The latest poster for Sony's Morbius reveals that the studio is finally steering away from some dangerous MCU territory. The film, set to release on April 1, 2022 after several delays, stars Jared Leto as its eponymous "living vampire," who will Venom as one of the core characters of the recently renamed Sony Spider-Man Universe. But while Spider-Man might be in the name of this franchise, Morbius and Sony's other projects are distinct from the familiar world of Tom Holland's web-slinger from the MCU.
Morbius is one of many Spider-Man Spider-Man: No Way Home, but rather than featuring Peter Parker prominently, it instead dives into the origin story of its antihero protagonist, Dr. Michael Morbius. Diagnosed with a rare blood disease his entire life, Morbius sets out to cure his condition using scientific and occult means that leave him with a range of vampiric superpowers. Based on the trailers, a focus of the film seems to be Morbius' inner battle between his humanity and the new side of him that emerges with his transformation. Thus, in addition to action, Morbius should deliver a nuanced look at one of Marvel's darker and more conflicted characters.
Because of Morbius' strong potential to introduce a rich new character to the screen, it's good that the latest poster puts its true stars front and center. Up until this point, marketing for the film has disproportionately focused on the rather Spider-Man: Homecoming character, Vulture, in Morbius and therefore the Sony universe. This strategy puts too much emphasis on Morbius's possible connections to the MCU which, while interesting and important to consider, shouldn't be the focus of the character's debut feature. Rather, Morbius needs to be given his own space to shine.
The absence of Vulture on the new Morbius poster indicates that Sony might be fixing its problem of relying too heavily on the MCU in its marketing. Especially because the links between the two universes remain rather uncertain, the best way forward for Sony's own storytelling is to focus on developing strong characters rather than complicated cross-franchise plotlines. Over-promising on MCU connections and Keaton's role in Morbius would thus be a mistake that could lead to audience disappointment. After all, there will be time enough for team-ups and crossovers whenever Sony's Sinister Six movie happens.
Sony is in a unique predicament of needing to rely on Marvel content without over-drawing on the MCU, but this is precisely why films like Morbius should be successful. Because the character has yet to appear alongside any prior onscreen versions of Spider-Man, Leto's Morbius is free to stand on his own merit and make his own impression. Incidentally, this will only make him a stronger addition to future projects should they occur. Hopefully, Sony has recognized this potential and is ready to capitalize on it with Morbius, and the fact that the film's new poster doesn't feature Keaton's Vulture is a very good sign.
