UPDATE: GameSpot reached out to Sony to confirm the film's release date and Tyrese Gibson's comments, learning that the film is still scheduled for release on January 28,2022, and that the film is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rather, the film is part of the Sony Pictures' Universe of Marvel characters.
Morbius star Tyrese Gibson says the movie is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the relationship between Sony's Spider-Man spinoffs and the MCU has long been uncertain, ever since Sony's Amy Pascal called them "adjuncts" to the MCU back in 2017. Remarkably, the confusion continues even now, over two years after Venom grossed over $850 million in the global box office.
Officially, Sony is building what they call the "Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters," a shared universe that will span various mediums, including movies like Venom and Morbius and TV shows such as Silk. However, it's gradually becoming clear there is some loose relationship between the SPUMC and the MCU, with Sony exec Sanford Panitch recently confirming a plan to link Spider-Verse and MCU movies. This connection could take two forms; it could take advantage of the Multiverse, with Tom Holland's Spider-Man swinging between dimensions, or it's also possible the SPUMC films are part of the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe - existing in the background of the MCU itself.
Speaking to ComicBook.com, Tyrese Gibson - who plays the character, Simon Stroud, a sometimes-ally sometimes-enemy of Morbius in the comics - has given a rare straight answer to this question. Asked whether Morbius was part of the MCU, he gave a simple response; "Yes," he answered.
Panitch's recent comments had led most viewers to believe the MCU and Sony were going to be connected via the Multiverse, fitting well with the MCU's Multiversal direction and the anticipated appearances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But Gibson's response here suggests the relationship will be a lot more direct and that Morbius - and, presumably, the rest of Sony's Marvel movies - are part of the wider MCU. This does fit with the Morbius trailer that was released in January 2020 and featured several nods to the MCU, including a reference to Spider-Man being on the run and the surprise appearance of Michael Keaton's Vulture.
If Morbius is indeed part of the MCU, then that means some fan-favorite Spider-Man stories could yet be faithfully reproduced on the big screen. The most exciting of these is Kraven, which will star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the infamous big game hunter. If Sony can use Spider-Man, they could adapt Kraven's Last Hunt, a classic comic book from 1987 that saw an obsessed Kraven impersonate Spider-Man to demonstrate his superiority. Kraven writer Richard Wenk referenced this story while talking about the script he was working on some years ago, and that arc may be possible.
For now, though, viewers would still be wise to reserve judgment as to the precise relationship between the MCU and the SPUMC. The history of this issue is very confusing, and plain answers like Gibson's are few and far between. In this specific case, it's important to note he only answered "Yes" after ComicBook.com clarified the MCU was "the Avengers' world." The trailer for Venom: Let There Be Carnage confirmed the Avengers exist in Sony's universe, so it's entirely possible Gibson is confused. Hopefully, it won't be long before there's a more definitive answer, and it becomes clear whether Morbius - and all the Sony films that go with it - have a connection to the MCU.
Source: ComicBook.com, GameSpot
