Morbius continues Sony's Spider-Man universe and, as such, is packed with Easter eggs and references to the wider universe.
The new Marvel movie sees Jared Leto play Dr Michael Morbius, who, while trying to find a cure for his rare blood disease, unfortunately turns himself into a living vampire, which threatens the lives of everybody around him.
While it's more inspired by the comic books than a direct adaptation of any Morbius story, there are nods to Morbius's history throughout and teases as to what's to come in a potential sequel.
So in case you missed any, we're here to help with a round-up of the best Easter eggs and references to be found in Morbius. Be warned, there are spoilers ahead.
1. The Daily Bugle
The fact that The Daily Bugle is in Morbius isn't an Easter egg in itself, but you should be paying close attention to the headlines whenever it pops up on screen.
At various points, we get nods to Spider-Man villains such as Chameleon and Rhino, as well as Spidey allies like Black Cat. The villains could prove to play a part in future movies given that the credit scenes tease a Sinister Six team-up (more on that in a bit).
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Our favourite headline is a reference to Venom as we are told that "daily chocolate is the key to happiness". A good life lesson, but also a nod to the fact Venom can sustain himself on chocolate instead of brains.
2. LCV Murnau
In order to test out his cure, Morbius heads into international waters for the illegal experiment and you should pay close attention to the ship's name: LCV Murnau.
Murnau is a nod to FW Murnau, the German film director who made Nosferatu, which is considered to be one of the most influential movies of all time. It not only defined the vampire lore we see to this day, but also influenced countless horror movies that followed.
Morbius will not be doing that, sorry to say.
3. "That thing in San Francisco"
After they investigate the massacre on board the LCV Murnau, FBI agent Alberto Rodriguez (Al Madrigal) says that they haven't had anything as good since "that thing in San Francisco".
San Francisco is where both Venom movies were set, so perhaps Rodriguez was hanging around in the background during the events of those movies. It's unclear if he's specifically referring to the first movie or the second movie though.
It doesn't really matter in terms of the timeline, mind.
4. Horizon Labs
Both before and after his transformation, Morbius works from his own laboratory that's situated in Horizon Labs.
In the comics, Horizon Labs creates the most advanced technology in the Marvel universe and is home to seven scientists, including Dr Michael Morbius. He's in charge of Lab 6 where, as he does in the movie, he's trying to cure his living vampire condition.
He's not hugely successful in doing this, but he does create the Anti-Spider virus serum which can remove the spider-like powers from any individual who has them, such as Peter Parker.
Will this end up playing out in a future movie? Perhaps, but it's unclear if Morbius can even return to his lab after, you know, killing a bunch of people.
5. Hulk-ing out
It's not just the Sony Spider-Man universe that Morbius makes a reference to as there's also a nod to The Incredible Hulk TV show.
When he's being questioned by the FBI over the death of a nurse who worked with him, Morbius is struggling with hunger issues and needs some (artificial) blood. "You don't want to see me when I'm hungry," he jokes.
Of course, this is a (naff) twist on Hulk's "you wouldn't like me when I'm angry", but it also doesn't quite make logical sense. We see Morbius in full vampire mode after he's drank some blood and when he's hungry, he just starts reverting to his former weak self.
Awkward.
6. Martine's dark future
Before the big final battle between Morbius and Milo, it looks like we've said goodbye to Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) after she's fatally attacked by Milo.
Morbius drinks from her before she dies as she wants him to "make it mean something", unaware that it'll actually turn her into a vampire. We see her eyes open when Morbius is flying away after putting Milo down once and for all.
Comic-book fans will know that Martine undergoes a similar vampiric transformation in the comics. It eventually leads to a tragic end for her and Morbius as he's forced to kill her to stop her from killing Spider-Man.
Will a sequel go down this dark route? Perhaps. But we feel that if a sequel does happen, it won't slavishly follow the comics as the first movie doesn't either.
7. Sinister Six
We've known from the trailers for Morbius that Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, would be popping up in the movie, but it's transpired that he only makes his appearance in the two credit scenes.
First, we see him transported to this universe and get out of jail since he didn't technically commit any crimes. Then we see him (now in his full Vulture get-up, somehow) meet Morbius and suggest that a "bunch of us guys should team up".
Everybody knows that's a tease for the Sinister Six, something that Sony has tried previously with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Venom and Kraven the Hunter, who's making his debut next year, could be a part of this new version of the team.
It remains to be seen whether this attempt is any more successful than the previous effort from Sony.
Morbius is out now in cinemas.
![Venom: Let There Be Carnage [DVD]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1641398500-venom-let-there-be-carnage-dvd-artwork-1641398418.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Venom: Let There Be Carnage [DVD]")
![Morbius [Blu-ray] [2022]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1655394261-51ZHliyUH9L._SL500_.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Morbius [Blu-ray] [2022]")
Titan Books Morbius: The Living Vampire - Blood Ties by Brendan Deneen
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
