Speculation about both a Spider-Man multiverse and expanded Spidey universe has been flying ever since Jamie Foxx was cast as Electro in the upcoming MCU film Spider-Man 3, a role the actor played in Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Benedict Cumberbatch joining the cast of the threequel as Doctor Strange – as well as rumours of Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their respective versions of Spidey, which were shot down but not-quite-denied by Sony – seemed to bolster the theorising. After all, Doctor Strange’s sequel is called Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. A now-private YouTube video on Sony’s Latin American channel also teased multiple web-slingers in the upcoming movie.
Now, Jared Leto has potentially teased an ever-growing world again. Promoting the Japan release of his new Sony Marvel-verse film Morbius, and reported by CBR, the actor commented: “I think it's going to be a fun one and I can't wait for you guys to see it. It's an exciting role and an expanding universe. There's a lot for all of us to look forward to.”
Morbius follows the eponymous main character, who undergoes experimental treatment to cure a rare blood disease – but the treatment ends up turning him into a living vampire.
The film’s trailer already seemed to hint at a Spider-Man cinematic universe with the inclusion of Michael Keaton, who appeared in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming as the villainous Vulture. Plus, there’s a brief glimpse of some Spidey graffiti, which sees the hero labelled as a ‘murderer’ – perhaps a reference to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker being framed as responsible for the death of Mysterio?
While Leto’s comment doesn't confirm a crossover, the reference to an “expanding universe” is certainly intriguing combined with what we know about Spider-Man 3 so far and the possibility of Sony's Spider-Man characters locking horns. Morbius’ first comic book appearance was in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man, so it’d make sense for the vampire and the web-slinger to cross paths at some point.
We’ll have to wait and see if the multiverse and "expanding universe" does come into play in Spider-Man 3, releasing December 17 2021, or Morbius on March 19 2021, but until then, check out everything we know so far about Marvel Phase 4.
