A new trailer for Morbius dropped today, and it includes references to three different Spider-Man universes, not to mention a Venom name drop.
After having to delay all of its projects into next year and beyond, some of them multiple times, thanks to the pandemic, the MCU's slate is quickly becoming pretty busy. So busy that it decided to push a lot of future projects once again last month, likely to give us and those creating these projects time to breathe after the rollercoaster ride that will be Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Despite an extended wait between No Way Home and Dr. Strange 2, Marvel fans might not have five long months to wait for another MCU movie. Sony dropped a new trailer for Morbius today, and it leans into the fact that multiple cinematic universes are about to collide.
Perhaps the clearest reference of all is Morbius jokingly telling one of his victims that he's Venom. In fairness, it was probably safe to assume Morbius and Venom take place in the same universe. The references to not one, not two, but three different Spider-Men on the other hand may have taken a lot of people by surprise. Further evidence that the MCU and Sony's Marvel universes are now one, and perhaps confirmation that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will be returning as Spider-Men too.
The reference to the MCU comes in the form of Michael Keaton. Keaton is Vulture in the MCU and seems to be returning to the role in Morbius. The references to other Spider-Men are a little more subtle, for obvious reasons. At one point, Morbius walks past a picture of Spider-Man on an alley wall. It isn't Holland's Spider-Man though, it's Maguire's.
The reference to the Garfield Spider-Verse is even more subtle. For a brief moment, the front page of the Daily Bugle is shown. If you look closely, there are headlines about Rhino and Black Cat at the top of the page. Both were characters from Spider-Man that appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Perhaps we will see them show up alongside the likes of Doc Ock and Green Goblin in No Way Home later this year.