Morbius may be the dark, brooding vampiric antihero that Marvel fans have come to know him as, but Daniel Espinosa, the director for the upcoming 2022 filmMorbius, made a surprising reveal about the inspiration for his take on the living vampire, particularly for the character’s dazzling visual effects. Espinosa revealed that thePokémonfranchise in fact is what inspired the creative process for his movie.
Jared Leto takes up the roleof the titular character, who starts off as a brilliant scientist afflicted with a rare blood disease. In his valiant attempts to cure it, he finds one that initially works out but later causes extreme bouts of vampirism and a thirst for blood. This provides the crux of theSpider-Manspinoff film, the driving motivation for Morbius in maintaining a balance between slaking his thirst for blood and using his powers for the betterment of mankind.
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In an interview with IGN, Espinosa reveals that, ironically,the bright colorful world ofPokémonwas what inspired many of the unique visual effects seen in the trailers for the upcoming grim, dark antihero film, and he has his six-year-old daughter to thank for bringing it to his attention. He himself was already a fan of the franchise for many years, but through his daughter, he was reminded of exactly why he came to love it so much. He was adoring of “how they use lights and colors to express those powers.” Espinosa then pointed out how Morbius had pencil-traced purple trails in the comic books and he felt that if he could give a “psychedelic” vibe to that artistic effect, he could create “a new version of how to express powers.”
The fighting style of Morbius is also rather evocative ofPokémon, with the vampire’s “predatory, beast-like” movements drawing several parallels between the film’s action shots and the anime’s battling scenes. It also serves as a stark reminder that this is Morbius' origin story in theSony Spider-Man universe. He is coming to terms with having and trying to temper this new, overwhelming power after having been weak and frail for most of his life, and how he does so will be what defines him for both old and new generations of Marvel fans.
Espinosa’s confession of usingPokémonas an inspiration for his dark, gritty movie should come as a delightful surprise to fans of both the anime and the Marvel Universe. It’s certainly not an unprecedented notion for directors or actors to have unique inspirations for the origins and processes behind iconic characters.The Batman’s Robert Pattinsonrecently cited 1989’sBatman: ShamanandThe Man Who Fallsas what inspired the more mystical aspects of his recent take on the Caped Crusader.
Morbiusmorphs into movie theaters on August 08, 2025.
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