The debut trailer for Sony’s Morbius has landed giving fans their first look at the second entry in the Spider-Man-adjacent universe. The unexpected (and frankly undeserved) box office success of Venom, Sony is moving full steam ahead with their own universe. That said, there is a visible easter egg or two in the trailer that suggests otherwise. Jared Leto swaps DC for “in association with Marvel” taking on the title role on Morbius The Living Vampire.

Here’s the official synopsis from Sony;

“One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.”

I wasn’t a fan of Venom, not even a little bit. The movie we got vs the batshit performance from Tom Hardy seems to be at odds with each other throughout the very slight movie. Andy Serkis is directing the sequel, and that at least makes giving Venom 2 a go a more plausible option. My humble opinion of Venom is academic as Venom grossed over $800 million worldwide. The inclusion of Michael Keaton in the post title sting is curious, is he reprising his role from Spider-Man Homecoming? Is that a Sam Rami era Spider-Man suit graffitied on the wall? Could Tom Holland’s “additional MCU movie” be Doctor Strange in the Multi-Verse of Madness where the young web-slinger leaves the MCU for the Venom/Morbius universe? How many questions is too many?

This first teaser is underwhelming, while the premise is clear, one shot of Matt Smith’s villain seems misguided. Morbius swoops into cinemas on July 31, also amongst the cast include Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson.