We recently got our first look at Sony's Morbius, which is turning Jared Leto into "The Living Vampire" in the studio's latest Spider-Man spin-off. Originally, it was assumed, much like Venom, that this movie would be totally disconnected from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet, some clues in the trailer suggest that may not be the case. What's more, if this is going the way it looks like it's going to go, Sony could be setting up a live-action Spider-Verse movie, which could potentially unite several big screen versions of Spider-Man together for an assuredly epic adventure.

At this point, much of this is based on theorizing based on what can be glimpsed in the Morbius trailer. We just want to caution that this is pure speculation at this point, but speculation based on the evidence we have before us. With that in mind, let's go over what the trailer presents. First off, there is a shot of Spider-Man painted on a wall in the trailer. While not appearing in the flesh, this does, indeed, confirm that the webslinger exists in this universe. Whatever universe it may be (more on that in a minute). The painting has the word "murderer" written across it. While that may suggest this is picking up in the aftermath of Spider-Man: Far From Home, the image appears to be of Tobey Maguire's Spidey from Sam Raimi's trilogy.

That, in itself, is compelling. But the bit at the end of the trailer adds more fuel to the peculiar fire. Michael Keaton appears as Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, who we first met in Spider-Man: Homecoming. So, while the painting seems to suggest ties to the Raimi-verse, as it were, this Keaton cameo would, on the surface, indicate that the movie takes place in the MCU. However, as I speculated previously, the evidence, taken as a whole, seems to imply that Morbius will establish a Marvel multiverse.

A Marvel multiverse would solve a lot of problems. It would allow for different versions of characters we've met to appear in these Sony movies, without having to directly connect them to the events of the MCU. But it would leave the possibility open for some sort of crossover in the future. Although, as it pertains to this theory, the idea of a multiverse goes far beyond the MCU. For example, it could easily establish that Tom Holland's current MCU Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man from The Amazing Spider-Man movies and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man all exist, they just exist in different versions of Earth within the larger multiverse.

And that brings us to the main point. 2018's animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse proved that audiences are ready for the idea of a multiverse. So why not do something like that in live-action? Assuming Sony could convince Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to get on board, if this Marvel multiverse is established, there is little that would prevent them from making a live-action Spider-Verse movie. Sony owns the movie rights to Spider-Man, so unless Disney/Marvel Studios decided to make a stink there is little they could do to get in the way of that happening. There's just the matter of Tom Holland's contract, but as long as this didn't interfere directly with the MCU, there's no reason to think Disney and Kevin Feige would get in the way.

What's more, this could potentially unite several generations of fans. The idea of bringing all of the actors who have played Spider-Man in live-action back for one big crossover has nearly unlimited potential. With the right director and story, it could be a ridiculously huge hit. The upside is massive, especially for Sony, as they are looking to make the most out of the Spider-Man characters they're in control of.

There's nothing at present to suggest Sony is indeed planning such a thing, but there is quite a bit of evidence to suggest a multiverse is coming. Outside of Sony, Marvel Studios is currently prepping Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will hit theaters in 2021. Point being, the studio could be testing the waters. If it goes well, who knows what could happen? But one has to imagine with the hit that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse became, this idea has at least been floated. We'll have to see how things shake out when Morbius hits theaters on July 31 from Sony Pictures.