Easter eggs in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 referenced the existence of Venom and Morbius. After the successful launch of The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, Sony quickly began developing plans for it to be the basis for an entire cinematic universe. Andrew Garfield's sequel arrived in 2014 and was envisioned to be the film that truly kicked off a larger franchise. This included teasing multiple villains that could appear in future films, including both Venom and Morbius, among others.

The majority of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 saw Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man fight Electro (Jaime Foxx) and Harry Osborn's Goblin (Dane DeHaan). However, the movie also introduced characters like Alistair Smythe and Felicia Hardy before she was Black Cat, who both could've been villains moving forward. The clearest example of Sony using The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to set up future films came at the end with Rhino, Doc Ock, and Vulture teased to be members of a future Sinister Six team.

Related: Can Spider-Man's Sinister Six Movie Still Happen After No Way Home?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 didn't wait until the end to tease other villains who could enter Peter Parker's life, though. During a scene with Harry Osborn at Oscorp, he accidentally discovers secret files about what his father's business has been working on. These include teases for the future Sinister Six reveal, but other villains can be seen listed among the files. One of them is labeled as "Venom Storage," which is a possible sign that Oscorp was in possession of the Venom symbiote at this time. Another Amazing Spider-Man 2 file was for "Dr. Morbius," who is clearly Michael Morbius, the brilliant scientist who becomes a blood-sucking vampire. It is possible that Morbius worked for Oscorp in this universe, much like the franchise's other villains Lizard and Electro.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 Venom Morbius Easter Egg SR

The inclusion of Venom and Morbius Easter eggs in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 gave audiences a glimpse of what could come in the future. Sony had plans to make a Venom spinoff movie as part of the Amazing Spider-Man cinematic universe. Those plans evolved into Tom Hardy's ongoing franchise after Spider-Man was rebooted to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was the success of Venom that then allowed Sony to act on their interest in Morbius as a character. Jared Leto was cast as the Living Vampire for a Morbius solo movie, which will finally be released in 2022 after multiple delays.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2's tease that Andrew Garfield's Spidey could meet Venom and Morbius ultimately was unfulfilled, but could that change? Garfield's return as the web-slinger in Spider-Man: No Way Home has reinvigorated interest in seeing more of his Peter Parker. Sony could decide to give him another chance and make him the main Spider-Man in their new shared universe plans. That would likely mean Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man would interact with Tom Hardy's Venom and Jared Leto's Morbius at some point in the future. If it happens, The Amazing Spider-Man 2's tease will actually be paid off all these years later.

More: Why Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man Return Is More Likely Than Tobey Maguire

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