Film Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025)

Morbius

Name: Morbius
Released: 2022-04-01
Duration: 104 min
Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Tyrese Gibson

"A new Marvel legend arrives."

Released April 1, 2022 1h 44m ○ Optional

Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Michael Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.

Watch note

Sony SSU. Tangential MCU link: Vulture is transported to the SSU by NWH's spell and proposes a villain team to Morbius. Widely considered poor quality.

Why It Matters in the MCU

The Sony Spider-Man adjacency film built around Jared Leto's vampire-scientist antihero is the extended universe's most critically rejected live-action entry. Its central failure is that Morbius — a character defined by the tragic gap between scientific idealism and monstrous result — is given neither the character work to make him sympathetic nor the horror grammar to make him frightening. The two post-credits scenes attempting to connect to the MCU multiverse became shorthand for franchise-building that had outstripped the standalone story's quality.

Where It Fits in the MCU

Morbius sits at position 97 of 133 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — Multiverse Opens (2024–2025) era. It is rated Optional — can be skipped without losing the main thread. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.