Morbius is finally in theaters after numerous delays, a number of trailers, and more than a few confusing quotes from the film's cast and crew. The movie follows Jared Leto's Michael Morbius, a scientist who, in an attempt to cure his blood disease, infects himself with a form of vampirism. The critical reception has been less than stellar for the film, and early box office returns are grim, to say the least.
The blood-sucking epic serves as Sony's latest stab at their own Spider-Man universe. Thus far, the webhead himself has not shown up in any of the Sony Spider-Man Universe films (aside from Tom Holland's brief moment in the post-credit scene of Venom: Let there be Carnage).
But there have been hints pointing to the wall-crawler in Morbius' multiple trailers. Whether it was the Oscorp logo from The Amazing Spider-Man, Micheal Keaton's Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming, or Tobey Maguire's web-slinger plastered on a mural, allusions to all three Spideys have shown up at one time or another in the marketing for Morbius. All this happened without any confirmation as to why hints to every big-screen Spider-Man appear in the film.
So now that the film is out, all has been answered, right? Well, if only it were that simple.
Where's Tobey's Spidey Poster
In an interview with Cinema Blend, Morbius director Daniel Espinosa addressed the poster of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man seen in trailers for the film, despite not actually appearing in the final cut.
The director said "that image is only in the trailer" and that, as the director, he "only [does] the movie" He went on to say he could only comment on this change "as a fan," but can be "honest" because he "didn't put it there:"
"That image is only in the trailer. So for me, as a director, I only do the movie. I, as a fan, have several kinds of opinions and thoughts about that. But since I didn't put it there, because it's not in the movie, and I didn't put it in the trailer either. (So) if I said something about what I think it is, it would be as a fan. But because I'm the director, I would be accused of knowing something. Which I don't, you know? If I knew something, I could tell you. (But) it's not mine. It's not from my idea, you know? I would love to be honest and responsible, but I can't, because it's not mine."
He's Just the Director
In a marketing run that has been nothing but baffling, it should be no surprise that, even after release day, that pattern is only going to continue. For fans counting at home, here is yet another confusing quote coming from someone behind Morbius.
One would think that a director would have some sort of handle on what makes it and doesn't make it in trailers for their films. Some directors even cut the trailers for their own movies themselves!
However, it does feel like Sony is at least planning something. Espinosa has already noted that "audiences will [soon] discover" what the studio has in store for a Spider-Man in this Venom/Morbius universe. So maybe the team thought that these plans would have been solidified by the time Morbius debuted and ultimately weren't, causing the team to pull the Tobey poster from the film.
That feels like it could be the case. However, this quote from the movie's director is so confusing that he could be being completely honest, which may be even more concerning for what is going on over at Sony Pictures.
Morbius is now playing in theaters worldwide.
