Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for Sony's Morbius.
Sony's latest venture into the universe of Spider-Man villains is Morbius. The movie borrows quite a bit from Marvel's comic book story, though not all of the movie's characters are lifted straight from the comics. One person that does appear in the comics though, is Martine Bancroft.
Adria Arjona brings the character to life for the big screen, and she's got quite a few changes to the character compared to her original Marvel Comics counterpart. Fans interested in the potential trajectory of the character might find some hints in her comic book backstory though.
When Did Martine Bancroft Make Her First Comic Book Appearance?
Martine has been a part of Marvel Comics since 1971. Her first comic book appearance came with the reveal of Michael Morbius' backstory in Amazing Spider-Man #102. Martine was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Gil Kane (AKA Eli Katz).
The comic book issue featured Spider-Man teaming up with the Lizard to take on Morbius, but much of the issue was devoted to the flashback of Morbius' origin, which is where Martine's debut came into play. Just like the movie, she was present on the boat where Morbius became the "living vampire" he would become known as.
How Is Martine's Profession Different In The Morbius Movie?
The 2022 movie makes a big change to Martine's professional life. In the comics, she debuts as Morbius' love interest, but also as his employee. She's his secretary, not on equal footing with him in a scientific lab at all.
The movie, however, sees Martine as a medical doctor and researcher. She's employed in Horizon Labs alongside Morbius, and even understands his research well enough to figure out what he's doing, despite him trying to keep her out of it and give her plausible deniability for his less than legal methods. Martine participates in his experimentation instead of just being along for the ride. Other than Morbius, she's clearly the most academically gifted in the movie.
Who Did Martine Turn To For Help In The Comics?
While the movie sees Martine injured and in the hospital after Morbius disappears following the experiment, that's not exactly what happens in the comics. There, Morbius does jump overboard to make sure he doesn't harm Martine, and she gathers up his notes and seeks out another scientist for help.
Martine actually pays a visit to Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, but that's largely because she finds letters that have gone back and forth between the two. Unfortunately for comic book fans, Morbius and the Fantastic Four don't exist in the same movie universe.
Have Martine And Morbius Ever Been Enemies?
Though Martine is a firm ally of Morbius in the movie, never turning her back on him no matter how his powers change him, that's not always the case in the comics that follow Morbius. She does turn on him, though it's not entirely her fault.
One storyline actually sees her under the control of the sorcerer Daemond. She joins Daemond's cult, thinking they can help her find a way to stop Morbius from being violent when his blood lust begins, but instead, Daemond sought to use Morbius as a sacrifice with Martine's unwitting help. Eventually, after a whole lot of conflict, Martine was able to get out from under Daemond's control, but it was only the first time she and Morbius would be on opposite sides.
Did Martine Become A Vampire?
The movie leaves Martine's fate up in the air. After urging Morbius to drink her blood when she knows her wounds are fatal, it appears Martine dies in the movie. One drop of Morbius' blood ingested, however, sees her waking up after her death without the audience knowing if she has exactly the same kinds of abilities as Morbius or not.
In the comics, it's another vampire that gets to Martine. She's actually turned into a "living vampire" like Morbius once, and then after she's cured, is turned into a "true vampire" in a later story. Martine gets to be a vampire twice, and she doesn't mind it since she thinks it will mean she can be with Morbius for eternity.
How Does Martine Die In The Comics?
Martine doesn't technically die when she becomes a vampire - either time - because she becomes immortal instead. Of course, because Martine becomes a "true vampire," the rules of vampire lore apply to her in the comics, and there are certain items that can kill her, like a stake through the heart.
Martine, knowing that she and Morbius were different types of vampires, wanted to turn the love of her (eternal) life into the same kind of vampire as her. She used Spider-Man's investigation of Morbius to track him down in Amazing Spider-Man #622, and not using the best judgment, attacked him. Her whole goal was to turn Morbius, but Morbius, who had spent most of his time as a living vampire searching for a cure, didn't want to become another kind of vampire. It led to an altercation between the two and Spider-Man, and ended with Martine's real death. Morbius was forced to use a table leg as an improvised stake against her.
Has Martine Ever Appeared In Live Action Before?
Because Spider-Man and his associated characters have been appearing in animation and live-action projects for decades, there are many different versions of a lot of his best-known associates and villains. Morbius and Martine, however, aren't some of them.
Morbius has appeared in a few different animated projects over the years, but Jared Leto's turn as the title character marks the first official appearance in live-action since a cameo from Blade was cut. Martine, on the other hand, never appeared in the animated properties. Likewise, she's never appeared in live-action until now. Adria Arjona marks the first on-screen appearance of the character.