Summary
Overview
Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas dissect the 2022 Marvel-adjacent film Morbius in front of a live Chicago audience. The hosts examine the vampire superhero origin story starring Jared Leto, discussing everything from the confusing plot and Leto's method acting to the film's bizarre CGI effects and unclear connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite its critical failure, the film became a viral internet meme, leading to fascinating production revelations from an anonymous crew member.
Introduction and Initial Reactions
The hosts introduce Morbius as a Marvel-affiliated film that changed a generation, though technically not a true Marvel movie. They discuss the basic plot about a doctor who doesn't have the right DNA but vampire bats do, noting that surprisingly little happens in the 108-minute runtime. June shocks everyone by declaring she actually enjoyed the film, which Paul attributes to watching so many terrible movies on tour that this one went down easy by comparison.
- Morbius is described as 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Vampire' - a scientist who transforms after experimenting with vampire bat DNA
- June surprises the hosts by saying she enjoyed the movie, which she attributes to lowered expectations from watching worse films
- Paul admits to watching parts of the movie at different speeds, accidentally making it even longer at 0.75x
- The film spans 25 years following characters from childhood to present day
" When Dr. Morbius meets Doctor Who, it's Morbin Time! "
" I love this movie. Wow. What on earth is happening? I enjoyed it. "
" I watched this movie for longer than you did! I don't understand why you can go below the normal speed. "
Batman Comparisons and Superhero Confusion
The hosts explore how Morbius borrows heavily from other superhero franchises, particularly Batman. Jason points out that Morbius is essentially Batman - using bats to attack and relying on his doctor name rather than a superhero identity. They discuss how the film pulls elements from Daredevil (echolocation) and Spider-Man (origin story), creating a confusing mashup. The lack of clear superhero precedent in this universe makes the casual public reaction to vampire attacks particularly absurd.
- Morbius uses bats to attack but doesn't call himself Batman, just uses his real doctor name
- The movie combines elements from Daredevil (echolocation), Spider-Man (bite/blood transformation), and Batman (bat powers)
- June genuinely asked if this was another Batman origin story, showing how derivative it feels
- Despite vampire murders draining victims of blood, the news and public react very casually
" You are using bats to attack. Don't just use your doctor name. Like, it's his real name. "
" Morbius posits a world in which you want to know what the coolest thing is in 2022? Bullet time. We did this already. "
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