- Looking for another version of Morbius? Check out the Morbius disambiguation page.
Michael Morbius was a student at Empire State University. After a laboratory accident he became a vampire and has met Spider-Man as both friend and foe.
History[]
Early life[]
Michael Morbius was born in the European country of Transylvania. As a young adult, a mysterious disease infected and killed several of his countrymen. After seeing the death and suffering that surrounded him, Morbius promised his people that he would go to America and search for a cure for their illness. Upon arriving in America, he enrolled at Empire State University where he quickly became one of Dr. Curt Connors's top students and got into a rivalry with fellow student, Peter Parker.
Later life[]
Turning into a vampire[]
Empire State University was later given a chance to win grant money from the Toomes Foundation if Curt Connors's class came up with the best and most original Neogenics experiment. Connors made a contest out of this and made his students come up with individual Neogenics projects and told his students that whoever came up with the best project and won ESU the grant money would also become his research assistant. That day after class let out Morbius approached Peter and told him that he did not think of him as a threat at Connors competition. Felicia Hardy then walked up to them to say hello to Peter. However, Morbius interrupted them and introduced himself to Felicia because Morbius thought Felicia was extremely beautiful. However, Felicia believed that Morbius was strange and walked away with Peter and asked him to escort her to a Hardy Foundation event. She also told Peter that she thought Morbius was weird. However, Felicia's purse was later stolen by a mugger and Morbius was able to get it back for her. This made Felicia change the way she thought about Morbius and she asked him to go to dinner with her.
Later, to get the upper hand in the Neogenics competition, Morbius broke into Peter's locker at ESU and stole a sample of his blood. He believed that the Neogenic blood was for his Neogenics project. However, Morbius was unaware that the blood sample was really Peter's blood and that he was going to test Mariah Crawford's mutation cure on it.
A short time later, Morbius secretly set up a laboratory in the attic of a building in ESU to work on his Neogenics project for Dr. Connors's class. Felicia eventually found Morbius at his secret lab and discovered that he was stealing power and equipment from ESU to work on his project. However, after Felicia learned that Morbius came to America to find a cure for his people she sympathized with him and Felicia began to fall even more in love with Morbius.
Morbius eventually became obsessed with discovering how Peter created the Neogenic blood and decided to use the Neogenic Recombinator to examine the blood and determine what it was made of. As Morbius turned on the Neogenic Recombinator he looked at a computer to read the findings on the blood. However, unknown to him, one of his vampire bats got free and flew into the path of the Recombinator's radioactive beam and started to drink Peter's blood. After both drinking Peter's radioactive blood and being exposed to the radiation from the Neogenic Recombinator, the vampire bat became radioactive. As soon as Morbius realized that the bat was interfering in his experiment he attempted to shoo the bat away. However, the vampire bat bit Morbius on the hand and he passed out.
Terrorizing New York[]
A short while later Morbius awoke and was excited to learn that he could fly and had other powers. However, he soon realized that his physical appearance had changed and was horrified by what he saw. Morbius then began to feel a great hunger for blood. Morbius then flew into the ESU campus and started to drain the blood of some of the students. However, Spider-Man was nearby and tackled Morbius and saved the student. As Morbius flew to a nearby rooftop Spider-Man followed him. As a fight ensued, Morbius was able to overpower Spider-Man. Morbius attempted to feed on Spider-Man's blood but he stopped himself because he did not wish to harm anyone else. A short while later Morbius went to Felicia's apartment to drain her blood but once again was able to stop himself. Spider-Man then arrived and was able to chase Morbius away and he followed him. As they once again began to fight the sun came up which turned Morbius back into a human and he was taken to the hospital. As it turned dark, Morbius turned back into a vampire and flew out of his hospital window.
After Spider-Man mutated and grew four extra arms, Morbius is spotted near the hospital where he vanished. Wanting to cure Morbius, Spider-Man went to him. They briefly fight but Morbius was able to get away. Spider-Man attempted to follow him. However, Spider-Man was attacked by the Punisher. However, Spider-Man is able to identify the sounds on the recorder that belonged to Morbius and was able to track him to a clock tower. Spider-Man attempted to take Morbius to get help but he refused and began to fight Spider-Man. During their fight Spider-Man pushed Morbius into a Neogenic Recombinator he was constructing and destroyed it. After this Morbius revealed that he was building the Neogenic Recombinator to cure himself. Morbius then flew away. Spider-Man attempted to follow Morbius but Morbius got away when Spider-Man was attacked by the Punisher.
Morbius later attempted to stop drinking blood. However, his hunger for blood got the better of him. One night, Morbius went to Empire State University and entered a laboratory where Debra Whitman was working and attempted to drain her blood. Flash Thompson was nearby and as he heard her scream, he entered the lab and tried to fight off Morbius. However, Flash was overpowered by Morbius, who drained his blood. Spider-Man (who at this time had mutated into a giant spider creature) entered the lab and shot his web at Morbius' arm. Morbius was shocked by what he saw and a fight ensued. Man-Spider was able to overpower Morbius. Knowing that he could not defeat the creature Morbius flew out of the window.
World of the undead[]
Morbius eventually learned to love being a vampire because he was now immortal and could not be harmed. Around this time Blade began tracking Spider-Man whom the Daily Bugle was reporting that Spider-Man had turned into a vampire. One night Spider-Man managed to track down Morbius and fought him. Spider-Man offered to turn Morbius back into a human. However, Morbius refused. At that moment Blade arrived and almost killed Morbius. However, Morbius was able to get away before Blade could kill him.
Morbius then broke into the Empire State University science lab and stole the Neogenic Recombinator. However, when Morbius went outside both Spider-Man and Blade were waiting for him. However, Morbius picked up Blade and flew him into the sky. While did this, he revealed to Blade that he wanted to use the Neogenic Recombinator to turn everyone on Earth into a vampire. Morbius then dropped Blade into a smokestack, but Spider-Man managed to save him. This gave Morbius enough time to get away with the Recombinator.
However, Spider-Man revealed to Blade that he removed a CBU chip from the Neogenic Recombinator and without the CBU chip the Recombinator would not work. Spider-Man and Blade then went to EXG Electronics where the CBU chips were manufactured. As Spider-Man and Blade arrived at EXG they saw Morbius searching for a chip to make the Recombinator work. Blade attempted to kill Morbius with his crossbow, but Spider-Man pushed Blade out of the way causing him to miss Morbius. At that moment Terri Lee arrived and Morbius took her hostage. As Morbius flew into the air he dropped Lee, but Blade caught her. This distraction gave Morbius enough time to get away. Spider-Man followed Morbius and fought him. However, Morbius was able to get away with the CBU chip. That night Spider-Man returned home and discovered Morbius was in his room. Spider-Man then deduced that Morbius was looking for a sample of his Neogenic blood so that he could use it to create an army of vampires. However, Morbius could not find a sample of Peter's blood and flew out the window.
Desperate to find Peter, Morbius went to the Daily Bugle and grabbed J. Jonah Jameson and demanded to know where Peter was. However, Jameson did not know where Peter was so Morbius threw him against the wall, and he flew out of a window.
Peter later returned home where he was attacked by Morbius who demanded he give him a sample of his Neogenic blood. Peter told Morbius that the blood was in his van. However, when Morbius opened the doors to the van he saw that Blade was waiting for him. Blade then activated a device that placed an electric field around Morbius. However, the machine malfunctioned and Morbius was set free. At that moment May Parker walked outside and Morbius grabbed her. Morbius then told Peter that he would hold May hostage until he got the Neogenic blood. Morbius then flew off with May.
Spider-Man knew that Felicia would be the first person Morbius wanted to turn into a vampire, so he watched her apartment. However, Spider-Man was distracted and during this time Morbius arrived at the apartment and abducted Felicia. However, Spider-Man was able to follow them.
As Felicia awoke she found herself in a cargo ship and learned that Morbius was the one responsible for the blood disease that was afflicting New York City. Blade and Terri Lee were able to track Morbius to the cargo ship. Morbius was alerted to their presence and he attacked Blade. However, Blade was able to capture Morbius. Blade prepared to kill Morbius but Terri Lee was able to talk him out of it. Spider-Man then arrived and attacked Blade believing that Blade was about to kill Morbius. Morbius was then able to free himself and he went inside the cargo ship, and he was going to use the Neogenic Recombinator to turn Felicia into a vampire to help him fight Spider-Man and Blade. However, Felicia told Morbius that the man she fell in love with wanted to stop a plague and would not harm anyone. After hearing this, Morbius realized that Felicia was right, and he had gone too far and swore to find someone that could turn him back into a human. At that moment Blade and Spider-Man broke into the ship and the falling debris hit the Neogenic Recombinator causing it to turn on. As the beam from the Recombinator got closer to Felicia, Morbius ran into the path of the beam to protect her. Exposure to radiation from the Neogenic Recombinator caused Morbius to mutate into a giant bat creature. After a brief fight with Spider-Man and Blade, Morbius flew off. Spider-Man then studied the Neogenic Recombinator and learned that it completely merged Morbius' DNA with the DNA of a bat and that because of this he would never be human again. He then left for an island close to New York to hibernate.
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Darkhold[]
While the X-Men were being attacked by Alpha Red and his vampire followers, Deadgirl used Cerebro to communicate with magical elf known as the Darkhold Elf. Deadgirl wished that there were no more vampires on Earth. The Darkhold Elf granted Deadgirl's wish and used his powers to turn all vampires on Earth into normal humans. This means Morbius is now a normal human.
Powers and weaknesses[]
Powers[]
As a vampire Morbius is able to fly.
Morbius also has super strength.
Morbius' senses are also enhanced. According to Michael Morbius himself he is able to hear every heartbeat around him.
Morbius is capable of draining another person's blood through suction cups on the palm of his hands.
Weaknesses[]
Morbius will be in pain and become weaker if he does not drink blood for a long period of time.
Like other vampires if Morbius breaths in the scent of garlic he will suffocate, but unlike other vampires he won't die of it, it would just stun him and knock him out.
If exposed to sunlight Morbius will turn back into his human form.
In the comics[]
Morbius in his costume from the comics
In the comics Michael Morbius was a brilliant scientist born in Greece who became a Nobel Prize winning biochemist.
Morbius suffered from a debilitating blood disease and developed an experimental treatment in which he injected himself with vampire bat DNA and subjected himself to electroshock therapy.
To test his cure Morbius, his lover, Martine Bancroft, and his assistant, Emil Nikos, were on a yacht so that Morbius could test the cure for his blood disease on himself.
While on the yacht Morbius injected himself with the vampire bat DNA and underwent electroshock therapy. The experiment was successful in curing him, but he was transformed into a vampire.
Morbius then killed Nikos. However, he did not want to harm Martine, so Morbius dove into the water to get far away from her.
Morbius then came to America where he met and fought Spider-Man who at the time had grown four extra arms.
At first Morbius was a villain. However, he eventually became a hero and joined a team called the Midnight Sons. The Midnight Sons was formed by Ghost Rider after he had a vision that Lilith, the Mother of Demons, was being resurrected and posed a great threat. The members of the Midnight Sons were Morbius, the Nightstalkers (Blade and Hannibal King), Darkhold Redeemers, and both Ghost Riders, Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch.
In the comics Morbius wore a black spandex outfit with a red cape shaped like bat wings. This was changed in Spider-Man: The Animated Series to where Morbius wore normal street clothes.