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Morbius

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Morbius, the Living Vampire
Cover of Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971,) the first appearance of Morbius. Art by Gil Kane.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAmazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971)
Created byRoy Thomas
Gil Kane
In-story information
Alter egoMichael Morbius
Team affiliationsMidnight Sons
"Legion of Monsters"
Notable aliasesDr. Morgan Michaels, Nikos Michaels
Abilitiesgifted scientist
Biochemical vampirism grants:
  • Flight
  • Superhuman physical attributes
  • Hypnotism
  • Reliance on consuming human blood

Morbius, the Living Vampire is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, he first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971).

Morbius was created in large part because Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Stan Lee wanted to launch an indirect challenge on the ban by the Comics Code Authority on vampires.[citation needed] Working with writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane, they created Morbius, a living man who is given vampiric abilities via scientific means, and not the supernatural ones prohibited by the Code. Kane was instructed to specifically avoid Gothic fashion elements and design a costume for Morbius that was akin to what any other Marvel supervillain would wear, and he specifically chose the red and blue primary colors which were the staple of characters from Spider-Man to Superman.[citation needed] In part because of the success of Morbius, the Comic Code was liberalized on the subject of vampires[citation needed] and other horror characters several months later, allowing Marvel and other publishers to use actual vampires such as Count Dracula.

Publication history

Dr. Michael Morbius first appeared in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #101 (1971), part of the Six-Arms Saga. Morbius became the main feature of Marvel's bi-monthly Adventure into Fear anthology series from issues #20-31 (1972-1975). Morbius received several serialized solo features in the pages of Vampire Tales, a black and white magazine published in the mid-1970s. The series lasted for 11 issues. An Annual was also published.

In 1992, Morbius was revived in an on-going series entitled Morbius the Living Vampire as part of the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover event between Marvel's supernatural/horror themed comics. 32 issues were published beginning in the summer of 1992. The series ended in the spring of 1995. These later stories add to his repertoire of powers the ability to hypnotize others and describe his ability to fly as also psionic in nature. A one-shot special tentatively titled Spider-Man/Venom/Morbius by Morbius writer Len Kaminski was scheduled for 1993, but never saw print due to editorial conflicts which eventually led to the writer's departure from the series. A reprint series entitled Morbius Revisited was published from 1992-1993 and featured material originally presented in the pages of Adventure into Fear #27-31. Solo stories starring Morbius also appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics Presents #144 (1993), Midnight Sons Unlimited #2 (1993), Strange Tales: Dark Corners #1 (1998) and Amazing Fantasy, Vol.2 #18 (2005).

Legion of Monsters: Morbius, a one-shot special, was released in May 2007.

Enemies and allies

Morbius was first introduced as a villain in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man. He would return to battle Spider-Man over the years in the pages of Marvel Team-Up Vol.1 #3-4; Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #6-8 and #38; Morbius the Living Vampire #3-4 and #21-23; and later in Peter Parker, Spider-Man Vol.1 #77-80 and Vol.2 #8.

Spider-Man and Morbius formed an uneasy alliance during the Maximum Carnage crossover series.

Blade the Vampire Hunter and Morbius have had an on-going feud which began in Adventure into Fear #24. The two also clashed in Marvel Preview #8, Blade the Vampire Hunter #8, Blade Vol.1 #2-3, and Blade Vol.4 #5. Blade, while possessed by a demonic presence, killed Morbius in Morbius the Living Vampire #12, but Morbius was resurrected in Spirits of Vengeance #13.

Simon Stroud, a rogue CIA agent first introduced in the pages of Creatures on the Loose, has been hunting Morbius since Adventure into Fear #27. Stroud and Morbius last clashed in Morbius the Living Vampire #23.

During the run of Morbius the Living Vampire, Morbius crossed paths with a handful of brand new foes. They included: Vic Slaughter (introduced in issue #7),[1] the Basilisk (Wayne Gifford) (introduced in issue #5), Dr. Paine (introduced in issue #4),[2] and Bloodthirst (first seen in issue #20).[3] During this same period, Morbius also battled a new villain called Bloodbath in Midnight Sons Unlimited #2.[4]

Morbius has had a friendship with Jack Russell (Werewolf by Night) since West Coast Avengers #5, where Morbius helped Russell deal with his werewolf curse. Werewolf by Night was a frequent guest-star in the pages of Morbius the Living Vampire. Together with Man-Thing and Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), they formed the short-lived Legion of Monsters.

Morbius and Doctor Strange have teamed-up on several occasions. Morbius appeared sporadically throughout the run of Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme, beginning with issue #10. Dr. Strange recruited Morbius as one of "the Nine" a.k.a. the Midnight Sons, a team with only one purpose: Earth's last defense against the occult.

Fictional character biography

Adventure into Fear #20. Art by Gil Kane.

Michael Morbius was born in Greece. He is attacked by the Lizard and defeated when Spider-Man and the Lizard join forces. A flashback reveals that Morbius was actually a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, who had attempted to cure himself of a rare blood disease with an experimental treatment involving vampire bats and electroshock therapy. However, he instead became afflicted with a far worse condition that mimicked the powers and blood-thirst of legendary vampirism. Morbius now had to digest blood in order to survive and had a strong aversion to light. He gained the ability to fly, as well as superhuman strength, speed, and healing abilities. His appearance became hideous—his canine teeth extended into fangs, his nose flattened to appear more like a bat's, and his skin became chalk-white. He also gained the ability to turn others into similar "living vampires" by biting them.[5] He later sought a cure for his condition, but battled Spider-Man, the Human Torch, and the original X-Men.[6] He caused John Jameson to again become Man-Wolf. Alongside Man-Wolf, he battled Spider-Man again.[7]

Morbius later rescued Amanda Saint from the Demon-Fire Cult, and aided her in her quest for her missing parents.[8] He battled Reverend Daemond, and encountered the Caretakers of Arcturus IV. He visited the Land Within, home of the Cat People, and the planet Arcturus IV. He also first encountered Blade.[9] He then first encountered Simon Stroud, and battled the Helleyes.[10] Alongside the "Legion of Monsters," he then encountered the Starseed.[11] Morbius then battled the Thing, encountered the Living Eraser, and traveled to Dimension Z.[12] He later returned to Earth, and battled Spider-Man again.[13]

He once again fought Spider-Man, but then he was hit by a lightning strike, which cured him of his pseudo-vampirism (while retaining a thirst for blood).[14] He eventually resumed his pseudo-vampire state, and first met Doctor Strange.[15] Alongside Doctor Strange and Brother Voodoo, he battled Marie Leveau, and witnessed the resurgence of true vampires.[16] Morbius later battled Spider-Man in the New York sewers.[17]

File:Morbius17.jpg
Cover of Morbius, the Living Vampire #17.

Ghost Rider and John Blaze search for Morbius to form The Nine and stop Lilith and the Lilin from taking over the world. When they found Morbius, the vampire believed they would kill him but Ghost Rider and John Blaze successfully captured him. Dr. Langford, who tried to help Morbius' wounds, was actually trying to kill him and was working for Dr. Paine. He made an unknown mutagenic serum that would prove fatal to Morbius. Unknown to Dr. Langford, Fang, one of Lilith's children was also trying to kill Morbius by adding his own demonic blood to the serum, which would also be fatal to Morbius. When Dr. Langford injected the serum to Morbius, it did not kill him, but instead mutated him. Morbius's friend, Jacob was trying to look inside of him and see what he could do about Morbius's condition. After Martine, Morbius' wife, found out Langford was trying to kill him, Langford shot her and she bled to death. Morbius found this out and was enraged to find his wife dead. He later avenged the death of Martine Bancroft by killing Langford and took the beaker which contained the serum.[18] Ghost Rider and John Blaze later found out Morbius' destruction. Ghost Rider confronted him and would not tolerate Morbius drinking any more innocent blood. Morbius then vowed he would only drink the blood of the guilty. Ghost Rider accepted the vow, but warned him not to stray from it. Morbius soon became part of The Midnight Sons.

Later, a new faction of Vampires led by Hunger, the next evolution of the supervillain Crown, tried to destroy Morbius because he had been genetically manipulated to be the perfect weapon. The chest he was to be delivered in was intercepted by the Kingpin, Blade, and Spider-Man, and he attacked all three. Whatever unknown party manipulated him failed; he collapsed after one battle, possibly dying. With his last breath he warned Spider-Man to beware of his employer, Stuart Ward.

It was later revealed that Morbius had signed the Superhuman Registration Act and was cooperating with S.H.I.E.L.D. forces in an effort to capture Blade.[19] He had also presumably survived his Genetic Manipulation, as Blade was able to distinguish him as the same Morbius who 'Took a Bite out of [him]' in their previous encounter.

Powers and abilities

Michael Morbius experienced a transformation by electrical shock treatment and chemical ingestion into a pseudo-vampire. As a pseudo-vampire, Morbius does not possess all the powers of an actual vampire, nor is he subject to all the traditional limitations and weaknesses thereof. He possesses a variety of superhuman powers, some of which are similar to supernatural vampires within the Marvel Universe. Due to his vampire-like condition, Morbius is forced to ingest fresh blood on a regular basis to sustain his life and vitality. How much blood he requires and how often he must feed has not been specified in the comics. However, Morbius does not possess any of the mystical vulnerabilities that supernatural vampires are subject to, such as garlic, holy water, or silver. He has a strong aversion to sunlight, thanks to his photo-sensitive skin which prevents any protection from major sun burn, in contrast to "true" vampires that are incinerated by it. Morbius also lacks the shapeshifting and weather control powers of vampires, and the ability to control animals. Like "true" vampires, Morbius does possess the ability to hypnotize beings of lesser willpower and bring them under his control, which can only be resisted by those possessing an extremely strong will. He also has the ability to "morph" his body to fit through small spaces, like a mouse.

Morbius possesses an accelerated healing factor and can recover from mild to moderate injuries at a rate beyond that of ordinary humans. While not nearly as efficient as the healing powers possessed by Wolverine, Morbius has proven able to heal from multiple gunshot wounds in less than an hour. More severe injuries, such as broken bones or severe burns, might take several days to heal, but once was shown to take minutes even though it left him as a near-mindless creature who must feed to replenish the energy that was used to do so. He is unable to regenerate missing limbs or organs.

Most of Morbius's victims die or are severely injured by his bite. Unlike supernatural vampires, Morbius' victims do not necessarily become vampires themselves. There have only been four instances where Morbius's bite has turned other individuals into vampires: Jefferson Bolt (a young man first seen in Marvel Team-Up #3), Emilio (a young man first shown in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #7), Vic Slaughter (a bounty hunter who first appeared in Morbius the Living Vampire #7) and Blade the vampire hunter in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #8. The causes behind these transformations have never been clearly explained. In some versions of Spider-Man including the animated series, Morbius has the power to actually turn his victims into vampires, or he can just take their plasma. In the animated series, Morbius' "bite" is not a bite at all; he sucks the plasma out of people through his hands.

One interesting fact concerns the blood of Spider-Man. Apparently, the irradiated blood of the wall-crawler has a kind of reverse-effect on Morbius, causing his vampirism to go into remission. As a result, after drinking Spider-Man's blood, Morbius does not need to feed again for some time. Morbius once developed a serum based on Spider-Man's blood [20] which would stave off his vampirism for short periods of time.

Morbius possesses the ability of transvection, navigating wind currents and gliding for various distances. In Morbius the Living Vampire #2, it was alluded to that this ability may be related to hyper-evolved portions of his brain caused by a combination of his blood disease and vampiric condition.

While briefly infected by the demon Bloodthirst, Morbius gained the ability to liquidize his body, moving through small spaces and stretching his limbs as needed. He lost these abilities when he and Bloodthirst split.[21]

Michael Morbius possesses a gifted intellect, and is an expert biochemist and neuroradiologist with a Ph.D. in biochemistry.

Other versions

House of M

Michael Morbius briefly appears in a flashback, as one of the scientists that gave Luke Cage his powers[22]

Ultimate Morbius

File:Ultimatemrobius.jpg
Ultimate Morbius, The Living Vampire.

"Ultimate" Morbius first appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man #95. Unlike the original character from which he was derived, Ultimate Morbius is a "true" vampire, the son of Dracul, and brother of Vlad III Dracula himself (who was, in Ultimate Marvel continuity, the same as the historic ruler of our world, rather than a vampire), with all of the powers and abilities associated with the usual interpretation of Dracula. This Morbius, however, seems to be heroically struggling against his baser instincts. He meets Spider-Man in a typical misunderstanding, centering around a cabal of vampires attacking Ben Urich. He is really trying to stop Urich from becoming a vampire, which he succeeds in doing despite the conflict.

In other media

Television

Morbius appeared in Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the 1990s, played by Nick Jameson. Morbius first appeared in his human form in "The Insidious Six" (Season #2, episode 14) and the episode that followed his debut, Battle of the Insidious Six. In these episodes, he has a romance with Felicia Hardy (the Black Cat in the future). In the episode entitled "Morbius", he stole a vial of Peter Parker's blood in the belief this was part of Parker's entry in a science competition they were both competing in. While examining the blood in his laboratory, one of the vampire bats he was experimenting on escaped, and began to lap it up. When Morbius tried to scare the bat away, it bit him. The bite infected him with Parker's irradiated blood, transforming him into a living vampire.

File:Spidermanep19.jpg
Animated Morbius in Spider-Man: The Animated Series

He appeared as a villain in the following four episodes: Enter the Punisher, Duel of the Hunters, Blade the Vampire Hunter, and The Immortal Vampire, along with "The Awakening" and "The Vampire Queen" in Season #4. At the end of "The Vampire Queen", Morbius stopped becoming an evil blood sucker and joined forces with vampire hunter Blade and superhuman Black Cat to stop Blade's evil mother, Mirium. Morbius made a cameo at the beginning and end of the second episode of the animated version of "Secret Wars," along with Blade, who were not only concerned about stopping Mirium but curious where Black Cat went (she was transported from Earth to the Secret Wars planet to fight alongside with Spider-Man as one of the heroes to help him). That was the last appearance of Morbius in the show.

Fundamental changes were enforced upon his depiction by Fox, who imposed a heavy level of censorship on the series. These changes included:

  • Being unable to bite anyone, despite having fangs and clearly being a vampire. Instead he was rendered with suckers on his palms to drain his victims, similar to another "Living Vampire" from the Marvel Universe, Bloodscream.
  • Not being able to mention the word 'blood' in any capacity, instead only using 'plasma'.

Film

In the Bonus Features of the Blade DVD, an alternate ending can be seen where Blade, after dispatching Deacon Frost, walks out onto the rooftop of a building only to glimpse a figure whose identity is concealed behind a cloth mask. The film's writer David S. Goyer has stated that he originally intended Morbius to be the primary villain should there be a sequel to Blade.[citation needed] This was eventually scrapped in favor of the Reaper storyline in the actual Blade II film.

Video games

  • Morbius appears as a non-playable "call-in" character in the video-game Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage. When summoned, he distracts or injures enemies, depending on which title character the player is utilizing.
  • Morbius also appeared in the Wii, PS2, and PSP versions of Spider Man 3 the video game. Spider-Man spends many parts of the game trying to find a cure for Morbius; unfortunately this involves battling him on more than one occasion.

Bibliography

  • Adventure into Fear #20-31 (February, 1972 — December, 1975)
  • Amazing Fantasy Vol.2 #18 (2005)
  • Amazing Spider-Man #101 (first appearance), #102 (origin), #379-380, 500 (cameo)
  • Blade: The Vampire Hunter #8 (1995)
  • Blade vol. 1 #2-3 (1998; scheduled issues #4-6 were never published)
  • Blade vol. 4 #5 (Civil War; 2007)
  • Daredevil Vol.1 #324-325
  • Darkhold #15-16 (1993)
  • Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #10, 11, 14-18, 52-53, 60-66
  • Exiles #54-56 (Alternate continuity appearance)
  • Fantastic Four Vol.1 #267-269, 315-316
  • Fantastic Four Roast #1 (cameo)
  • Ghost Rider Vol.2 #25 (cameo), 31 (1992)
  • Ghost Rider & Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #13, 17-18 (1993)
  • Giant-Size Superheroes #1
  • Giant-Size Werewolf by Night #4
  • Legion of Monsters: Morbius #1 (2007)
  • Marvel Comics Presents #144-145
  • Marvel Premiere #28
  • Marvel Preview #8
  • Marvel Team-Up Vol.1 #3-4
  • Marvel Two-in-One #15
  • Midnight Sons Unlimited #1-7 (1993-1994)
  • Morbius the Living Vampire #1-32 (September, 1992 — April, 1995)
  • Nightstalkers #7-8, 14-15
  • Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol.1 #6-8, 38-39
  • Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol.1 #77-80
  • Peter Parker: Spider-Man Vol.2 #8
  • Savage She-Hulk #9, #11-12
  • Spectacular Spider-Man Vol.1, #202-203 (1993)
  • Spectacular Spider-Man Vol.2, #14 (2004)
  • Spider-Man #13-14 (1991), #36
  • Spider-Man Unlimited Vol.1, #2 (cameo)
  • Strange Tales: Dark Corners One-Shot (1998)
  • Supernaturals #4 (Alternate continuity cameo)
  • Vampire Tales #1-11
  • Vampire Tales Annual #1
  • Venom: The Enemy Within #1-3
  • Web of Spider-Man #102-103 (1993)
  • West Coast Avengers #5-6
  • What If...? Vol.2, #41 (Alternate continuity appearance)
  • X-Man #24

Reprints

  • Ghost Rider: Rise of the Midnight Sons Trade Paperback
  • Ghost Rider Team-Up Trade Paperback
  • Marvel Selects: Spider-Man #2-3
  • Marvel Tales #252-253
  • Morbius Revisited #1-5
  • Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage Trade Paperback
  • Spider-Man Megazine #3-4

Magazines

  • Marvel Age #114 (cover only), 115
  • Midnight Sons Magazine #1
  • Wizard: The Guide to Comics #24

Notes

  1. ^ Vic Slaughter at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  2. ^ Dr. Paine at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  3. ^ Bloodthirst at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  4. ^ Bloodbath at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe
  5. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #102
  6. ^ Marvel Team-Up #3-4
  7. ^ Giant-Size Superheroes #1
  8. ^ Vampire Tales #2-5, 7-8
  9. ^ Fear #20-26
  10. ^ Fear #27-29
  11. ^ Marvel Premiere #28
  12. ^ Marvel Two-in-One #15
  13. ^ Spectacular Spider-Man #7-8
  14. ^ Spectacular Spider-Man #38
  15. ^ Doctor Strange Vol. 3 #10
  16. ^ Doctor Strange Vol. 3 #14-18
  17. ^ Spider-Man #13-14
  18. ^ Morbius #1
  19. ^ Blade #5
  20. ^ Morbius the Living Vampire #5
  21. ^ Morbius the Living Vampire #20
  22. ^ House of M: Avengers #1

References


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