Jared Leto Plays a Vampire Scientist in ‘Morbius’: Everything to Know About the Superhero Movie

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Jared Leto Plays a Vampire Scientist in 'Morbius': Everything to Know About the Superhero Movie

Fresh blood. Jared Leto is returning to the superhero genre, but this time, his character also happens to be a vampire. The Oscar winner, 50, stars as Dr. Michael Morbius in the new movie Morbius, which is based on comic books in the Spider-Man universe. The film finally debuted on Friday, April 1, after several delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "What I loved about this is it was an opportunity to bring the character to life for the very first time," the Dallas Buyers Club star told Screen Rant in an interview published on Thursday, March 31, explaining why he decided to take on the role. "And it's harder and harder to do that, because a lot of these incredible, iconic characters have been portrayed. They've been realized before. So, that was really exciting to start from scratch." Though Morbius first appeared in an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1971, the character has never made an appearance on the big screen. Stephen Norrington, who directed 1998's Blade, played Morbius in a cameo role in that film, but the scene was ultimately cut from the movie. When Guillermo del Toro directed Blade II in 2002, he did not have the rights to use the character. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ6iiRrz1SY&ab_channel=SonyPicturesEntertainment[/embed] Leto previously played the Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad, but as fans know, the Batman supervillain has appeared on screen many times before. Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix both won Oscars for their portrayals of the characters in 2008's The Dark Knight and 2019's Joker, respectively. The 30 Seconds to Mars singer's interpretation of the character was controversial with viewers and critics, but Leto now looks back on his time as the Joker with fondness. “That role was an opportunity of a lifetime,” he told Variety earlier this month. “And I got a chance to do it twice.” (He reprised the role in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was released in 2021.) Morbius is a Marvel Comics character, but the movie is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that includes The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. Instead, the events of the film take place in the same parallel universe that provides the setting for Tom Hardy's Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Leto, for his part, still hopes he gets to encounter Tom Holland's Spider-Man in a future film, despite the fact that Morbius exists in a different universe. "I think Tom Holland and I have a date with destiny," he told Screen Rant. "It would be great to get in the ring with him and go head-to-head, for sure." Keep scrolling for everything to know about Morbius. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures

Jared Leto Plays a Vampire Scientist in 'Morbius': Everything to Know About the Superhero Movie

Fresh blood. Jared Leto is returning to the superhero genre, but this time, his character also happens to be a vampire. The Oscar winner, 50, stars as Dr. Michael Morbius in the new movie Morbius, which is based on comic books in the Spider-Man universe. The film finally debuted on Friday, April 1, after several delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. "What I loved about this is it was an opportunity to bring the character to life for the very first time," the Dallas Buyers Club star told Screen Rant in an interview published on Thursday, March 31, explaining why he decided to take on the role. "And it's harder and harder to do that, because a lot of these incredible, iconic characters have been portrayed. They've been realized before. So, that was really exciting to start from scratch." Though Morbius first appeared in an issue of The Amazing Spider-Man in 1971, the character has never made an appearance on the big screen. Stephen Norrington, who directed 1998's Blade, played Morbius in a cameo role in that film, but the scene was ultimately cut from the movie. When Guillermo del Toro directed Blade II in 2002, he did not have the rights to use the character. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ6iiRrz1SY&ab_channel=SonyPicturesEntertainment[/embed] Leto previously played the Joker in 2016's Suicide Squad, but as fans know, the Batman supervillain has appeared on screen many times before. Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix both won Oscars for their portrayals of the characters in 2008's The Dark Knight and 2019's Joker, respectively. The 30 Seconds to Mars singer's interpretation of the character was controversial with viewers and critics, but Leto now looks back on his time as the Joker with fondness. “That role was an opportunity of a lifetime,” he told Variety earlier this month. “And I got a chance to do it twice.” (He reprised the role in Zack Snyder's Justice League, which was released in 2021.) Morbius is a Marvel Comics character, but the movie is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that includes The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. Instead, the events of the film take place in the same parallel universe that provides the setting for Tom Hardy's Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Leto, for his part, still hopes he gets to encounter Tom Holland's Spider-Man in a future film, despite the fact that Morbius exists in a different universe. "I think Tom Holland and I have a date with destiny," he told Screen Rant. "It would be great to get in the ring with him and go head-to-head, for sure." Keep scrolling for everything to know about Morbius. [podcast_block]

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures

The Cast

In addition to Leto, the cast includes Matt Smith as Michael's brother, Milo, and Adria Arjona as Michael's girlfriend, Martine. Tyrese Gibson plays Simon Stroud, an FBI agent who is pursuing Michael and Jared Harris starts as Dr. Emil Nicholas, who is a mentor to the Morbius brothers. Cast members also include Al Madrigal and Corey Johnson.

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

What It's About

Michael is a scientist suffering from a disease that stops him from producing blood. He figures out how to cure the illness after experimenting with vampire bats, but in the process, he turns himself into a vampire. The drama arises when his brother, Milo, comes searching for the cure too. Michael isn't willing to let his brother transform himself into a murderous vampire, but he may not have a choice.

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

How to Watch

Morbius is exclusively playing in movie theaters.

Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing

Is There a Post-Credits Scene?

There are — spoiler alert — two post-credits scenes in Morbius. The first one shows Vulture, a.k.a. Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton), being transported to Michael's universe via magic spell (presumably the one cast by Doctor Strange in last year's Spider-Man: No Way Home). Vulture previously appeared in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

In the second scene, Michael is driving along a coast when he hears a mechanical roar. The sound is produced by Vulture, who tells him that he wants to form a team with him. Fans have interpreted this as a hint that Sony is working on a Sinister Six movie. In the comic books, the Sinister Six are a group of supervillains including Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, Kraven the Hunter and Mysterio.