Welp, we waited almost three years for the latest Marvel offering, and, of course, there were Morbius Easter Eggs littered throughout the film. Kevin Feige and his band of nerd geniuses have made the act of being Peter Cottontail a science that has transformed into art with hidden references.
If you are in the driver’s seat of writing about news, editorials, or the finest listicles for Geek Vibes Nation, you have to invest in the craft. Such as having to see any film reeking of geek culture at least twice–once to enjoy it and the next to list every one of the Morbius Easter Eggs that are possible to find.
If you haven’t seen Morbius, favor? Forget the critics. Screw their expert ratings. Just enjoy supporting a nerd film that will lead to several others. Trust: Sony Pictures is not done milking this geek cow. If you saw both post-credits scenes, you know. And if not, here is your warning:
There are plenty of spoilers below. You can’t escape them. Bookmark the story about these Morbius Easter Eggs and come back soon,
Now that the apparent warning has been plastered on this story, there were many yolk containers throughout this film–including one absolutely stoo-pid one, which will give the honorable mention. Yet, the other top 10 Morbius Easter Eggs are worth viewing. That said, #ICYMI…
Here are the Top 10 Morbius Easter Eggs you may have missed.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: The Hulk Got a Not-So-Incredible Shout Out
Stop if you are looking for Eric Bana, Mark Ruffalo, or Edward “I got screwed by Marvel” Norton. This is an OG egg. To wit, we can say Bill Bixby deserved much better. Dr. Morbius is learning who he is post-experiment. And then, he hurls the most cringe-worthy line of the movie.
I’m getting hungry. Believe me, you wouldn’t like me when I’m hungry.
Yeah, there’s that wrong way to start a listicle about Morbius Easter Eggs. Of all the ways to honor the classic TV series, that’s how Marvel chose to some love?! That sound you hear is Bill Bixby rolling in his grave. On with the show…
10. X-Men Marks the Spot
If you know the comic, Michael Morbius’s origin (Jared Leto) places him in a hospital with other children who have the same rare blood ailment. That’s when he meets his soon-to-be bestie Lucien Crown, who will be affectionately known as Milo (Matt Smith).
They grow a thriving relationship, and fans get an excellent glimpse into what these boys will become. Fast forward a few months, we find Dr. Nikols (Jared Harris) speaking to Michael after the kid goes all ‘Home Depot’ on a blood dialysis machine and fixes it with the coil of an ink roller pin. When we hear Nikols telling Michael, “I might be able to send you to a ‘school for gifted children‘ in New York where you can hone your talents.”
Can you think of any other school? Of course not. It’s doubtful the X-Men are spending time together in some lab with symbiotes, but it’s possible when we see a full reunion of the Sonyverse, a mutant or two could rock a cameo.
9. On the Horizon
If you watched Morbius and you heard several references to Horizon Labs, you may have thought that’s a nice name for a highfalutin company. However, it’s what serious nerds may consider a deep cut. Dr. Morbius is the director of Horizon Labs in the movie, but in Dan Slott’s Amazing Spider-Man #648 in 1999, it’s a little more essential.
So? Well, Dr. Morbius works in “Lab 6,” which is the location where he is basically stealing the company stapler for paperwork at home–except the stapler is lifesaving bloodwork. One other thing is down the hall in “Lab 7,” there’s this employee named Peter Parker, who was hired by a mad scientist named Max Modell. What’s Peter doing? More staplers are missing.
Was this just a friendly nod or more of a conspicuous shout-out? We’ll find out soon.
8. This Sucks
Dr. Morbius believes he is inches away from discovering his cure and cleansing his blood. One catch, his idea is illegal, so he rents a cargo freighter to avoid interfering with the long arm of the law. In the belly of that beast, Morbius the Living Vampire is born. The boat’s name was “Zenith” in the comics, but this is a movie. This egg is why nerds should begin showing Director Daniel Espinosa some love.
He changed the name of the boat to the Murnau. Odd name, but what does that do with Morbius Easter Eggs? Have you ever heard of F.W. Murnau? He was a German-born director in the 1920s whose primary contribution to cinema was Nosferatu, the OG of all vampire movies. In 1922, this movie scared the living hell out of people. Just look at Count Orlok! Did you know to maximize the creep factor, Max Schreck there blinks only once in this movie? Method that, Daniel Day-Lewis.
7. Green with Envy
You are enjoying Morbius and watching the vistas of both the real and concrete jungles. Then, when you least expect it, a dim reminder that we aren’t done with Spider-Man, possibly not Andrew Garfield. As Morbius and Lucien are making their best Matrix impression through the skyline of Manhattan, we see Oscorp in the distance. Cool right? The Green Goblin should always be around, even in spirit.
Yet, Daniel Espinosa said that Morbius…and Venom…and Spider-Man are in the same Sonyverse. Yet, there are too many details to share (except Den of Geek did a superb job already) on which Spider-Man it is. But check the link, and you’ll see an AMAZING reason. You didn’t hear it here first.
6. That Thing in San Francisco
It has already been considered, hypothesized, and discussed, but yes–Venom gets a prominent mention and a cryptic connection. If you saw the trailer, you heard Dr. Morbius joke he was Venom as he was making some dude’s hand into a bag of Scrabble tiles. However, it’s the cryptic one that was interesting.
We find the FBI (Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson) on the USS. Nosferatu amid a collection of bodies hurled into the shrink cycle (because they have no blood in their system). That’s when Agent Rodriguez (funny guy) says to Agent Stroud (again Tyrese because singing just isn’t paying the bills) that the squad hasn’t seen a case this strange since “that thing in San Francisco.”
That thing was two badass symbiotes raising hell around the Golden Gate bridge in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. And whether you liked it or not, whether you watched it or not, that one of the Morbius Easter Eggs will be rolling our way soon!
5. The Friendly Neighborhood Murderer
Sony was good at offering several Morbius Easter Eggs via the trailers. Shoot, it’s not like they had 912 days to think about it or something, but there was one that was expanded in view during the movie. Dr. Morbius does a Houdini from the local jail and he’s marching through back alleys to stay off the grid. Then, there’s that graffiti-covered note about Spider-Man.
If you looked quickly at the image, there may be a belief that Spidey is being called out for “killing” Mysterio. Now, if you looked carefully, you would see Peter’s suit resembles the Raimi-verse, starring Tobey Maguire. Now, it gets confusing because there is already the supposition and proven discussion that Morbius happens across the country from Venom and–what really is–TASM with Andrew Garfield.
So, it’s a multiverse thing, a goofed edit thing, or just maybe it’s an Easter Egg thing. Can’t wait until we order a nerd omelet.
4. Burying the Lede
No, that is not a typo. It’s an idiom in journalism that means beginning a story with fluff that no one cares about, instead of the meat and potatoes that tell people why to care. Anyway, in a 1950s newsroom, the term was “bury the lead” (rhymes with “need”) but when it was written down, it was pronounced “bury the lead” (rhymes with “Ned”) and confused everyone. That’s why it’s spelled the way it is.
During the cavalcade of Morbius Easter Eggs, we see the paper. If you look past the 24-point font, you may see two buried and much smaller headlines reading “Rhino on the Loose” and “Black Cat: Friend or Foe?” If you know comics, you know those two have much more to do with Spider-Man than Marvel has allowed us to see so far in TASM 2 in 2014.
Oh, please tell us expansion is nigh.
3. Martine the Vampire Slayer
For those who were familiar with the living vampire, Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) is a crucial link to love and the afterlife for Michael Morbius. Long story, short–while Morbius tends to his paternal surrogate, Milo finds Dr. Bancroft and tries to kill her. Morbius floats to her rescue, they smooch, she bites his lip, and goes all Fifty Shades of Grey on the roof and slurps a little of his blood in the process. Then dies.
Morbius does what any vampiric anti-hero would do–snacks on his woman and exsanguinates her right on the roof. Of course, that breath freshener of his blood was all it took. Her eyes open and we’re left knowing she’s coming back for a sequel. Thank God because her cat, right?
Anywho, see number eight up there? Bram Stoker wrote the legend of Dracula in 1897. In the book, we learn one sip of the undead’s blood for the “vampire baptism” experience. Now, someday, may you have someone who loves you as this chick loves her some Michael Morbius. She followed him until he had to kill her to stop her from taking a bite out of crime…and Peter Parker. But that’s another story–Amazing Spider-Man #622, to be exact, and possibly, another movie.
2. A Russian Gentleman and Card Player
Despite the United Nations getting bent out of shape about this celebration, one of the Morbius Easter Eggs involved a Russian throwback of joyous Vodka-induced comic relief. (See what I did there?)
In the movie, Milo is in his NYC palatial loft surrounded by thugs. Dr. Nikos asked about it and Milo admitted the need for protection because of some “Russian gentleman.” Last summer, Marvel announced Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be cast as Kraven the Hunter.
And that easter egg just opened the door. Kraven’s real name is Sergei Kravinoff, who was first brought to us in 1963, Amazing Spider-Man #15. That name is certainly Russian and Spidey’s majordomo killer is making his way to us.
Not for nothing but Marvel has been planning this big reveal for more than three years. In March 2019, a Reddit Eagle-Eye user named u/damundio noticed something on the street in uptown Manchester, England.
It looked like this. Believe me, ain’t no one moving a couch. The Hunter is here.
P.S. Morbius is also known to be an enemy of the Daywalker Blade (Adventure Into Fear #24, 1970). And Mahershala Ali was introduced to the MCU via Eternals. And that, DC Comics and WarnerMedia, is how you create connections!
1. Free Bird
If you went to see Morbius hoping for Adrian Toomes grand unveiling, you would be waiting a while. Michael Keaton‘s star baddie, Vulture, wasn’t seen until the credits began rolling. And then he swooped in for two interesting scenes. First, Toomes is placed in this universe, albeit inside a jail cell. Since he appeared (thanks Doc Strange) without technically committing a crime, he’s set free.
That leads to the second surprise of Morbius Easter Eggs. The not-so-good doctor is standing in the middle of a field when this out-of-control drone is racing his way. Only, it’s Vulture flying in for a quick meeting. There the future is revealed–“a bunch of guys should team up.”
We’ve seen Doctor Octopus and Electro in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Mysterio and Sandman are alive-ish. Vulture is flying home and thanks to a righteous Cadbury egg, Kraven is on the prowl. Yes, The Sinister Six is coming to a theater near us all! And thank the Lord and Stan Lee for that.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
