Is Morbius in the MCU? The answer is complicated

Jared Leto in Morbius
(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

Warning: Major spoilers for Morbius ahead! Bookmark this page and come back later if you haven't seen the movie yet!

Morbius is here, and it's raising all kinds of questions about the nature of the Marvel universe. The first trailer for the film sent theories into overdrive when graffiti of Spider-Man scrawled with "liar" was spotted, which seemed a blatant reference to Spider-Man: Far From Home. Then there's Michael Keaton appearing as Vulture, an MCU character. So what exactly is going on? Is Morbius in the MCU, or is something else entirely happening?

We explain everything you need to know about where Morbius fits into the Sony-verse and/or MCU right here – so scroll on to get up to speed on the living vampire's place in the superhero universe.

Is Morbius in the MCU?

Jared Leto in Morbius

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

Morbius is not in the MCU, but adjacent to the MCU and features an MCU character. 

The film stands apart from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that counts the Avengers among its heroes, and instead takes place in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which so far also includes Venom and Venom 2.

Interestingly, the trailers featured Spider-Man graffiti, yet that's been cut from the final version of the movie, and there are no references to MCU events in Morbius – until, that is, the post-credits.

But Vulture is from the MCU, right? 

Michael Keaton in Morbius

(Image credit: Sony Pictures Releasing)

This is where things get complicated. In the Morbius post-credits scenes, we see the multidimensional rift that opened in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes is transported from the MCU to the Sony-verse. He then attempts to recruit Morbius into what's likely shaping up to be the Sinister Six, the infamous group that tries to take down Spider-Man. Vulture even says he thinks his sudden arrival has something to do with Spider-Man. However, there's no clue as to whether Morbius actually recognizes the name or not. 

It's also worth noting that, in the Venom 2 post-credits scene and the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scene, Tom Hardy's Venom popped from the Sony-verse into the MCU and then back into the Sony-verse (though leaving a glob of Venom behind in the MCU). 

For now, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe are telling parallel stories, with characters crossing over thanks to Doctor Strange's antics in No Way Home, but that is the only real connection. These are separate timelines. We also don't know who the Spider-Man in the Sony-verse actually is. Could it be a Tom Holland variant? Or perhaps Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker?

There's likely to be more universe hopping in the upcoming Doctor Strange 2. Considering that film's official title is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we can expect plenty of more crossovers to come, and some may well include the Sony-verse. 


Morbius is in UK cinemas from March 31, and US theaters from April 1. If you're all caught up, check out our ultimate guide to Marvel Phase 4 for everything the MCU has in store – and see our guide to the Morbius ending explained and the Morbius post-credits scenes. You can also read our interviews with director Daniel Espinosa on working with Jared Leto, the film's horror tone, and Keaton's cameo, and star Matt Smith on joining the Marvel universe and playing the villain

Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
Sony reportedly could have used Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in its Spider-Man Universe movies all along, but wanted to focus on the villains instead
Venom in The Last Dance
Scrapped Kraven the Hunter concept art reveals Venom connection cut from the movie
Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter ending explained: who dies, what happens to Sergei, and is Spider-Man in the movie?
Spider-Man movies in order: Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man
How to watch the Spider-Man movies in order (release and chronological)
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter post-credits scenes: does the Marvel movie have a post-credits scene?
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 ending explained and what it means for a new game
Latest in Superhero Movies
Batman and Catwoman talking
Robert Pattinson is hoping to team up with his The Batman co-star Zoe Kravitz on another project soon
The cast of Thunderbolts
Thunderbolts director says the new Marvel movie is inspired by Toy Story 3: "Can they get out of the trash can together?"
Robert Downey Jr announces his Doctor Doom casting at San Diego Comic-Con 2024
"He is so dialed in": Robert Downey Jr. is coming up with backstory and costume ideas for Doctor Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in The Batman
Robert Pattinson worries he will be a "f*cking old Batman" by the time filming on The Batman 2 finally starts
Lewis Pullman as "Bob" in Thunderbolts
The first look at Thunderbolts' Sentry suit seemingly leaked in new Marvel merchandise
Spider-Man: No Way Home
This is why fans think Spider-Man will become the MCU's most important character after Avengers: Doomsday
Latest in Features
The Punisher holding two machine guns in the rain
Daredevil: Born Again - Learn the bullet-riddled comic book history of the Punisher before he officially joins the MCU
A woman in a underwater machine waving during the cinematic teaser for Subnautica 2.
Subnautica 2: Everything we know about the new underwater survival game
The AMD Ryzen 7 8700G being held above a motherboard by a reviewer
AMD's pro-consumer 9070 strategies are exactly why it's primed to dominate the CPU market in 2025
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin's Creed Shadows' transmog looks set to combine the best of Odyssey and Vahalla to make changing my drip easier than ever
Split Fiction screenshot of Zoe and Mio in a fantasy world
Split Fiction feels like a Mass Effect-meets-Fable platformer and I'm obsessed with it after just one hour
Monster Hunter Wilds characters share a meal
Oh no, Monster Hunter Wilds is so good that I'm already counting the days until its inevitable Master Rank expansion