Who exactly is Morbius, The Living Vampire? Well, Empire summed it up pretty well in their discussion of Jared Leto’s casting as the blood-thirsty anti-hero:
“Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who tries to cure a rare blood disease using an experimental treatment that combines electroshock therapy and vampire bats. The results are predictably catastrophic… He has some of the traditional vampiric qualities – he ingests blood to live, and conversely is not fond of bright light. He can fly, has superhuman strength and healing capabilities. When he bites victims and drinks their blood, his attacks are often lethal, but he doesn't turn anyone into a bloodsucker himself.”
That’s the summary, but what if that has left you thirsty for more?
As is often the case with lesser-known and secondary characters in the Marvel comics, Morbius’ presence is scattershot, with him making only occasional appearances since his introduction in 1971. This can make it difficult to get a lock on him when compared to major characters like Spider-Man or Captain America, purely because there isn’t an abundance of material available. Luckily, a character’s marginality has a flip side. Due to Michael Morbius being out of the spotlight Marvel writers, such as Fred Van Lente, Joe Keatinge and Al Barrionuevo, have been able to have a little freer reign on his stories, with more experimental and dark tones being explored.
The Living Vampire, or pseudo-vampire to be technically accurate, has been a member of many other hero teams in his career, including the Legion of Monsters and the Midnight Sons. He has killed and he has protected. He has worked for the S.H.I.E.L.D affiliate A.R.M.O.R and been incarcerated in the Raft, the prison for those with superpowers. He's an anti-hero, who strives, struggles and often fails. This makes for a hugely stimulating and rewarding read.
Here's a reader’s guide to some of the greatest and most important Morbius appearances to get your teeth into. Drink up and enjoy.
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Who Is Morbius, The Living Vampire?
1 of 7Decades: Marvel In The '70s - Legion Of Monsters, £14.69
Morbius is just one of Marvel's takes on traditional supernatural legends, along with the likes of Frankenstein's monster, the Werewolf and Manphibian. In this classic collection, you'll see what brought them together into The Legion of Monsters. Plus, vampire-hunter extraordinaire Blade makes himself be known… Amazon.co.uk
2 of 7Spirits of Vengeance: Rise of the Midnight Sons, £29.50
Spreading his supernatural scope, Morbius enters into the Midnight Sons, an alliance orchestrated by Doctor Strange, and including Hellstorm, Werewolf by Night and the Nightstalkers and Ghost Riders. The Sons work to vanquish Lilith, Mother of All Demons – as the name suggests, Lilith isn't setting up a peaceful outreach programme. Amazon.co.uk
3 of 7Legion of Monsters, £15.28
The Legion of Monsters return and this time they are hunted by Elsa Bloodstone, a monster-hunter seeking a serial killer. In this iteration the Legion, which includes Morbius, Werewolf by Night, N'Kantu the Living Mummy and Manphibian, strives alongside the reanimated corpse of The Punisher, now dubbed FrankenCastle, to defend themselves and find the true killer.Amazon.co.uk
4 of 7Marvel Zombies: The Complete Collection Volume 2, £18.58
Initiated by Robert Kirkman of The Walking Dead fame, this bizarre Marvel Zombies series sees the intersection of superheroes, super-villains, zombies and an alternate reality. It's gory, gruesome and hilarious. Morbius, along with The Midnight Sons, makes his appearance in the fourth of five Zombie instalments, and plays a pretty major role in the (bonkers) plot. In this collection, Morbius' story falls in the second volume, so you'll want to pick up the first instalment as well. It's certainly worth a read if you want to spend some time with an array of characters in a unique situation. Amazon.co.uk
5 of 7Spider-Man: The Gauntlet Volume 3 - Vulture & Morbius, from £4
The Gauntlet is a branded series from Marvel which brings back an array of Spidey's oldest enemies in a relentless stream of incidents, which though not strictly coordinated by the villains, seriously test Spider-Man's endurance and resilience. Morbius makes his appearance in the third instalment and is found to be in possession of a vial of a certain someone's blood…Jump in at the beginning with The Amazing Spider-Man: The Gauntlet – The Complete Collection Vol. 1 to see how Peter Parker handles old foes like Electro, Mysterio and The Rhino. Morbius' appearance makes it into this volume, too. Amazon.co.uk
6 of 7Morbius: The Living Vampire - The Man Called Morbius (Marvel Now), £26.69
Marvel NOW! is the branding used by Marvel to relaunch a number of superhero titles in the wake of Avengers vs. X-Men's monumental events. The Man Called Morbius sees The Living Vampire escape the Raft, hide from Spider-Man and live homeless as he tries to fight against his vampiric impulses. These struggles are soon undermined by a new gang, one Morbius simply cannot ignore. Amazon.co.uk
7 of 7Ultimate Spider-Man #95 Morbius: Part 1, £1.49 (Kindle Edition)
Marvel's Ultimate series sought to modernise and reimagine well-known characters, including origins and power parameters. When Morbius makes his Ultimate appearance on Earth-1610, it's as pure-blooded vampire Michael Morbius, son of Vlad Dracul II, brother of Vlad Dracula III and distant relative of Victor Van Damme, commonly known as Doctor Doom. Though, unlike his genealogy would suggest, Morbius is a vampire torn, with his vampiristic powers also being contrary to expectation. This alternate universe run continues in [Ultimate Spider-Man #96](http://Marvel's Ultimate series sought to modernise and reimagine well-known characters, including origins and power parameters. When Morbius makes his Ultimate appearance on Earth-1610, it's as pure-blooded vampire Michael Morbius, son of Vlad Dracul II, brother of Vlad Dracula III and distant relative of Victor Van Damme, commonly known as Doctor Doom. Though, unlike his genealogy would suggest, Morbius is a vampire torn, whose vampirism powers are also contrary to expectation. This alternate universe run continues in Ultimate Spider-Man #96, where vampire-hunter Blade proves a complicating presence. )[,](http://Marvel's Ultimate series sought to modernise and reimagine well-known characters, including origins and power parameters. When Morbius makes his Ultimate appearance on Earth-1610, it's as pure-blooded vampire Michael Morbius, son of Vlad Dracul II, brother of Vlad Dracula III and distant relative of Victor Van Damme, commonly known as Doctor Doom. Though, unlike his genealogy would suggest, Morbius is a vampire torn, whose vampirism powers are also contrary to expectation. This alternate universe run continues in Ultimate Spider-Man #96, where vampire-hunter Blade proves a complicating presence. )__ where vampire-hunter Blade proves a complicating presence. Amazon.co.uk