How Morbius Fits Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe Timeline & Phase 4

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding thanks to Morbius, and here's how the film fits into the Phase 4 timeline. Previously thought to be separate from the MCU and part of Sony's Universe of Marvel Characters, Morbius threw fans for a loop when the first trailer dropped. The standalone movie starring Jared Leto quickly proved to be much more than that, as references to Spider-Man were included. But, the film further latched itself to the MCU with the surprise appearance of Michael Keaton's Vulture.

Instead of existing in a separate universe filled with Sony's characters, it now appears that Morbius - and Sony's other Marvel film, Venom - are directly part of the MCU. It appears that this is possible thanks to the new deal between Disney and Sony that was agreed upon late last year. The possibilities that this creates are endless, especially on the heels of rumors that Tom Holland will appear in Venom 2. If Vulture is already returning and Holland is possibly set to crossover next, then many other MCU ties could be in store for Morbius.

This does, of course, raise some questions over how Morbius fits into the MCU as a whole. When Marvel Studios announced their Phase 4 slate last summer, there was no consideration by the public on how, or if, Sony's films could fit into these plans. Marvel Studios already has had some trouble managing the timeline as the MCU has grown, and that's with everything coming from in-house. Now that Sony is set to play in the MCU sandbox with Morbius, here's what it means for the Marvel timeline and Phase 4.

Sony Has Already Broken The MCU Timeline (Twice)

Tom Holland as Spider-Man and Marvel Broken Timeline

Before getting to Morbius itself, it is important to recap the troubles that Sony has already caused for the MCU timeline. The most egregious error that has arguably ever happened in the MCU canon came from Sony at the beginning of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Following a brief prologue set right after The Avengers, a title card reading "8 Years Later" appeared on screen and baffled those who obsess over the MCU timeline. This passage of time would place Homecoming in 2020, instead of 2016/2017 as it appears to be set. There isn't even a workable piece of head-canon to create an unofficial solution thanks to what later films mention, which resulted in Anthony and Joe Russo admitting that this was "very incorrect" on Sony's part. Marvel Studios did have a major hand in Homecoming so they aren't totally excusable from the error.

After this break in the timeline, Sony managed to complicate matters again with the release of Spider-Man: Far From Home. While the issues presented in the sequel are nowhere near as substantial as its predecessor, it is still a timeline complication from another Sony film. The core issue that it presents is lining up how the movie fits in conjunction with the prior movies as Far From Home states that it takes place 8 months after Avengers: Endgame. This statement and the summer setting of the sequel means that it must take place in the middle of 2024. The difficulty with this is what it means for when previous films are set, but it is still a smaller issue compared to what came before.

Morbius Takes Place After Spider-Man: Far From Home

With Sony's prior dealings with the MCU accounted for, there is already one clear sign for how Morbius fits into the timeline. Part of the trailer shows Michael Morbius wearing a prison jumpsuit as he walks through an ally. That could be telling about the film's central story, but the graffiti behind him is the noteworthy clue for MCU fans. A picture of Spider-Man has "MURDERER" painted over it, signifying that this takes place after Spider-Man: Far From Home. Ironically, this looks to include another possible Sony mistake as the suit featured is the one from Sam Raimi's trilogy, with the photo originally a promotional photo for the Spider-Man PS4 game. However, the tagging is clearly a reference to Far From Home's ending where Spider-Man is framed for the murder of Mysterio.

Thanks to the details of the MCU timeline that have already been laid out, we now know that at least parts of Morbius take place in 2024, or even after. Flashbacks to Michael as a child means that there will be other opportunities for the film to play with past events in the MCU, which could also happen if Michael's quest to heal himself is a long journey. In any case, Morbius will reach further into the future of the MCU than ever before, while also potentially being a project that could now provide a look at the world during the five year stretch between Thanos' snap and the dual snaps by Hulk and Iron Man. This could give the film incredible amounts of freedom to tell its own story or be filled with contradictions if this MCU connection wasn't guaranteed early enough.

Morbius Can Set Up Horror In The MCU

Once Morbius is part of the MCU though, it can also be a needed genre change for the universe that also sets up various horror elements. The clearest example of this possibility comes through the leading living vampire himself. The MCU has not yet delved into this horror territory, but it is something that they are going to explore. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was described as Marvel's first horror film prior to director Scott Derrickson leaving, and while that tone could ultimately be why he left the project, there's still a chance that the scary sequences will be kept for the 2021 release.

Even if Doctor Strange 2 doesn't pick up the horror foundation Morbius can establish, other Marvel Studios projects and characters can do just that. Moon Knight is getting his own Disney+ series, which could play in the horror/supernatural territory, especially with rumors of Werewolf by Night and Dracula appearing. There's even been speculation that Ghost Rider could make his way into a Marvel Studios production in the near future after the Hulu series was canceled.

But, Morbius is also a movie about vampires and will come in the aftermath of Marvel announcing plans to do something with their most popular one. Kevin Feige announced that Mahershala Ali will play Blade, the human-vampire hybrid who also hunts vampires. It isn't yet known when Blade will debut or in what project, but now Morbius will be able to introduce the concept of vampires to the MCU ahead of it. Now when Blade makes his first appearance and mentions that he's part vampire himself, audiences will already be familiar with one in-universe. And depending on the success of Morbius, perhaps a showdown between the two Marvel vampires can happen one day.

MORE: Morbius Movie Trailer Breakdown & MCU Story Reveals