Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's Scream was a win in January and Jeff Tremaine's Jackass Forever hit number one in February. The forthcoming release of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is almost surely going to be their fourth.

Everything Everywhere All At Once Is Crushing In Limited Release

Whole Morbius will be getting the vast majority of box office headlines this weekend, what is arguably the most exciting story developing in the reporting is the amazing success of Daniels' Everything Everywhere All At Once. The A24-released feature didn't make it on to the Top 10 in its debut last weekend because it only made $501,305... but that was from just 10 theaters nationwide.

The critically-acclaimed multiverse action-comedy expanded to 38 locations this weekend, and that small addition proved to be all it needed to get on the chart. The $1 million it made in the last three days is an average of $26,631 per screen, which is just remarkable. If it can maintain buzz and momentum as its release gets wider and wider, it very well could end up being one of A24's biggest hits. You can check Fandango to see if its presently playing in a cineplex near you (and if you haven't already seen it yet and can, you absolutely should).

Looking ahead to next week, audiences will have a lot of options to choose from between the current slate of releases as well as the family friendly adventure of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and the R-rated action of Ambulance. The diverse competition should result in some fascinating box office results, so be sure to return here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to see how everything shakes out.

In the meantime, you can look at what's ahead from the world of movies (both theatrical and streaming) by heading over to our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.

There’s been no shortage of superhero content over the past few years, especially within the world of cinema. Amid the plethora of films though, a rivalry of sorts has developed between those who enjoy Marvel movies and those with a passion for DC movies. That animosity hasn’t expanded to the studios’ themselves, as both seem to be supportive of one another. New Marvel star Jared Leto, however, actually encourages a creative rivalry between the two comic book entities and has some interesting thoughts to back up his reasoning. 

Feuds of any kind can get messy, and that’s especially true when it comes to giant film studios. But Jared Leto, who recently made his superhero debut in Morbius, can see a silver lining within a rivalry. While speaking with CinemaBlend, he explained that such a situation could push employees of both superhero studios to work harder to produce great work:

It’s true that friendly competition can be a positive thing at times, as it can indeed encourage people to put their best foot forward. Jared Leto also makes a fair point that, in this context, such a thing could be a major benefit to audiences. Someone could argue, though, that both comic book companies have already released or will drop entertaining features without one. After all, in the last five years alone, fans have seen flicks like Avengers: Endgame, The Batman and Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

When it comes to the idea of a legitimate feud between the two studios, their creatives have essentially shot down the notion. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige addressed it back in 2017, saying that the actual “rivalry” is amongst the press. At the time, the super producer also mentioned his friendship with longtime DC writer and producer Geoff Johns while discussing the positive feelings between their two corporations. 

For his part, Geoff Johns even tried to unite the two fandoms alongside James Gunn. A few years back, the two shared a pleasant exchange after the Guardians of the Galaxy director expressed his love for DC (which is now more than evident since he’s helmed The Suicide Squad). Gunn has even expressed interest in a crossover between the two cinematic universes. Also, Shazam! producer Peter Safran downplayed the idea of a rivalry, calling it “bullshit.”

Given these comments, it’s safe to assume that DC Films is rooting for Sony, Marvel Entertainment and Jared Leto, as Morbius opens in theaters. It’s probably unlikely that the audience reaction and financial receipts of the movie will influence any of Warner Bros.’ plans for the DCEU. At the end of the day, I’m honestly just happy to see both studios showing each other love. 

Sony’s Morbius, one of the year's biggest new movie releases, is currently playing in theaters.

SPOILER WARNING: The following feature contains massive spoilers for Morbius. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

To compete with all of the other superhero franchises in Hollywood right now, Sony's Spider-Man Universe is working on building a foundation. It started with the two Venom movies, but now the name of the game is expansion, and that’s where Morbius comes in. Starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Tyrese Gibson, and Al Madrigal, the movie is now the third feature in the shared canon, and it sports a conclusion that clearly indicates plans to develop sequels and further establish the titular anti-hero.

Discussion of the two stinger scenes in the film can be found in our end credits scenes explainer; here you’ll find a recap of what actually plays out in the third act of the movie, and dig into what the Morbius ending could mean for a sequel and the canon at large. To start, let’s do a bit of a refresher on what actually happens at the end of the story…

What Happens At The End Of Morbius

The third act action of Morbius kicks off when Dr. Michael Morbius gets a call from Dr. Nicholas, who is clearly on the edge of death. The living vampire saunters over to Milo’s apartment, and arrives just in time to witness his father figure’s final breaths and receive the whispered message, “You have to stop him.”

Not only has Milo killed Dr. Nicholas, but he has kidnapped Dr. Martine Bancroft, and is holding her hostage on a rooftop. Morbius uses his ill-defined echolocation ability to find them, and then flies to their location. He is too late, however, as Milo slits her throat. The living vampire kisses her, and she bites his lip – swallowing some of his blood. Her last words are for Morbius to, “make it mean something,” and as she dies the protagonist drains her blood.

Milo slashes at Morbius and the two monsters tumble off the roof and down literally through the street below, ending up in some kind of vast underground cavern. As Milo stands around basking in his own ego, the eponymous character reveals a new power not previously established: creating vibrations that summon bats. Thousands of the flying rodents come swooping in, and while the villain has the same DNA as the film’s hero, they apparently don’t view him the “brother” they see Morbius as.

While the fuzzy creatures swarm around, Morbius uses it as a distraction so that he can launch himself at Milo and inject him with the special serum he created that would kill both a vampire bat and a human. The antagonist recounts childhood memories, such as the fact that Morbius gave him the name “Milo,” and then he dies.

Above ground, Agent Stroud and Agent Rodriguez are on the scene, and witness a flurry of bats fly up from the whole in the street – Morbius flying among them. Dr. Bancroft violently wakes up, and the lead character flies in the sky above New York City as the title card splashes on screen.

What Does The Ending Mean For Dr. Martine Bancroft?

With Morbius being an origin movie, a significant amount of runtime is dedicated to establishing the titular character’s special abilities and how his powers work. He can fly, summon bats, and use echolocation, and he has enhanced speed and strength. As we learn in the final seconds of the film, he evidently also has the ability to bring people back from the dead/turn others into vampires.

Based on what’s presented, it seems that vampires in Sony's Spider-Man Universe follow somewhat traditional rules, which is to say that a person is transformed when they both imbibe the blood of a vampire and are drained themselves. Considering that Morbius is a “living vampire” and not a magical monster, there isn’t a whole lot of logic in it, but it’s best not to dissect it too thoroughly. The bottom line is Dr. Martine Bancroft appears to be a blood-sucker of the undead variety now, opening the door for Adria Arjona to return in a potential Morbius 2.

Dr. Bancroft being transformed into a vampire has comic book precedence, but Morbius isn’t the one who turns her (it’s actually done as a means of torturing him). How she will respond to being a monster will be something that the sequel has to determine – either turning her into another anti-hero who fights with the living vampire, or another villain he has to destroy.

Where Michael Morbius Is Left At The End Of The Movie

Most blockbusters tend to feature a kind of cinematic epilogue that gives you a sense of where all of the characters are mentally and physically in the aftermath of the Big Fight Sequence, but Morbius doesn’t play that game (one of many issues the film has). Less than five minutes after Milo dies, the credits are rolling, and audiences get non-sequitur/nonsensical coda sequences featuring Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes a.k.a. Vulture instead of any kind of legitimate conclusion for the main character.

So let’s pick up the pieces ourselves, shall we? For starters, Morbius is still a wanted criminal, pursued by the FBI for being a danger to society and killing a literal boatload of mercenaries (it’s also very likely that the murders committed by Milo will be pinned on him as well). Dr. Nicholas is dead, so he doesn’t have anybody he considers family, and the movie doesn’t feature him having any kind of social life, so it seems fair to assume that he doesn’t have any friends (and he thinks Dr. Bancroft is dead). He’s just a wanted, sad, lonely man whose ability to stave off the feral vampire inside him is quickly slipping away as the artificial blood he drinks gets less and less effective.

Pretty much the only thing Morbius has going for him at the end of his first solo film is the lab that he stole from that group of criminal counterfeiters, which he can presumably use to continue his experiments and perhaps create more artificial blood (for whatever good it does). Other than that, his life pretty much sucks – which I suppose explains why he would be eager to have a new friend in Adrian Toomes.

After multiple delays, Morbius is now playing in theaters nationwide. To learn what’s ahead in the movie world for what’s left of the year – including features playing both on the big screen and on streaming – head on over to our 2022 Movie Release Calendar.

The next chapter of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has arrived. after being pushed back over a year and a half from its pre-pandemic release date, the world is finally able to meet Jared Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius, who, like his comic book counterpart, has become the Living Vampire. Critically speaking, Morbius hasn’t been faring well, but poor reviews don’t always lead to a similar box office launch. So now did the latest superhero movie fare on its opening night?

Morbius kicked off its theatrical run on Thursday night to the tune of $5.7 million domestically. That preview night screening total falls short of 2019’s Shazam! pulling in $5.9 million on its first night, but overall it’s not a bad debut. As far as Morbius’ opening weekend haul goes, Sony Pictures is reportedly expecting it to land around $33 million, but according to Deadline, industry estimates place it somewhere in the $40-50 million range.

Morbius doesn’t really have anything in the way of opening weekend competition, as The Bubble, Better Nate Than Never and Apollo 10½ are all streaming releases, and Chris Pine’s The Contractor is only playing in limited theaters alongside its VOD release. That being said, Morbius follows a week after Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum’s comedy The Lost City, which knocked The Batman from the #1 spot. Speaking of The Batman, although the Matt Reeves-helmed movie premiered a month ago, it’s still going strong on the silver screen, having made over $677 million worldwide at the time of publication.

As mentioned earlier, Morbius has been bombarded by negative reviews this week, ranking at just 16% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg gave Morbius just one out of five stars in his review and said that the movie was “so creatively bankrupt and lacking in entertainment” that he urged people not to buy a ticket. So while negative critical reception doesn’t always equate poor ticket sales, the press surrounding Morbius certainly isn’t doing it any favors. 

On the other hand, Morbius’ predecessors in Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man Universe, Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, weren’t critical darlings either, but they both performed well at the box office. That being said, not only is Morbius’ critical reception worse than what both Venom movies received, but the Venom property was already a popular aspect of the Spider-Man mythology before Tom Hardy hit the scene as Eddie Brock, whereas Morbius the Living Vampire is a more obscure character.

CinemaBlend will continue providing box office updates on Morbius in the days ahead. However, if your cinematic interests lie elsewhere, scan through the 2022 movie releases to figure out what you plan to watch later in the year. Following Morbius’ release, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe will pick back up when Kraven the Hunter (the eponymous character being played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) comes out on January 13, 2023.

Why would someone scrawl the word “Murderer” across a mural of Spider-Man in a Morbius movie? It’s a question fans have been asking themselves ever since that image (featured above) appeared in a trailer for the Jared Leto feature Morbius. And now that fans are heading to theaters to see the movie, they might realize… that scene doesn’t make it into the final cut. Strange. So when CinemaBlend got the opportunity to sit down with Morbius director Daniel Espinosa on the day that his movie is opening around the world, we asked him about that specific shot, and  what his intentions were with including it. 

His answer, though, dodges a few bullets regarding fan theories. Daniel Espinosa tells us:

Interesting. We know that bigger-budget comic book movies like this can take feedback from all directions, especially when a movie like Morbius is trying to fit itself into a larger universe. It sounds like, at one point, Morbius was going to include a reference to Spider-Man – probably ordered by producers looking to establish ties to the characters of Venom and Spidey – but the mural shot was removed. And Espinosa says that he can’t comment on it because it wasn’t one of his ideas, and he only focused on the main movie, in question. 

As Morbius director Daniel Espinosa went on to explain to CinemaBlend, as he discussed Michael Morbius meeting Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton):

This could continue to be the direction that Sony decides to go with its Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. The studio has announced at least the next two movies in this world – Kraven the Hunter with Aaron Taylor Johnson and Madame Web with Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney. Somewhere along the way, Spider-Man will have to show face in this timeline, now that Toomes is talking about him in the Morbius mid-credits scenes. You know we will be on it once that happens. For now, see Morbius in theaters and learn all about the man-vampire, played by Jared Leto.

The following story is going to dig into massive spoilers for Morbius, the Spider-Man movies, and plans for Sony’s Marvel universe. Be warned that you probably shouldn’t read this if you don’t want to hear any details.

There’s a huge chunk of audience members who are heading to theaters to see Jared Leto’s Morbius just so they can pick up on the different ways that the movie connects to either Venom, Spider-Man, or anything else in Sony’s larger Marvel universe. These ties are there… but you basically have to wait all the way until the two mid-credits scenes in order to see any connections to elements we have seen in previous Spider-Man movies. And they raise a ton of questions that still need to be answered. 

I’m going to assume that you ignored the Morbius reviews, and have seen the scenes in question. But just in case you haven't seen the movie yet, but still want to know how Morbius fits into the growing Spider-Man universe at Sony, let’s break down quickly what happens before we shift over to what it could mean, and the curiosities raised by the actions we have seen. 

What Happens In The Morbius Mid-Credits Scenes

The first thing that we see in the Morbius mid-credits is a reference to Spider-Man: No Way Home, and that’s the purple tear in the sky that was created by Doctor Strange’s spell. This signifies that the scenes in Morbius are complete reshoots – which were hinted at by Michael Keaton earlier this year – because Morbius originally was supposed to reach theaters long before Spider-Man: No Way Home opened, and including the spell wouldn’t have made any sense. In fact, there are different scenes that showed Keaton meeting Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius, which were in the trailer. It looked like this:

Now, these new scenes suggest that it’s Stephen Strange’s spell that somehow brings Keaton’s Adrian Toomes over from the MCU to Sony’s Morbius world. Keaton was in prison ever since the conclusion of Spider-Man: Homecoming. He materializes into a prison cell in this new world, but the environment has clearly changed… similar to how Eddie Brock’s dive of a hotel room turned into a resort in the mid-credits scenes for Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Toomes looks around in the cell, sees himself in the mirror, and comments, “I hope the food’s better in this joint.”

Because Toomes hasn’t committed any crimes in the Morbius universe, the authorities at the Manhattan Detention Center have no reason to hold him. He’s promptly released. 

In the movie’s second credit sequence, Michael Morbius (Leto) is driving through what appears to be the desert. The GPS map on his dashboard signifies that the road he’s driving on has nothing around him, which makes sense once he sees The Vulture flying over him. Morbius exits his car, checks his watch, and sees Vulture approaching from a distance. Toomes has a full, mechanized Vulture suit again. He lands next to Morbius, thanks him for meeting, and mentions that he has been reading up on the man-vampire. “I’m not sure how I got here,” Toomes says. “Has to do with Spider-Man, I think. I’m still figuring this place out, but I think a bunch of guys like us should team up and do some good.” 

“Intriguing,” Morbius replies. 

What Do These Morbius Scenes Mean For The Future?     

Morbius director Daniel Espinosa admitted to us during an exclusive Twitter Q-and-A that this scene does, indeed, set up a Sinister Six movie. Assumedly, Morbius and Vulture are two of the six. Tom Hardy’s Venom and Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Kraven could be two more of the six. There’s also the possibility that other villains could have been transported into the Venom/Morbius universe through Doctor Strange’s spell… even though, that’s not really how the spell was supposed to work. 

Adrian Toomes DID know Peter Parker’s true identity, so it’s possible that knowledge was the reason he was sent away from the MCU and into the Morbius universe. Given the fact that Strange’s spell was supposed to erase the memories of Peter, Toomes might not still know that Peter is Spider-Man, though his dialogue confirms that he knows Spider-Man exists. 

This is another thing that Daniel Espinosa confirmed to us in that Morbius Q-and-A: There definitely is a Spider-Man in this world. But who is it? Fans are speculating that Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man, last seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home, could be the Spidey of the Sony universe, leaving Tom Holland to hold court in the MCU. If this is the case, then that world might also have a Rhino (Paul Giamatti), a Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) and an Electro (Jamie Foxx), the latter having been returned to his world following No Way Home. 

There’s also the possibility that Sony is setting up the villains in this universe to take on a totally different Spider-Man who we haven’t met yet. It might even be a live-action version of Miles Morales. A very popular character in modern comics and on Sony-backed video games, Miles was the center of the Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and would be a hit in live action. The studio has possibilities. 

These are speculations. All that we can confirm, thanks to these scenes, is that Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) now exists in the same universe as Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) and Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), and that the universe has a Spider-Man… just, not which Spider-Man. Plans are for Sony to introduce Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Taylor Johnson), the Chameleon, Madame Web (Dakota Johnson) and whomever Sydney Sweeney is playing in that film. So the universe is expanding, and Morbius contributes to its growth.        

What Questions Remain After Those Morbius Scenes? 

That’s not to say that all of this makes sense. Doctor Strange’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home initially was supposed to pull in anyone in a different universe who knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Adrian Toomes did know Spidey’s true identity… but why did he get kicked from the MCU to Morbius’s world? That’s not how the spell worked. Even when Strange stopped the tear in the sky and sent newcomers back to where they came from, that shouldn’t have included Toomes. He WAS in the universe he started in. Why did the spell send him away? 

Something similar happened to Tom Hardy’s Venom in the post-credits of both Let There By Carnage and No Way Home… and it didn’t make such sense then, either. The spell messed with the multiverse. But Eddie Brock knows nothing about Peter Parker or Spider-Man. So why did he shift back and forth. It’s possible that the symbiote, Venom, knows Spider-Man. He does say, “That guy” when he sees Tom Holland unmasked on the television. But their shared history is a mystery. 

Finally, why would Adrian Toomes want to start a band of criminals to go after Spider-Man? At the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Toomes essentially agrees to protect Peter’s identity from Mac Gargan (Michael Mando), payback for Peter saving Adrian from flaming wreckage on the beach. Wanting to take the kid down makes about as much sense as Morbius (Leto) wanting anything to do with this, at all.

Some of this could be answered in future movies. At the moment, it appears that Sony is taking its time developing its universe, laying the foundation for a Sinister Six but still introducing key characters through solo movies. To keep track of the remaining 2022 movie releases that will hit theaters, use our guide. We update it often.

This week, previous Doctor Who star Matt Smith joins the world of Marvel/Sony movies with his role in the upcoming comic book movie Morbius. Coincidentally enough, Smith’s former partner in time travel Karen Gillan has been somewhat of a fixture in the MCU proper, ever since originating the role of Nebula in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. What’s not so coincidental is that it wasn’t for Gillan’s experiences with comic movies, we might not have seen Matt Smith make the jump himself, as she convinced him to do the Jared Leto movie.

Smith himself admitted as much to Digital Spy, while promoting Morbius in a recent sit down. As one of the latest newcomers to the world of comic movies, his new duties are obviously attracting the eyes of loyal admirers that have previously followed his work. Matt Smith’s past had a huge effect on his future, fittingly enough, as he described his Marvel movie origin story: 

To be fair and correct, Karen Gillan has only done six movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even that figure is only accurate when including her upcoming appearances in both Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Six movies in the MCU is still quite a bit of experience for Gillan, especially when it comes to the woman formerly known as Amy Pond being called to advise her former Doctor on signing on for another big franchise.

Two and a half seasons of adventures saw Matt Smith and Karen Gillan working as part of the Doctor Who ensemble that saved all of time and space. Gillan would leave the series in 2013, right before her Guardians of the Galaxy role dealt her into the Marvel Movies; while Smith’s departure from the series would arrive later that very year. 

It was a work experience that led to a friendship so strong that Matt Smith would make that important Morbius related phone call mentioned above. That bond was something even the fans could feel, as Matt Smith and Karen Gillan's brief reunion in "The Time of The Doctor" said goodbye to the Eleventh Doctor with tearjerking beauty: 

Looking back on his own experiences with franchise filmmaking, the quest for extra encouragement may have come from another place as well. Matt Smith isn’t a stranger to big ticket properties, while at the same time not having the best luck with his participation. In previous years, Smith’s Star Wars sequel trilogy role disappeared into thin air, and a potential trilogy gig starting in Terminator Genisys never got off the ground. Being approached with something as big as Morbius may have had him gun shy at first, but thanks to Karen Gillan’s feedback, Matt smith took the role.

If Jared Leto’s claims that movie theaters depend on Marvel movies is any indication, Morbius might be another minted hit in the world of the pandemic box office. We’ll see what happens when this weekend’s theatrical results are tallied and reported. In the meantime, if you want to see what the competition looks like in a theater near you, the full listing of upcoming movies will allow you to make the most informed cinematic choice.

After years of development, and, of course, COVID-driven delays, Morbius is finally set to make its theatrical debut. Starring Jared Leto as the titular living vampire, the new coming book movie has connections to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, playing out in the same canon as Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Critics have had the chance to screen Morbius, and their reviews are here to give us an idea of what to expect. 

Daniel Espinosa is directing, and alongside Jared Leto's eponymous doctor/vampire, the film also stars Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson. Will we see Spider-Man? If so, which version? Fans are about to find out, as the Marvel blockbuster hits theaters on Friday, April 1. 

Let’s take a (SPOILER-FREE) look at what the reviews are saying about Morbius, starting with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg. It's a pretty rough start, with Eisenberg rating it just 1 star out of 5, saying he didn’t think they made comic book movies this bad anymore. He says not a single scene in the movie gives insight into the characters’ personalities, noting that the script “coldly” navigates between plot points:

It isn't quite so bad in the opinion of critic Anna Smith of Deadline. She says Jared Leto tries to bring humanity to the character but doesn't get any help from the script:

Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm rates Morbius a 4 out of 10, calling it an absolutely dreadful piece of "pre-packaged junk" that can't even be saved by its special effects:

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter says he doesn't think Morbius is bad, but it's kind of forgettable.  He says it seems to serve the purpose of laying the groundwork for other (and better) stories to come:

Kate Erbland of IndieWire grades Morbius a C-, saying this vampire movie sucked more than blood. She also calls the movie "forgettable," writing that its basis is incomprehensible, its action sequences are scattered, and its hazy timeline makes it feel chopped up:

Another critic who thinks the movie takes itself too seriously is Matt Donato of IGN. He rates it a "Mediocre" 5 out of 10, saying this vampire film lacks bite and is marred by shoddy digital effects-driven fights:

Well, the critics don't seem all that pleased about the latest comic book blockbuster, but if Jared Leto's living vampire sounds like your cup of blood-spiked tea, you can check Morbius out for yourself in theaters on Friday. Also be sure to look over what other upcoming superhero movies may dominate the box office next, as well as our 2022 Movie Release Schedule so you can start planning your next movie night! 

Comic book movies have come a long way in the last 20 years. In the aftermath of Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man, which successfully revolutionized the genre, the industry unleashed a series of shallow, hollow ventures that were consistently cringe-worthy, but proper creative investment in the material eventually dismissed that terrible era. As full potential in the material has been recognized, the films are now made with the specific intention of having depth and emotion come part-and-parcel with spectacle and flash. The storytelling has improved tremendously, allowing audiences the world over to discover what readers of Marvel and DC magazines have known for decades.

While watching Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius, I found myself regularly thinking about this special pop culture evolution. With as many great things we have seen come out of comic book movies in recent years, the finished product here suggests that the brains behind the operation weren’t cognizant of any of them. In a time when on-screen superheroes and supervillains are more dynamic and complex than ever, Morbius is the worst, most boring version of itself that it can possibly be – happy to serve up a narrative that is 100% plot, fail to introduce even a single interesting or compelling character, and execute action that is nothing more than murky shadows accented with colorful smoke.

Jared Leto is the eponymous Michael Morbius in the film, a scientist who has long lived with a debilitating blood disorder that he has spent years trying to cure. Working with Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) at New York-based Horizon Labs, he hypothesizes about mixing human DNA with that of a vampire bat, believing that the flying rodents’ natural anti-coagulants will be the key to eradicating his disease. After animal testing, he prepares for human trials – which is to say giving himself an injection.

Because it’s an illegal procedure, Morbius has to get private funding for the experiment from a childhood friend suffering from the same condition, Milo (Matt Smith), but before too long he is out in international waters on a cargo ship with Dr. Bancroft and a team of armed mercenaries. (Why armed mercenaries? Your guess is as good as mine.) Of course, the procedure goes horribly wrong, as the genius doctor is transformed into a feral beast and needs to drink human blood to keep himself under control and healthy. (It’s worth noting that he never actually tries to see if animal blood will do the trick.)

Morbius sees himself as a monster after killing several people, but Milo is purely focused on the cure to the blood disorder, and after taking his own dose, he becomes your standard mirror villain: possessing identical abilities to the hero, but with an antagonistic philosophy.

Morbius is built on a rote plot and no discernable theme.

The nicest thing that I can say about Morbius is that it is efficient in its storytelling – but even that’s a shaded compliment given that ruthless efficiency serves to drain any and all flavor out of the proceedings. There are no styles or textures applied, and not even a single scene in the entire 104 minute runtime that gives insight to the personalities and perspectives of the characters beyond what is happening in the moment. The script coldly navigates from plot point to plot point, failing to engage with the details of the world, and just execute Origin Story 1.0.

This zero frills/nothing interesting approach is only made more noticeable by the ideas that it ignores. For example, Morbius has invented an artificial human blood that prevents him from drinking the real stuff, and it’s implied that there is a different effect that it has on him, but it’s never made explicit. It’s also repeatedly said that the efficacy time of what he imbibes is diminishing, and he tracks the progress on his digital watch – but even with that introduced, the film never does anything as compelling as having the protagonist in a race against the clock before he goes full living vampire.

The greatest actors in the world couldn't make Morbius' bland cast of characters exciting.

The most devastating side effect of the structure and pacing of Morbius is what's done to the characters, who are all steamrolled into 2D-ness by the plot. There isn’t a single role that can’t be summed up in two words. Jared Leto’s Morbius: Sad Vampire. Matt Smith’s Milo: Happy Vampire.  Adria Arjona’s Dr. Bancroft: Loyal Partner. Jared Harris’ Dr. Nicholas: Paternal Figure. Tyrese Gibson’s FBI Agent Stroud: Serious Cop. Al Madrigal’s Agent Rodriguez: Sarcastic Cop. It’s the entire cast – though nobody could pin the blame on the actors given what they are working with.

Usually in movies this bad, there is at least one person in the ensemble who demonstrates a fourth wall-esque awareness of the crap they are contributing to and delivers a wink-filled performance that suggests that they are at least trying to have some fun –but not Morbius. There is no relief of that sort offered by this film, and it’s all the more punishing because of it.

I wish good luck to audiences trying to figure out what's going on in Morbius' action sequences.

On top of everything else, even discernable, impactful action sequences are beyond the film’s grasp – though it is very clearly working at a disadvantage because of its PG-13 rating. Between what’s being chugged and what’s being spilled, there is a lot of blood in Morbius… but that gets a big no-no from the MPAA when a studio is trying to sell a movie to under-18 audiences. The “shortcut” utilized to get around this is to have everything play out in shadow or at night, but the end result is that you can rarely tell what the hell is going on.

Only hurting and never helping are VFX flourishes that are painted in seemingly reflecting the main character’s echolocation abilities and perception of air currents, allowing him to fly (admittedly I’m meeting the movie more than halfway with the second one, as that’s purely my understanding of what’s going on). The goal in part seems to be to add some nice rainbow splashes in the otherwise caliginous palette, but all it really accomplishes is adding heavy doses of blur.

If you’re one who follows the business side of the film industry, you know why a Morbius movie exists: Sony is white-knuckle desperate to be relevant in the world of superhero blockbusters, and it is passionately trying to wring every single last dollar that can be made from its ownership of the big screen rights to Spider-Man and all Spider-Man related characters. Commercially speaking, it’s all kinds of logical, but artistically, it’s been a total train wreck – with this loathsome latest product being the follow-up to the dismal twosome of Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Morbius is a movie that is so creatively bankrupt and lacking in entertainment that I feel compelled to actively implore anyone reading this review to not purchase a ticket and let it die a quick, flopping death. There is no fun to be had here; there isn’t any ironic or “so bad it’s good” enjoyment. It’s soulless. It’s oozing, tar-like gunk that has been spit out of the Hollywood machine, and you should avoid stepping in it.

Ever since Michael Keaton showed up in an early trailer for Daniel Espinosa’s upcoming Morbius, fans of Spider-Man and the larger Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters have wondered if and how this feature will cross paths with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Clues about how all of this could happen started to surface in the closing minutes of both Venom: Let There Be Carnage and the blockbuster hit Spider-Man: No Way Home, with both films sending key characters across the universes (and back again) so they could interact. Will there be more of this in Morbius?

Daniel Espinosa agreed to answer the burning questions regarding Spider-Man, Venom, the Vulture, the Multiverse and more ahead of Morbius arriving in theaters on April 1. We will say right now that there are SPOILERS for Morbius in the rest of this article, so stop reading now if you do not want to read anything about the upcoming Sony movie. 

To begin with, we asked Daniel Espinosa to clarify in which universe his Morbius story takes place. He told us:

Very interesting. There’s a mention in the movie (also heard in the trailer) where a detective played by Al Madrigal comments about events that took place in San Francisco, and now we know for sure that this was a direct reference to the Tom Hardy Venom movies. Boom. While Jared Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius is experimenting on his illness in New York City, Eddie Brock (Hardy) is wrestling with this symbiote in the Bay Area. 

We pressed and asked Espinosa if this universe has a Spider-Man, and he confirmed that it does. When we asked him to clarify WHICH Spider-Man was in this world (be it Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, or Tobey Maguire), Daniel Espinosa replied to us:

Even more intriguing! Does this mean that an announcement could be coming from Sony Pictures Entertainment regarding the identity of the Spider-Man in the Morbius universe? That’s the Morbius director’s understanding. 

While we had him on the line, we peppered Daniel Espinosa about the presence of Michael Keaton in the Morbius trailers, which he confirmed is the same Adrian Toomes that Keaton plays in Spider-Man: Homecoming (and not some variant version of Toomes from a different multiverse). How did he get there? Espinosa tells CinemaBlend exclusively: 

And maybe others?! Oh Daniel Espinosa, what a wonderful tease. Who else could have shifted over to this universe? Knowing that Sony has both a Kraven the Hunter movie and a Madame Web feature in the works, it could be explained that these characters were pulled into the Venom/Morbius world through the events of Peter Parker’s spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home. We shall see.

We saved the best for last. Because Jared Leto interacts with Michael Keaton in the closing minutes of Morbius, we asked Daniel Espinosa about the possibility of a Sinister Six team up, and he told me:

We are back on track for a possible Sinister Six movie at Sony. At least, that’s how we are translating these comments from Morbius filmmaker Daniel Espinosa. We now know that Morbius takes place in the same universe as Venom, that the universe HAS a Spider-Man (and we should get his identity soon), that Vulture got pulled into the universe thanks to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and that a Sinister Six team up is still in the cards. I couldn’t be more excited by all of these developments. 

Morbius reaches theaters on April 1, so keep it on CinemaBlend for our review and junket coverage all next week.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the upcoming Sony movie Morbius is whether or not Spider-Man will be part of the story. Early trailers suggested the presence of A Spider-Man in this world, as when Jared Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius walked in front of a mural that featured Spider-Man, and had the word “Murderer” scrawled across it. Fans also have been wondering online WHICH Spider-Man could be the Spidey of the Morbius world, be it Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, or even Tobey Maguire.  

When we recently sat down with Morbius director Daniel Espinosa, we gave him the opportunity to clear up this confusion, and simply asked him if the New York City that his Michael Morbius occupies already contains a Spider-Man. And he told us:

Ah, so Morbius is embracing the multiversal concept that was made popular in the Marvel comic books before Spider-Man: No Way Home made it an official component of MCU Spidey’s existence. Which means, by that logic, the Spider-Man that we see branded a murderer in the Morbius trailer doesn’t have to be Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, or anyone that we already know. It could be an alternate Spider-Man who patrols this version of NYC. Which gives Sony options.

The multiverse concept was introduced in the tail end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, when Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) found himself transported to an alternate universe where Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was being unmasked by J. Jonah Jameson. But then, during the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Brock was transported BACK to… well, we don’t know yet. But we do know that Brock left a piece of his symbiote behind, teasing future problems for MCU Spider-Man that could unfold in upcoming movies. 

The Sony Spider-Man universe just keeps unfolding. Aaron Taylor Johnson is currently filming a Kraven the Hunter movie in the UK (that's expected to introduce The Chameleon), while Dakota Johnson’s Madame Web movie is adding co-stars like Euphoria standout Sydney Sweeney. The future is very bright for that world, even if it’s next official stop will be in the shadows, where Morbius (Jared Leto) lurks.

It’s no secret superhero movies are dominating the box office as of late. Spider-Man: No Way Home recently became the first movie to make over $1 billion since the pandemic started, surely offsetting some losses for the movie theater business. The comic book genre seems to always bring audiences out of their homes and into seats, and Morbius star Jared Leto is getting blunt about the topic as he stars in his third film of this kind. 

Jared Leto memorably played The Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad and 2021's Zack Snyder's Justice League, and up next he’ll play Morbius the Living Vampire in the upcoming entry for Sony's Spider-Man Universe. The actor recently admitted his personal taste for film would label him as a “bit of a snob” to Variety, but he sees an importance to superhero films. In his words: 

Jared Leto speaks to an issue that was brought on by the streaming boom, but sped up by the pandemic when theaters were forced to close. Since then, more films than ever have been sent to the various streaming platforms rather than given exclusive theatrical releases. For example, his early 2021 thriller The Little Things was moved straight to HBO Max. 

For Morbius, Jared Leto was excited to explore a Marvel character who has yet to receive a film adaptation. He called the movie a “bit of a dark horse” when it comes to comic book movies. Morbius tells the story of biochemist Dr. Michael Morbius, who is stricken with a rare blood disease. During an attempt to cure this disease, he becomes afflicted him with a unique brand of vampirism. You can check out the latest trailer for Morbius here: 

Morbius is certainly not your typical Spider-Man spinoff considering the character’s horror roots and the movie having more of an anti-hero storyline like Venom. We don’t expect a Spider-Man showdown, but Jared Leto has recently shared that he “would love to get in the ring” with the masked hero as Morbius. Since there have been so many comic book films, there’s a need for Hollywood to go for more off-center concepts, as Morbius looks like it’ll be. 

Of course it’ll be tough for Jared Leto to overshadow his Joker, which he has said “never say never” to in regards to perhaps coming back if the phone rang. The actor is able to move between more mainstream projects to other types of things like his new AppleTV+ series, WeCrashed, now available to start. You can check out Morbius in theaters on April 1 and look over what other upcoming superhero movies may dominate the box office next. 

Superhero movies are everywhere, with various studios crafting their own cinematic universes as a result. Sony is no exception, creating a burgeoning franchise based around Spider-Man lore. The next installment of this franchise is Morbius, starring Jared Leto as the title character. But could Spidey appear in the upcoming blockbuster? Here’s the latest from Leto himself.

Sony’s Spider-Verse kicked off with the original Venom movie, before expanding with its sequel. But Tom Holland hasn’t actually had a role in either project, with some fans hoping to finally see a crossover or cameo in Morbius. Jared Leto was recently asked if there will be a Spider-cameo in his upcoming blockbuster, responding with:

Well, there you have it. While Jared Leto would love for his new comic book character to face off against Spider-Man, the Oscar-winning actor makes it seem like that won’t happen in the first Morbius movie. But luckily there are still connections to Tom Holland’s movies, namely with the inclusion of Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes/Vulture.

Jared Leto was asked about the chance of a Spider-Man appearance in Morbius by ET during a conversation on the red carpet of the Critic’s Choice Awards. While it remains to be seen what the vampiric movie will actually contain, it seems like Tom Holland doesn’t have a role. But then again, there’s always the possibility that he’s merely guarding the movie’s secrets until its release. We’ll just have to wait and see.

The pressure is on for Morbius to deliver, and prove that non-Venom titles could succeed at the box office for Sony’s burgeoning cinematic universe. It’ll also seemingly set up the release of Kraven the Hunter, which is about to start filming with actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson. But the questions about Spider-Man will likely continue until the web slinger finally shows up in one of these projects.

Of course, there is another complication when it comes to Spider-Man’s possible crossover with the Sony universe. Namely because Tom Holland’s contract as Peter Parker is currently up following the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home. While the studio has plans for another trilogy, some negotiations will likely have to occur before this can come together. Hopefully he inks a new deal sooner rather than later; audiences have really responded to Holland’s take on the character.

Morbius is currently expected to hit theaters on April 1st. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Next month, Venom won’t be the only leading character in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. After a handful of delays, Morbius is just weeks away from premiering in theaters, with Jared lion bringing to life the Living Vampire who’s been part of Marvel Comics lore since the early 1970s. And while Morbius won’t have its title character fighting Spider-Man, Leto talked about their past together in a video promoting the upcoming movie.

Morbius the Living Vampire debuted in the pages of 1971’s The Amazing Spider-Man #103, and marked one of Marvel Comics’ earliest instances of using characters on the “more supernatural side of things,” as Jared Leto put it, after years of being forbidden to do so. You can hear the actor talk more about Morbius’ history in the below video shared by Sony Pictures Entertainment:

Spider-Man had certainly run into his fair shares of dangerous villains by 1971, but throwing in a blood-sucking rogue certainly kicked things up a notch. That said, Michael Morbius was presented as a tragic figure, with the famed biologist being turned into the Living Vampire in an effort to cure his rare blood disease. In the decades since then, Morbius has been depicted in a more antiheroic light, but he and Spidey still come to blows on occasion, and he’s also gone up against the vampire hunter Blade on multiple occasions.

Like with Tom Hardy’s Venom, the origin story of Jared Leto’s Morbius won’t involve Spider-Man in any way. That’s not to say he won’t ever cross paths with a version of the Web-Slinger, but there’s enough to keep the big screen incarnation of the character busy for his big debut. Check out the final Morbius trailer below to get one last taste of what the third movie in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has in store.

Although he already has some comic book movie experience under his belt from playing The Joker in Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Morbius gives Jared Leto the opportunity to lead his own comic book movie. It’ll also mark the character biggest appearance outside the comics since Spider-Man: The Animated Series, although that version of Morbius drained people of their blood plasma through his hands rather than biting them on the neck classic vampire-style.

Jared Leto is joined in Morbius by Matt Smith as Loxias Crown, Adria Arjona Martine Bancroft, Jared Harris as Michael Morbius’ yet-to-be-identified mentor, Tyrese Gibson as Simon Stroud and Al Madrigal as Alberto Rodriguez. Michael Keaton will also cameo as Adrian Toomes, whom he previously played in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Behind the scenes, Life’s Daniel Espinosa directed Morbius off a script penned by Gods of Egypt duo Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless.

Morbius opens in theaters on April 1, and those of you itching for some Spider-Man movie action will be able to buy Spider-Man: No Way Home digitally starting March 22, with the Blu-ray and DVD release following on April 12. Find out what other comic book-related cinematic excitement is heading our way this year by looking through the lineup of upcoming 2022 movies.

Michael Keaton's career is in the midst of a wonderful superhero renaissance. The actor earned great acclaim for his portrayal of the titular Caped Crusader in both Batman and Batman Returns back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and now he is not only back wearing the cape and cowl, but also an active participant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before long we'll be seeing him back as Batman in both the upcoming Flash and Batgirl movies – but now the actor is teasing that he'll also soon be making a comeback as Adrian Toomes a.k.a. The Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Michael Keaton took to his Instagram account at the end of last week to share a shot of his shadow while wearing the Batsuit, and on Sunday he created another post that should make Marvel fans very happy. Along with a photo featuring a building outfitted with a red treble clef, the Oscar-nominated actor wrote the caption,

You can check out his post below:

Of course, this isn't the first time that the actor has teased doing "more Vulture stuff."

Because Michael Keaton didn't have a role to play in either Spider-Man: Far From Home or Spider-Man: No Way Home, we haven't seen Adrian Toomes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming. In that scene, he is featured making the decision to protect Spider-Man's identity and not tell Mac Gargan (Michael Mando) that it's Peter Parker (Tom Holland) under the mask – though that's obviously not a secret he possesses anymore thanks to Doctor Strange's spellcasting at the end of No Way Home.

So what could Michael Keaton be doing as Adrian Toomes right now? Considering we know next to nothing about the next Spider-Man movie, it's doubtful that he is doing anything this week for that project – but, of course, that's not the only web-slinger related project currently in the works. For example, we know for a fact that he is in the upcoming Morbius movie, as he appeared in one of the film's trailers... though his character has not been identified. Is this a hint that Keaton is still playing Vulture in the upcoming movie, albeit one from a universe parallel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Another possibility is that Michael Keaton is not reprising his role as Adrian Toomes in a developing live-action movie, but instead is lending his voice to the character for the terrifically exciting Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Part One). This could suggest that the upcoming sequel will find a way to crossover with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or at least a layer of the multiverse very similar to it – but that's purely speculation.

Regardless of where Michael Keaton shows up as Adrian Toomes next, fans will be excited, as his villainous turn in Spider-Man: Homecoming is a franchise highlight. You can learn about all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe features that are currently in the works from our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide, and also learn a bit about Michael Keaton's new DC Comics projects with our Upcoming DC Movies guide.

In the multiverses that branch off from the world we currently reside in, Morbius has premiered several times over. With Sony’s MCU adjacent movie being bumped from its release date again, there’s been room for more trailers teasing Jared Leto becoming “the bad guy” of his vampiric solo movie. One final trailer has made its way to the internet, and it includes more Michael Keaton dialogue, as well as a killer Lost Boys joke. 

This latest look at this follow-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, provided to the public thanks to Sony, is a combination of playing the hits, while giving us a taste of new and exciting stuff. Leto’s Dr. Michael Morbius gets to talk with Keaton’s Adrian “The Vulture” Toomes, and it’s almost sounds like a moment inspiring heroic destiny. Which clashes with Matt Smith’s Loxias Crown and his supposed message that Morbius’ eponymous lead is “the bad guy.” It’s a choice Michael will have to make for himself, as heroism and villainy are always separated by a very thin line defined by the screenwriters. 

And then there’s that killer gag referencing Joel Schumacher’s trivia stuffed vampire classic The Lost Boys. During an interrogation of Jared Leto’s protagonist, FBI agents Simon Stroud (Tyrese Gibson) and Alberto Rodriguez (Al Madrigal) decide to play good agent, odd agent. Putting a flask of holy water on the table in front of him, Agent Rodriguez forces Agent Stroud to question his methods. All Alberto can do is ask, “Haven’t you ever seen Lost Boys?”, and quite frankly, I think that endears his character to me even more at this moment. 

Light natured comedy is certainly going to brighten up the darker implications of Morbius, as a central showdown seems to be laid before the crowd in this last trailer. Matt Smith’s antagonistic Loxias debates the ethics of vampirism with a speech that sounds like a sinister version of something he might say in his Doctor Who tenure. Trying to get Jared Leto’s character to embrace that “bad guy” status, Smith’s character is another in the line of cinematic villains he’s cultivated on his resume in films like Terminator: Genisys, and most recently Edgar Wright’s twisty mystery Last Night In Soho. 

As if the fracturing of the multiverse wasn’t enough of an MCU threat, vampires are now starting to become a thing in this ever more dangerous world. Whether or not Morbius will have a supposedly fitting link to Mahershala Ali’s Blade, much like the one we saw at the end of Marvel’s Eternals, is yet to be seen. For the moment, a reluctant blood feast is upon us, with Dr. Michael Morbius faced with the greatest choice of his life: live as a vampire, or die as a human?

Morbius will come to theaters, along with those April showers, on April 1st. If you want to check out what 2022 movie releases are currently headed to theaters, the full lineup will be most helpful in that respect. However, if you’re looking for more of a roadmap to upcoming Marvel movies, that knowledge is also at hand. For all other inquiries regarding vampiric lore, please contact The Frog Brothers of Santa Carla, California.

Warning: SPOILERS for Spider-Man: No Way Home are ahead!

Before the pandemic, Morbius, the third entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, was supposed to arrive in July 2020, but nearly a year and a half later, it remains away from our eyeballs due to numerous date shifts. Well, that wait has extended yet again, as Sony Pictures announced yesterday that it’s moved the Jared Leto-led movie from January 28 to April 1. However, now fans are thinking that Morbius was pushed back this time around was so it can establish a key tie with Spider-Man: No Way Home.

As those who’ve seen the latest Spider-Man movie know, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker joined forces with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of the same character in the third act, and fortunately, both of the older Spider-Men survived the climatic conflict and made it back to their respective universes. In the weeks following Spider-Man: No Way Home’s release, there have been various rumors that Sony would like to bring back Maguire and Garfield’s version of Spider-Man for more movies. To that end, many fans (via Comicbook.com) are theorizing that Morbius’ release was delayed three months in order to shoot a scene featuring Garfield’s Spider-Man.

Now just to be be clear, the likeliest reason for Morbius’ latest delay was for the same reason as it’s been pre-2020: COVID-19. The Omicron variant is making the rounds, and since January is typically a quiet month on the cinematic front even without a virus interfering (not to mention that Morbius the Living Vampire isn’t nearly as well known as Sony’s Spider-Man universe cohort Venom, so his movie has more of an uphill battle ahead of it at achieving box office success), Sony evidently felt Morbius would perform better at the beginning of April. Nevertheless, Morbius being pushed back to include a tag with Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man is an intriguing prospect. 

To be fair, there is a scene from the first Morbius trailer that sees Jared Leto walking down an alleyway featuring graffiti artwork of Spider-Man, with this version of the Web-Slinger wearing a costume that looks like the one Andrew Garfield wore in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. So that by itself indicates a Spider-Man exists in the same universe that Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius lives in, and with so many people being jazzed about Garfield’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, getting to spend a little bit more time with him in Morbius would be a good way to keep that momentum going. That said, there is some confusion regarding Morbius’ ties to other Marvel movies.

For one thing, it was indicated in the Morbius trailer released a few months back that Michael Morbius does indeed live in the same universe as Tom Hardy’s Venom, who was transported to the MCU at the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and then returned home in Spider-Man: No Way Home’s mid-credits scene. However, Eddie Brock had never heard of Spider-Man until that multiversal craziness, and if a reporter who’s traveled the world wasn’t aware of a web-spinning superhero, then why would a scientist suffering from a rare blood disorder be in the know? 

Then there’s also the fact that Michael Keaton is reprising Adrian Toomes in Morbius, so if a Spider-Man were to exist in this universe, it’d be Tom Holland’s, i.e. the one he fought in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Which would still be odd, because again, Venom and Morbius don’t live in the MCU.

Clearly there are some continuity issues that need to be addressed in Morbius, and it’s a slim bet that scene shot at the last minute featuring Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man is being thrown into the mix, we’ll naturally let you know if this ends up happening when the movie comes out in a few months. For now, browse through our 2022 release schedule to see what other cinematic offerings are lined up for this year.

Spider-Man fans have been anticipating the next step in Sony’s evolving Spider-Verse of live-action films, especially in the wake of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The ending of that movie left a lot of intriguing doors open for the future of the character and his various universes, which extend to the Venom series and the upcoming movies centered around Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) and Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Taylor Johnson). But Sony just revealed that the wait for Morbius will be that much longer. 

The studio confirmed that Morbius has shifted off of its January 28 release date, and now will be opening on April 1. No official reason was given for the latest date shift on this origin story movie, though it’s likely due to the spreading omicron variant, and its ability to to prevent larger audiences from coming to movie theaters. 

Oddly enough, Sony Pictures Entertainment currently is the studio benefitting from the mainstream audience’s willingness to return to movies to see big-ticket fare. Spider-Man: No Way Home has been shattering box office records since it opened in December, and now ranks as the highest grossing movie of 2021, the highest-grossing Spider-Man movie ever released, and the highest-grossing movie in Sony history. That’s one hell of an accomplishment. 

But something must have alerted the studio to the possibility of the movie-going momentum slowing down over the next few weeks, so they decided to push Morbius to April, likely in hopes of the variant burning through enough people, and losing its impact on the general population. Sony could possibly face a similar decision on their next feature film, Uncharted, which is scheduled to open in theaters in February. Trailers for the video game adaptation were attached to Spider-Man: No Way Home, capitalizing on the presence of leading man Tom Holland. But a lot can change between now and February, so for now, Uncharted stays put.  

Now we need to start worrying if Morbius is only the first domino to fall as other studios survey the landscape. Universal is unleashing the action thriller The 355 on January 7, while Paramount Pictures has the highly anticipated horror film Scream on January 14. Will either of them blink? Neither studio has a natural streaming partner the way that Disney and Warner Bros. have Disney+ and HBO Max. Sony, also, commits to theatrical exclusivity, which is why Morbius made its move. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the dates shift out over the next few weeks.

Want to stay up to date on all of the latest release dates, and the release date changes? We have built a complete guide to the 2022 Upcoming Movies, and it's a handy way to keep track of the films you are really looking forward to it. Use it to your advantage!

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home has reached theaters, and Spider- Man fans have processed the massive swings that Marvel and Sony took in the team-up sequel, attention is shifting to the numerous Spidey adjacent projects that are heading our way in 2022. We’ll have to wait until October for the animated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) to open in theaters. However, in only a few weeks, Daniel Espinosa’s Morbius will drop, answering a few lingering questions about the movie’s place in the ever-evolving Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. 

One particular image from the Morbius trailers has fanned the flames of online speculation, and created a fascinating link to Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the potential involvement of former Spidey Andrew Garfield in the Sony universe of films. It’s an image that has been part of the Morbius marketing since the film’s first trailer, and it has always raised questions about what it could mean. Now, however, after No Way Home, some fans think they have it figured out, and the theory in question makes some sense. First, here’s the trailer image that’s got everyone talking. 

So, why do we think the word “Murderer” is scrawled across the graffiti image of Spider-Man on an alley wall that Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is walking past? Fans aren’t 100 percent certain what universe Morbius takes place in, though there’s a mention of “that thing in San Francisco,” which we assume refers to the action of the Venom franchise. Morbius holds a copy of The Daily Bugle, which boasts headlines titled, “Black Cat: Friend or Foe?” and “Rhino On The Loose: Zoo Hoax Fools Us All.” And an Oscorp building can be spotted on the skyline of the city in the Morbius teaser.

So people in the Morbius universe know Spider-Man, and think he is a murderer.           

Now, think back to the Andrew Garfield we met in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He isn’t the mature beacon that Tobey Maguire was positioned as. By design, he’s still dealing with his inability to have saved Gwen Stacy (in The Amazing Spider-Man 2), and he talks to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker about how he tried to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man that Gwen would have wanted him to be. But he confesses that he did slip into a darker period, and for a while, he stopped pulling his punches. Did he murder an opponent in his rage? Is that word, scrawled across the Spider-Man mural, a reference to the fact that Garfield crossed the line? 

This would feed into the push being made by fans to have Andrew Garfield continue as Spider-Man, either in a standalone The Amazing Spider-Man 3, or as the Spider-Man who holds down the “Sony” side of the ongoing live-action equation. There’s a belief that Tom Holland could continue to be the MCU’s Spidey, but Garfield or Maguire could step into the Sony universe and be the hero fighting all of the villains that currently exist on that side of the ball. That roster includes Venom, Morbius, Adrian Toomes, all of the villains resurrected in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter, the aforementioned Rhino and Black Cat (if they exist in this world), and so on. 

At the same time, the word “Murderer” could simply refer to the confusion created by Mysterio, who managed to turn the general public against Holland’s Spider-Man in the beginning of No Way Home. Though that doesn’t make much sense, given that Holland’s Spider-Man shouldn’t exist in Morbius’ universe. If it is, in fact, the Venom universe. Except, why is Michael Keaton there?      

God, I’m confused. But thankfully, some of these puzzles will snap into place once Morbius reaches theaters on January 28. Want to keep track of all the movies opening in theaters this year. Bookmark our handy release calendar, and reference it often.

It’s no secret that comic book movies are everywhere, with various studios starting their own cinematic universe. Sony is getting in on the fun with a franchise surrounding Spider-Man lore, starting with Venom and its sequel. Morbius will follow suit, and Jared Leto is teasing potential crossovers coming down the line. And I really can’t wait.

There are countless superhero projects coming down the line, with fans eager to see beloved characters paired on the big screen. This is especially true for Sony’s projects like Morbius and Kraven the Hunter, since they feature iconic Spider-Man villains. Jared Leto recently spoke to the concept of web-slinging crossovers, offering:

I see what you did there, Leto. Not only is he confirming that there will be exciting Spider-Man crossovers in the future, but he also specifically teasing the formation of the Sinister Six. Considering how long fans have waited to see that villainous group form on the big screen, there’s likely going to be a strong reaction to this update.

Jared Leto’s comments to come his recent appearance at CCXP (Via Comic Book), and are sure inspire countless new fan theories. He specifically cited the limited footage from Spider-Man: No Way Home, which seems to confirm that the multiverse will be ripped open by Doctor Stragne’s spell gone wrong. So hopefully this means that we’ll get to see Morbius and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker on the big screen together sooner rather than later. We’ll keep our fingers (and fangs) crossed.

While Jared Leto is teasing upcoming big screen crossovers, first we’ll need to be introduced to his new character in Morbius. While fans aren’t expecting Tom Holland to pop up throughout that movie’s runtime, the trailers already revealed that Michal Keaton will be reprising his Spider-Man: Homecoming role as Adrian Toomes / Vulture. So Leto’s vampiric franchise is already going to be connected to events within the MCU.

As previously mentioned, the Venom movies marked Sony’s first installment in a burgeoning cinematic universe that focuses on Spider-Man lore. The mid-credits scene of Let There Be Carnage seemingly showed the multiverse coming into play, as Eddie Brock was miraculously transported into the same world as Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. But exactly when we’ll see beloved characters including Morbius interacting with the web slinger remains to be seen.

While moviegoers are holding out hope for the Sinister Six to finally come together on the big screenm, Spider-Man: No Way Home will already feature a number of iconic villains from the previous two franchises. I have to wonder which of these rogues will ultimately survive the upcoming blockbuster, and therefore have the chance to return in a future installment. 

Morbius will hit theaters on January 20th, 2022, while Spider-Man: No Way Home will arrive first on December 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

The cinematic spider-verse is definitely growing. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man continues to swing around the skies of New York City in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while Tom Hardy’s Venom continues to dish out his own brand of “justice” in his own world. However, in what appears to be Eddie Brock’s universe, there’s also Jared Leto’s Morbius. The film centers on the titular doctor, as he takes on a monstrous alternate form. We’ve seen the creature at this point but, thanks to a new clip, audiences now have a better look at the lead character’s transformation into the living vampire. 

Sony dropped the exclusive new look at the movie as part of its presentation at this year’s CCXP. And it certainly shows the power of the vampiric antihero. In the footage, Jared Leto’s scientist is being transported on a freighter, which may be bringing him back to the states following his initial trip to the amazon to cure his blood disease. As previous footage has shown, the doctor uses bats in an attempt to cure himself. Of course, things don’t quite pan out the way he expects. 

This footage features what appears to be Michael Morbius’ first time ever turning into the vampire and, when he does so, he quickly dispatches those who are presumably guarding him. The character is shown to have incredible reflexes and can even change forms. And as you’d expect, his lust for blood seems to be intact as well. And by the end of the ordeal, the character reverts back to his usual self, only he now possesses a muscular physique as opposed to his previously frail body. 

This newest installment in Sony’s interconnected comic book movie seems to be taking things to the next level when it comes to its dark tone. Here, the violence is even more tangible, and the blood, which can be seen splattering across the screen, is definitely flowing. Fans of the character are sure to be pleased with how the creative team has stayed faithful to the visual aesthetic of the character. 

As previously mentioned, it’s been implied that this movie takes place in the same universe in which Tom Hardy’s symbiotic antihero dwells. But Jared Leto’s movie seems to be aiming for less comedy and more true thrills. This should keep things fresh for viewers hoping for a change of pace in this linked franchise. Though there’s still a chance that the grinning alien could make an appearance as could other characters from the wall-crawler’s world(s).

The most recent trailer for the comic book movie featured more than a few Spider-Man references. Another actually made reference to two of the friendly neighborhood hero’s most notable rogues. On top of this, there’s also the mysterious presence of Michael Keaton, who many believe could be playing a variant of Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, who previously appeared in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming.

There are still plenty of questions to be answered but, at this point, Jared Leto’s new flick looks like it's going to be an insane ride. And while watching it, I may or may not be covering up my neck out of an irrational fear that the vampire is going to get me.

Morbius is set to hit theaters on January 28, 2022.

These days with the interconnectedness of comic book movies and similar projects, watching the movie itself is only part of the fun. Figuring out where a movie fits into an existing continuity, and trying to figure out where a story might be going, is how fans get excited even before a movie comes out. The long delayed movie Morbius with Jared Leto is one of those movies that got fans buzzing early on, but Jared Leto isn’t paying attention to any of it.

CinemaBlend recently had the opportunity to speak with Jared Leto before the release of House of Gucci and while the man who plays Dr. Michael Morbius tells us that he loves the fact that fans are getting involved in the story, he says he’s not really paying any attention to what is being said because, as an actor that not where he wants his focus to be. Leto explains... 

Jared Leto doesn’t elaborate on exactly what place he’s afraid he would end up in if he started following Morbius fan theories but we know from Leto’s previous roles, and the stories behind the scenes, just how seriously he takes his performances and how focused he often is on them. Any thought regarding how fans will be responding to that performance after the fact would take that focus away. If he's focused on the plot, as the fans often are, he's not focused on playing the character.

Ever since the first trailer for Morbius, fans have bee curious exactly what’s going on with the movie. We know that Michael Keaton, who previously appeared as the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, will be appearing in this movie as well. And since the Morbius movie is also part of Sony’s live-action Spider-Verse, there’s a seeming connection. The recent connection between the Venom franchise and the MCU only adds fuel to the fire. 

It’s no wonder fans are trying to dig into the story and figure out what it all means. And Jared Leto understands that. He admits that he has approached some of his favorite media in the same way for years, trying to understand it all in a different way. Leto continues... 

Whatever is going on with Morbius, one assumes Jared Leto knows all the answers, but he’s not looking to see if fans have it all figured out. We’ll find out what’s going on when Morbius arrives in theaters in January.  

Here’s one way to tell just how incredibly cool Michael Keaton is. He’s part of both the DC and Marvel on-screen universes, and hardly gives it a second thought as to what that means for his legacy. Keaton was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel recently, and was being peppered with questions about his return to the Batman role for next year’s The Flash. As he deflected, admitting that he didn’t speak with Val Kilmer and George Clooney as he prepared to step back into the cape and the cowl. But in the process of that interview segment, Keaton dropped a Spider-Man bomb when he revealed:

I’m sorry, what? This isn’t so far out of left field, because Michael Keaton started playing Adrian Toomes, aka The Vulture, in Spider-Man: Homecoming and expects to keep playing the part as the Spider-Man universe at Sony expands. However, there isn’t anything at the moment that we think Keaton needs to be filming as Vulture, so the comment was confusing. There are three possible reasons why Michael Keaton would need to be filming “Vulture stuff” in Hollywood today, so let’s go over them.

Michael Keaton could be shooting Morbius pickups.

We have seen Keaton’s Adrian Toomes in the two trailers for Sony’s upcoming Morbius, and it’s possible that he’s reshooting his part for some post-credit manipulations. Jared Leto stars as the main character in Morbius, a doctor trying to cure his own rare blood disease who turns himself into a Living Vampire. But Morbius and Vulture are Spider-Man villains, and Sony is building a Spider-Man universe, so Keaton might have had to film some alternate takes for the part he’s going to play in January’s feature. 

Sony did something similar to this in Venom: Let There be Carnage, where Andy Serkis worked on his end-credits scene right up until his movie released. So it’s not unusual for actors in a comic-book movie, especially one that’s connected to other features, to have to go back and film additional footage, and if I had to guess, that’s where I’d think that Michael Keaton was heading. 

Michael Keaton might be in Kraven the Hunter.

At the same time, it’s possible that Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes is going to be the glue that holds the Spider-Man villains together. In the Morbius trailer, Toomes tells Leto’s character, “You and I should stay in touch.” Go back to the end-credits scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming, where an imprisoned Toomes speaks with Mac Gargan (Michael Mando), a criminal who’d go on to become The Scorpion. Gargan has a grudge against Peter, and that could surface later. 

But the next Sony movie set to film as part of the Spider-Man universe of Marvel characters is Kraven the Hunter, which will star Aaron Taylor Johnson. Rumor says that the movie is in pre-production and might even have begun filming as it coasts to a 2023 release. Keaton doesn’t have to be a major part of the Kraven movie. But if his Vulture is the one building a Sony-level Sinister Six to go after Spider-Man, then having him film a scene or two where he meets and speaks with Kraven makes sense. 

They are sneaking Michael Keaton into Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

OK, this last one is a stretch. Because at this stage, Spider-Man: No Way Home should be finished. Or, as close to finished as possible. Yes, the upcoming sequel has a LOT of villains in it, from Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) to Electro (Jamie Foxx). Vulture could be worked into the fray. But he also could serve the Venom role and appear in a post-credits scene that further connects Tom Holland to the developing Spider-Man universe. It’d be very appropriate. But this also feels like something that would have been shot a while back, and not saved until less than a month before the movie opens. 

So those are my current best guesses. One of them HAS to be right, because those are the options on the current board for Spider-Man content. I like the theory of Michael Keaton being the glue that holds the villainous realm of the Spidey universe together, but we’ll see how that shakes out in the years to come. 

The Spider-Man universe being established at Sony is growing. We have seen two Venom movies that have introduced characters including Carnage, Shriek and Eddie Brock. Now Jared Leto is preparing to bring Dr. Michael Morbius, the living vampire, to life on the big screen and the footage in the trailer not only gives us better looks at the main character, but it includes some intriguing elements that can factor into the Spider-Man universe, at large. First, press play on the Morbius trailer above. And then we’ll pick it apart below.

One of the things that immediately catches your attention? The presence of an Oscorp tower. Though, it looks like the tower that is present in the Andrew Garfield universe of Spider-Man movies, also made by Sony. Which is odd, because in the first Morbius trailer, we saw Jared Leto’s main character walking in front of a mural of Spider-Man (looking like the Sam Raimi suit) with “Murderer” scrolled across it … and that’s the Tom Holland storyline, thanks to Mysterio. 

So yeah, this is all a little confusing. When/where does Morbius take place in the grand scheme of the Spider-Man multiverse? There are references to San Francisco in the trailer, and Jared Leto makes an “I am Venom” joke. But then again, Michael Keaton appears in the trailer, and if he’s playing Adrian Toomes, aka The Vulture, then that’s a direct tie to the MCU. SO MANY QUESTIONS!

Outside of the Spider-Man connections, Morbius will introduce audiences to a Marvel Comics character who attempts to cure his rare blood disease, but ends up giving himself the transformative powers of a vampire. Given the fact that Sony has access to more than 900 Marvel characters thanks to owning the legal rights to Spider-Man, choosing Morbius as a leading character seems unusual. He’s not extremely well known. Kraven the Hunter, who Aaron Taylor Johnson is preparing to play, is more recognizable. But maybe that’s what director Daniel Espinosa liked about the character. Morbius flies under the radar. Expectations are in check. People want a cool story, and some connections to Spider-Man. So far, this delivers. 

Morbius arrives in theaters on January 28, 2022. We may know a lot more about the kind of universe that the good doctor is merging with when Spider-Man: No Way Home has its day in December. But all of this feels like the tip of a massive Spider-Man iceberg that’s about to cool Hollywood off.