Morbius star Jared Leto teases the return of Michael Keaton as the Vulture in Sony's next Spider-Man Universe film. Following the massive success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Sony Pictures is getting ready to release its latest installment of the studio's own Marvel-related universe. Since 2018's Venom, Sony's Spider-Man Universe has focused on the villains being depicted as antiheroes, as the Web-slinger has yet to appear. Originally set to come out in June 2020, Morbius will soon be hitting theaters, starring Leto as Marvel's take on the vampire.
While Sony Pictures have been keeping most details under wraps, one of Morbius' known mysteries is the appearance of Keaton. The 70-year old actor, best known as having played Batman, portrayed Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture, in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Even though Keaton hasn't been back in the MCU since then, the first teaser trailer for Morbius unveiled the surprise that the actor appears in the film to some capacity. It's still unclear how Vulture factors into Morbius, whether in a significant role or just a cameo, but regardless of how much screen time he receives, he will likely become one of the most discussed aspects of the Sony project.
As Morbius gets closer to finally hitting theaters, Leto shares, via Sony Pictures production notes, his excitement at having Keaton appear in his film. While he doesn't let slip a single plot detail concerning the significance of Vulture's involvement, the actor has nothing but high praise for his co-star. Here's what Leto had to say about getting to work with Keaton in Morbius:
One of the great things about being part of the larger universe is you get to plant Easter eggs – you get to pull on some other characters to jump in and join your party and surprise people. I couldn’t think of someone I’d rather work with than Michael Keaton – he’s one of my favorites.
Given Keaton's long body of successful work, it's perfectly understandable to hear Leto's joy at having worked with him in Morbius. Based on his comment about how the story "plant[s] Easter eggs," it's possible that Vulture's re-appearance is just a cameo. 2022 is a big year for Keaton in general, as he is not only returning to play his MCU villain, but he's also reprising his Batman role in the DCEU through The Flash movie. Keaton will also be seen as Bruce Wayne in HBO Max's Batgirl film, starring Leslie Grace, which is currently in production.
What is extremely unclear regarding Keaton's Morbius spot is which version this is, as it's hard to see this being the MCU iteration. Because Tom Hardy's Venom cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home only saw him to get sent back to the Sony-verse, there isn't a natural bridge that would really allow Keaton's Marvel Studios character to appear in Morbius. The likeliest scenario is that the actor is portraying a variant in Leto's film, likely with a similar history to his MCU counterpart. Unless Morbius has a multiverse twist to it, it's hard to imagine Keaton's Vulture being the same as the one he played in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Source: Sony Pictures