Morbius Director Confirms MCU Character Isn't a Variant

During the first trailer for Morbius it is revealed that Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes would appear in the film. Keaton's character first appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming as the films main antagonist, so the character appearing in an alternate universe leads to a lot of questions. Questions like whether or not he's the same Adrian Toomes from Marvel Cinematic Universe. According to Morbius director Daniel Espinosa, Keaton is the same Adrian Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming.

"At the end of Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home, and in No Way Home itself, it is clearly established that it is possible for characters to transfer from one Multiverse to another," Espinosa told Cinemablend during a Twitter Q&A. "The events of No Way Home had the effect of transferring Venom and Vulture (and maybe others ) back and forth between the MCU and the Venom Universe."

Before the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, no one was sure exactly how the multiverse would work. We knew that a few villains from previous Spider-Man movies would get transferred to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but we weren't exactly sure how that came to be. No Way Home uses the idea that, because Peter Parker messes up Doctor Strange's spell to make the world forget he's Spider-Man, people that know who Spider-Man is across the multiverse were transported to the MCU. 

The problem with that, is that Tom Hardy's Venom was also sent to the MCU, and there was no previous indication that he knew who Peter Parker or Spider-Man was. Keaton's Toomes being transported to the Venom/Morbius universe turns Sony's take on the multiverse into a bit of a plot hole. Hopefully the studio will ultimately explain what really went on in an upcoming film.

The concept of the multiverse is pretty out there and it seems that Keaton was pretty confused while shooting his Morbius scenes. The actor recently had an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where he revealed that crew behind Morbius tried to explain the quantum mechanics behind the Spider-Verse. Apparently the actor didn't understand a thing they were saying.

"I'm nodding like I know what the fuck they're talking about. I go, 'Uh-huh.' And I'm thinking, 'You may as well be explaining quantum physics right now to me. All I know is I just know my guy. And I know the basics,'" Keaton told the trade. "So finally, they were looking at me, and they just started laughing. They said, 'You don't know what we're talking about, do you?' I said, 'No, I don't, no idea what you're talking about.' "

Morbius will hit theaters everywhere on April 1, 2022! The film stars Jared Leto, Michael Keaton, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Matt Smith and Tyrese Gibson. Morbius follows Leto as Michael Morbius, a doctor who is suffering from a rare blood condition and tries a very risky cure that essentially turns him into a vampire.

Are you excited to see Michael Keaton return as Adrian Toomes in Morbius? What do you think of how Marvel is handling the multiverse? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @NateBrail up on Twitter!