This page may contain one or more affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through that link, I may receive compensation. The links will be identified with the text "affiliate link". Click to learn more.
You may have heard of Morbius from Marvel Comics, perhaps from the 1994 Spider-Man TV Show where he sucked plasma through is palms. Or maybe you heard of him from the Jared Leto movie that was delayed several years. Either way you may be wondering, how does Morbius get his powers in the comic books? Is he your typical vampire, bitten by another vampire for example? Surprisingly no since he is not your typical vampire but rather a pseudo vampire, with only seems to have the same characteristics as one.
The origin of Morbius can be seen in Amazing Spider-Man 102 from the original 1963 series. In the second half of the comic we see Dr Michael Morbius reflecting on how his nightmare started. He was a brilliant scientist who won the Nobel Prize. Yet he couldn’t find the solution to his blood disease that lead to his hideous appearance. Despite his ugly face he has a fiance named Martine who was gorgeous. Morbius, his fiance and his friend go on a yacht trip equipped with a special electro-shock device and fluids distilled from bats that should slow down his illness. What could possibly go wrong?
Morbius wants to keep everything a secret from Martine. He doesn’t want her to know that his rare disease dissolves blood cells and that if their experiment performed on the yacht fails then he will never see land again. His intention is to electrically create blood cells, an idea that he had not tested. (Always a smart idea.) He decided to take the risk anyway, for he figure that he was going to die anyway. The results were sensitivity to light and craving for blood like a vampire. After killing his friend he decides to jump overboard to kill himself rather than have himself kill his fiance as well. However he has a change of heart and swims to the surface, realizing that others are prey to him and he would not sacrifice himself so those who are lesser beings than him may live.
What is interesting about Amazing Spider-Man 102 is that, despite being published the first year that the Comic Code Authority reversed its stance on vampires, it still has a level of censorship. For example, we don’t see Morbius sucking blood from a human’s neck or elsewhere. Overall it’s a pretty good comic and you should add it to your collection (Affiliate Link) if you are able to do so. Leave a comment on your thoughts about Morbius and how he got his powers.