Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home not only became a massive success with fans, but it also destroyed the box office. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the studio’s next film: Morbius. The movie followed Jared Leto’s Michael Morbius, who accidentally turns himself into a vampire while trying to find a cure for his disease. Needless to say, the reception wasn’t so great. Many even claimed the project to be one of the worst and most insulting comic book movies ever to ever release.
One would think that with a project so poorly received, talk about it would die out fast. Oddly enough, it doesn’t seem to be adhering to the norm.
Instead, Morbius 2 began trending this weekend on Twitter with over 30k Tweets—despite no official sequel being announced yet. So why are so many people still talking about Leto’s anti-hero?
They’re making fun of it.
Why Is Morbius 2 Trending?
It’s a strange world out there. While Sony Pictures’ Morbius may have been torn apart by both critics and fans alike, it seems like the film may have grown some strange legs.
Thanks to a meme sweeping the nation, Jared Leto’s vampire is on everyone’s minds. So, where did this whole joke start?
It all started thanks to Twitter user @rank10ygo, who joked how “the best part of Morbius was when he said 'IT'S MORBIN' TIME' and morbed all over those guys.”
From there, it took off as fans jokingly demanded and campaigned for a sequel. A parody account of Discussing Film jokingly posted a casting announcement, which claimed that “Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast as Jackie Morbius:”
“BREAKING: Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast as Jackie Morbius, Dr. Michael Morbius’ sister, in Morbius 2: More Bius, More Problems… (Source: Deadline)”
@_boredmf_ claimed that the sequel to the vampire film “should have Tobey [Maguire], Andrew [Garfield], and Tom [Holland]:”
“Morbius 2 should have Tobey, Andrew, and Tom show up but they're all Morbius and they just act like there have been 3 other Morbius film adaptations.”
@althistoryhub jumped in to claim how it will the Discussing Film’s fault that a Morbius might actually be made:
"In two years they’re gonna have Jared Leto say ‘It’s morbin’ time’ in an unwanted Morbius 2 and it’ll be this site’s fault..."
Another fan, @og1dizzle, took it to a whole other level thanks to an edited video showing Morbius uttering the now iconic false line before fighting Tom Hardy’s Venom.
The joke has even made its way to the KFC Twitter feed, where the company posted a half-and-half photo with its mascot and Jared Leto’s Morbius. The fast food franchise were sure to include “morbin time” in the caption for good measure.
Could a Sequel Actually Happen?
So could Jared Leto actually return to screens because of one big meme?
It’s certainly possible. Thanks to Warner Bros. caving and creating Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a precedence has been set. The voice of the fans has proven to be a powerful tool.
Hopefully, Sony Pictures is smart enough to know that all of these memes aren’t happening out of love and that this is truly is all a joke. It might be pretty hard to find someone who genuinely wants his story to continue.
Either way, no sequel has been greenlit yet, or even talked about, really. The studio does have plenty of other projects in the pipeline, however—movies such as Kraven the Hunter, Madame Web, and Venom 3.
Morbius is now playing in theaters worldwide.
