Tyrese Gibson, who joins Jared Leto in Sony’s Morbius, has revealed his role embedded in the hashtags of an Instagram post: Agent Stroud.
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Gibson is likely playing Simon Stroud, a little-seen former CIA agent from the Marvel Comics who hunted and battled both Morbius, a man-turned-living vampire, and the Man-Wolf, another orbiting Spider-Man character who was part man, part werewolf.
Beyond repeat appearances throughout the first volume of Morbius: The Living Vampire, Stroud appeared in such spinoff titles as the monster-centric Fear, scant appearances in Marvel Team-Up, and Creatures on the Loose, appearing in issues that featured Man-Wolf.
The Fast and the Furious star boards a cast that already includes Leto (Suicide Squad), Jared Harris (Mad Men), and Matt Smith (Doctor Who). Avi Arad (Venom), Matt Tolmach (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Lucas Foster (Bad Boys) serve as producers for this next entry in the Spider-Man-less “Sony’s Universe of Marvel Characters,” already inhabited by Eddie Brock-slash- Venom (Tom Hardy).
Plot details remain under wraps, but an early synopsis identified Morbius as a horror action story centered around scientist Michael Morris, who is accidentally transformed into a blood-sucking creature during his attempt to cure a rare blood disease. Disgusted by his newfound bloodlust, Morbius preys on criminals he deems unworthy of life — likely bringing him into the crosshairs of Agent Stroud.
Tolmach previously told ComicBook.com he expects “awesomeness” out of the Academy Award-winning Leto, who will exhibit “a similar level of intensity and charisma and devotion to the character” he brought to the Joker.
“And loving the character,” added Arad, prompting Tolmach to say Leto “loves the character” of Morbius, a sometimes-villain, sometimes-anti-hero.
Morbius opens July 31, 2020.
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