It seems not even Michael Keaton knew what he was doing in Morbius! The actor recently spoke on his experience filming his cameo as Vulture for the film.
Morbius is a prime example of everything that can go wrong with a comic book movie. Casting a controversial actor for an obscure character using a script with no passion behind it is a recipe for disaster. That reflected in the numbers, with the film flopping, not once, but twice at the box office.
The film featured an ill-fated post-credits scene with a cameo that, seemingly, will never go anywhere due to how badly Morbius flopped. This scene featured Michael Keaton as the Vulture taking a multiversal trip to recruit Morbius to fight Spider-Man. Confused? It seems so was Keaton, who explained that he still has no idea what was going on in that scene.
“I mean, they said ‘Okay’ … and even they couldn’t quite explain it,” Keaton told the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “They said, ‘Look, let me just kind of tell you,’ and I go, ‘I really don’t quite know what you’re talking about or even who some of these people are,’ and he said, ‘Okay, let me explain,’ but it was complicated because, obviously, they were looking down the road.”
“I’m nodding like I know what the f*** they’re talking about,” He continued. “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,’ 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.'”
The confusion Michael Keaton is referring to is the idea that Vulture was sucked through a magical multiverse portal after Spider-Man: No Way Home, landing him in the Morbius universe with no recollection of Peter Parker’s real identity despite having a vendetta out against him.
When laid out all at once, it’s no wonder Michael Keaton didn’t understand his cameo. In fact, it’s a miracle anyone understood his appearance in Morbius at all! Though luckily for everyone involved, it’s almost impossible for the film to get a sequel, leaving the post-credits scene to languish with all the other broken promises from comic book films.
Though it seems Morbius might not go down in history as the worst Sony Spider-Man spin-off. Madaem Web performed similarly horribly at the box office, leaving the studio to reevaluate the direction they’re going with the IP. Rumors suggest that they may pivot to animation with a Sinister Six film. Hopefully, for everyone’s sake, Michael Keaton stays out of that one!
