Michael Morbius (most often just named Morbius) is an antihero (and sometimes villain) who is a living vampire in the Marvel Universe.
Origin[]
A brilliant biologist, Michael Morbius experimented with blood, but when one experiment went out of control, he was transformed into a vampire-like being who needed to feast on the blood of the living.
Biography[]
Though not much is known of his childhood (save that he a Greek immigrant), it is known that Dr. Michael Morbius was a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist born in Greece who was researching and working on cures for various blood diseases. He himself suffered from an unnamed debilitating blood disease and had been working on an experimental new treatment that involved electro-shock and vampire bats. He, his assistant and his love, Martine Bancroft, were on a yacht as Morbius worked on his cure when, after testing the treatment on himself, Morbius found as a side effect that he turned himself into a vampire-like creature who needed blood to survive.
Abilities[]
- Genius Intellect - Morbius is highly intelligent and a master of the biological sciences.
- Superhuman Strength - Morbius' strength is many times greater than the human norm.
- Heightened Senses - Morbius possesses highly acute senses of sight, smell and hearing, enabling him to track specific targets over long distances.
- Fangs and Claws - Morbius has elongated fangs which he uses to pierce the flesh of others in order to feed on their blood. The claws on his fingers are extremely sharp and can rend flesh and bone easily.
- Regenerative Healing - Like true vampires, Morbius is capable of recovering from any injuries very quickly. Depending on the severity of an injury, it can take minutes or hours to completely heal. He can also regrow severed limbs and missing organs this way.
- Gliding - While not capable of true flight, Morbius can glide through the air via mental concentration, travelling at a maximum speed of 35 mph.
- Hypnosis - After absorbing elements of the Lilin into his bloodstream, Morbius gained the ability to hypnotize others if they look directly into his eyes long enough. While under his control, Morbius typically has full control over an individual. If an individual has sufficient willpower, they can resist or overcome this power.
- Vampire Creation - Like true vampires, Morbius is able to transform individuals into pseudo-vampires like himself by draining them of all their blood. Morbius has control over the pseudo-vampires he creates, just as supernatural vampires have mental control over the vampires they create. The vampires that Morbius creates possess superhuman strength but do not possess accelerated healing factors. Upon receiving lethal injuries, their bodies turn to dust.
- Virtual Immortality - Morbius does not age, so barring any sufficiently lethal injuries, he can theoretically live forever.
Weaknesses[]
While Morbius doesn't share any of the regular weaknesses of supernatural vampires, he is not without his vulnerabilities.
- Hunger - The one true weakness Morbius has that supernatural vampires possess is that he must ingest fresh blood several times a week in order to maintain his physical and mental vitality. The longer he goes without blood, the weaker he becomes and the more likely he is to lose control.
- Sunlight - While sunlight cannot kill Morbius, it can cause his skin to wither and can blind him.