Everyone’s least favorite “method” actor and cult leader, Jared Leto, will be flapping into movie theaters this week as the living vampire Morbius. Morbius is one of Marvel’s lesser known anti-heroes, but has been resuscitated in the increasingly complex and tenuous agreement between Marvel, Disney, and Sony Pictures as they tackle Spider-Man and Spider-Man related storylines and characters.
But who is Michael Morbius and what other actors will be populating his vampiric science lab? Let’s take a look at the confirmed cast and crew of Morbius.
Jared Leto – Dr Michael Morbius
Leto will be playing the titular role of Morbius, the scientist suffering from a rare blood disease who accidentally turns himself into a pseudo-vampire in an attempt to cure himself. By experimenting with the DNA of a breed of vampire bat he gained superhuman abilities like enhanced speed, strength, and even the ability to fly. And while he doesn’t carry the traditional vampire weaknesses of having to avoid daylight or crosses, he is still plagued with a thirst for blood and a monstrous form.
Matt Smith – Milo/Lucien
There is a lot of mystery surrounding Smith’s villainous character. Is he Morbius’ surrogate brother who also suffers from the same rare blood disease? Is he Loxias Crown aka Hunger? Sony Pictures is keeping things vague but has dropped some key clues. We do know that Milo steals the cure from Morbius and turns himself into a living vampire as well. Which is how Loxius Crown turns himself into Hunger in the comics. Smith himself has even said that “Morbius is afraid of his powers, Milo embraces him.” Which again, sounds like Crown!
However, Smith also said in an interview with Screen Rant:
“The truth is, I wasn’t aware of the great, big history of the character in many respects. Because the script I was presented with doesn’t really delve into the past of him – or indeed the future. And isn’t someone else playing him? It’s all a bit confusing to me, to be honest with you. I took as my Bible just the actual script, is the honest truth of it. And it was all a bit odd whether it was Loxias [Crown] or not. I’m still not quite sure, to be honest.”
– Screen Rant
This could just be Smith putting up a smoke screen, but it does seem to imply that someone else has been cast as Hunger. But this is what comes from studios trying to maintain secrecy and prevent spoilers by any means necessary!
Adria Arjona – Martine Bancroft
Arjona (Anathema Device in Good Omens) will be playing Morbius’ assistant and fiancée. In the comics, Bancroft is willing to do anything to help Morbius, which of course means that she is eventually bitten by a vampire and becomes one herself. This causes friction because she loses interest in finding a cure and instead wants to spend eternity with her true love. Arjona has said that she channeled Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez while playing the role because “when she speaks, people listen.”
Tyrese Gibson – Simon Stroud
Gibson will be playing an FBI agent who goes rogue hunting down Morbius. In the comic he becomes essentially a supernatural detective, hunting down many of Spider-Man’s foes, including Man-Wolf (the son of J. Jonah Jameson) and Morbius, however he also has formed uneasy alliances with Morbius several times in order to help the greater good. Gibson has also signed a three-picture deal when he joined the film, which means we might be seeing a lot of Simon Stroud moving forward!
Jared Harris – Emil Nikols
Another character that seems to be altered from the comics is Jared Harris’s Emil Nikols. In the comics there is an Emil Nikos who is a close friend and colleague of Morbius. However in the film it appears that Nikols will function more as a mentor and father figure to the vampiric scientist. It is also important to note that in the comics, Nikos is Morbius’s very first victim and becomes a vampire himself. Whether or not his resurrection as a vampire happens in this film is unclear, but it is something that might be saved for future installments or perhaps even a post-credits sequence!
Other cast and characters that are confirmed include Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes, (aka the Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming), Al Madrigal as Alberto Rodriguez, another FBI agent hunting down Morbius, and Corey Johnson as the mysterious “Mr. Fox.”
Morbius hits theaters on April 1.
(Image: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)
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