Morbius is revealed as a traitor to the Nine when his Lilin side tests his loyalty between the Midnight Sons and Zarathos. But even if he survives the SIEGE OF DARKNESS, can he find his place in a world that no longer trusts him? When he's not trying to find a cure for his own vampiric curse, he's working with ARMOR to find a cure for the zombie lague that's infecting the multiverse or helping cure the citizens of New York when they're transformed into giant spiders!Luckily, this 'living vampire' is about to find kindred spirits when he helps build a city for monsters under Manhattan. Could that be the only way he'll find peace?
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Morbius stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- Issue listings in grey: Cameo appearances or stories that are non-essential, not as strong or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every appearance of Morbius from this period is included in chronological order, mapping out their timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The issue/story overviews may include spoilers, so be warned!
- WANT TO KEEP IT SIMPLE? Scroll down to THE CORE LIST to see a version of this reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns or less important appearances - just a list of the essentials.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #14-15 (1993)
Werewolf By Night and Ghost Rider give chase when Morbius' Lilin side takes over.
Nightstalkers #14 (1993)
Marvel Comics Presents #143[1/4] (1993)
Darkhold #15 (1993)
Morbius: The Living Vampire #16 (1993)
Marvel Comics Presents #144[1/4] (1993)
Marvel Comics Presents #144[2/4] (1993)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #60 (1993)
Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #17 (1993)
Nightstalkers #15 (1994)
Marvel Comics Presents #145[3/4] (1994)
Morbius: The Living Vampire #17 (1994)
Marvel Comics Presents #146[1/4] (1994)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #61 (1994)
Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #18 (1994)
Midnight Sons Unlimited #4 (1994)
First appearance of the Fallen, Sister Nil and Strange; Lilith and Zarathos make their move to bring the darkness of their dimensions to Earth; Morbius' Lilin side subverts him to Lilith's will; the Nine discover and traitor among their ranks, suffer in-fighting and losses; Doctor Strange goes through serious changes; new Midnight Sons rise up to replace those who die for a final confrontation against Zarathos; Morbius remains a member of the Nine during SIEGE OF DARKNESS.
Daredevil #324-325 (1994)
First appearance of Robert Dennehy and Erynys; Daredevil finds himself allied with Morbius against Hand offshoot, the Snakeroot during FALL FROM GRACE.
Venom: Enemy Within #1-3 (1994)
Venom and Morbius are forced to work together when Demogoblin unleashes an army of goblins.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #18-19 (1994)
While struggling to contain the Lilin presence in his blood and Martine Bancroft's manipulations, Morbius comes under attack from Deathlok when the spirit of the Wraith (Brian DeWolff) takes possession of him.
Midnight Sons Unlimited #5[1/2] (1994)
Salomé attempts to grow her powerbase, drawing opposition from Vengeance, Morbius, Modred the Mystic and the Werewolf By Night.
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #62-63 (1994)
First appearance of Vincent Stevens and the Tempo Building; Strange is despatched to obtain mystical items for Doctor Strange, clashing with Morbius, Sister Nil and Nathaniel Richards; while Doctor Strange slowly grows his powerbase, Salomé continues to do the same during STRANGERS AMONG US.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #20-23 (1994)
First full appearance of Bloodthirst; Morbius ejects the Lilin blood from his body, only to take form as Bloodthirst; Vic Slaughter, Simon Stroud and Spider-Man all attempt to address Morbius' increased bloodlust for their own reasons.
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #66 (1994)
Morbius is drawn into Strange's clash with Salomé during STRANGERS AMONG US.
Ghost Rider, Morbius and Brother Voodoo battle the zombie Nathaniel Mare.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #25[2/2] (1994)
Morbius confronts a gang of criminals who attack the homeless.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #25[1/2]-29 (1994-1995)
Jack Russell/Werewolf By Night returns to help Morbius gain control of his bloodlust again, now that he's free of Lilin control; Martine Bancroft manipulates Jack into sleeping with her; Morbius stops taking the serum that keeps him alive and dies from not feeding on blood; Jack Russell, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man and many others attend Morbius' funeral, unaware that he's made a deal with the Dwarf of the Darkhold that allows his resurrection.
Blade: The Vampire Hunter #7-8, 10 (1995)
Deacon Frost returns, forcing Blade into an alliance with Morbius; Bible John learns Frank Drake and Hannibal King are still alive; Blade is stalked by a technology-based vampire hunter called Crossbow as he prepares for his final battle with Dracula.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #30-32 (1995)
Martine Bancroft continues to manipulate Morbius for her own amusement; despite being cured, Martine outs Morbius as a vampire, costing him his job at the hospital; Morbius' vampirism returns with a vengeance.
X-Man #24 (1997)
Peter Parker: Spider-Man #77-80 (1997)
Morbius tries to convince Threnody that she's a kindred spirit until Nate Grey and Spider-Man interrupt him; Spider-Man is bitten by Morbius; they clash initially, but end up joining forces with against the Friends of Humanity; with help from SHOC they also oppose Hydra pseudo-vampire Loxias Crown during THE CROWN AFFAIR.
Blade #2-3 (1998)
Morbius comes to the aid of Charisma Desiree, though Blade mistakes is intentions (the outcome of their confrontation is never revealed as the series is cancelled).
Peter Parker: Spider-Man #8 (1999)
The Kingpin claims Morbius as a weapon until Blade and Spider-Man rush in to free him; Morbius reveals Loxias Crown is Hunger and that Spider-Man musn't trust Senator Stewart Ward before he collapses; Spider-Man takes Morbius to Tricorp Research.
Spider-Man Family #5[1/5] (2007)
Morbius unleashes demons when he tries to cure himself by occult means; Doctor Strange and Spider-Man help him defeat the demons he unleashes; Strange offers up a contact who could help cure Morbius.
Spectacular Spider-Man #14 (2004)
Handicapped man Joey Beal witnesses Spider-Man's latest clash with Morbius, then ends up being drawn into their dispute.
Amazing Fantasy #17[2/2] (2006)
Morbius has a near-death experience when he runs into a group of vampires led by Baron Blood.
Legion of Monsters: Morbius #1[1/2] (2007)
Morbius meets a group of addicts as he struggles to control his own addiction during LEGION OF MONSTERS.
Blade #5 (2006)
Morbius is revealed to have signed up to the Superhuman Registration Act and calls in SHIELD when Blade tries to take him down during CASUALTIES OF WAR / CIVIL WAR.
Friendly-Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 (2007)
Morbius cameo; Morbius is unable to help Spider-Man save May Parker's life during ONE MORE DAY.
Marvel Zombies 3 #1, 3-4 (2008-2009)
Marvel Zombies 4 #1-4 (2009)
Still working for ARMOR, Morbius forms a new Midnight Sons team with the Werewolf by Night, Jennifer Kale & Hellstorm as they pursue the zombie Simon Garth and the missing head of Deadpool of Earth-2149 during MERC WITH A MOUTH.
Punisher #11-13, 15-16 (2010)
First appearance of the Hellsgard/Robert Hellsgard, Hunter of Monster Special Force and Monster Metropolis; first appearance of the Punisher/Frank Castle as Franken-Castle; Morbius is revealed to have helped create a city for monsters beneath New York; Morbius resurrects the Punisher after he's murdered by Daken, turning him into a patchwork monster; the Punisher and the new Legion of Monsters defend Monster Metropolis from the monster-hunting Hellsgard during FRANKEN-CASTLE.
The fate of Martine Bancroft is finally decided; Martine subverts Spider-Man to her will, using him as a weapon against Morbius; Spider-Man gives Morbius a vial of his blood during THE GAUNTLET.
Marvel Zombies 5 #2 (2010)
Flashback: Morbius is revealed to be working on a cure for the zombie virus using the sample of Spider-Man's blood; Morbius sends Machine Man and Howard the Duck into the multiverse to find different strains of the virus for his experiments.
Marvel Zombies 5 #5 (2010)
Morbius cameo; ARMOR discover Morbius has taken some of their technology and that he's working on a cure for the virus.
Amazing Spider-Man #642[1/2] (2010)
Morbius cameo; first appearance of Stanley Osborn; Morbius is among the costumed villains searching for the infant son of Norman Osborn.
Deadpool Team-Up #894 (2010)
Xemnu leads Deadpool to Monster Metropolis to confront the Punisher, with Morbius getting caught in the middle.Franken-Castle #17 (2010)
Morbius continues to work on Franken-Castle, keeping him alive and holding him together during FRANKEN-CASTLE.
Franken-Castle #21 (2010)
Morbius advises the Punisher on obtaining a cure for his Franken-Castle state.
Amazing Spider-Man #671 (2011)
Morbius starts working at Horizon Labs during SPIDER-ISLAND.
Legion of Monsters #1-4 (2011-2012)
Elsa Bloodstone leads the Legion of Monsters - Living Mummy, Manphibian, Morbius and Werewolf by Night - against the Dimensional Man.
Amazing Spider-Man #679.1 (2012)
At Horizon Labs, Morbius uses the cure he helped develop to undo the effects of 'Spider-Island' to cure himself; when it backfires, Spider-Man steps in to stop him; Morbius sets his sights on the Lizard as his next test subject.
Hulk #52 (2012)
Doc Samson's ghost leads an attack on Monster Metropolis; the underground city is defended by the Legion of Monsters, Doctor Strange and the Red Hulk.
Amazing Spider-Man #688-691 (2012)
Morbius uses DNA from the corpse of Billy Conners to try and cure the Lizard and himself; Morbius goes on a rampage at Horizon Labs until he's defeated by Spider-Man and taken to the Raft super-prison.
Amazing Spider-Man #698-699 (2013)
Morbius cameo; a break-out at the Raft gives Morbius the opportunity to make his escape during DYING WISH.
Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 (2013)
Morbius recalls his origins as he escapes the Raft during DYING WISH / MIDNIGHT SON.
Morbius: The Living Vampire #1-9 (2013)
First appearance of Wanda Evans and Nikoleta Harrow; Morbius escapes to Brownsville to find peace and avoid superheroics, but discovers the town is controlled by the new Rose; Morbius calls upon Spider-Man (Otto Octavius) and the Legion of Monsters to bring down the Rose during MIDNIGHT SON / MARVEL NOW!
- Morbius: The Living Vampire #14-15
- Nightstalkers #14
- Darkhold #15
- Morbius: The Living Vampire #16
- Marvel Comics Presents #144[1/4]
- Marvel Comics Presents #144[2/4]
- Marvel Comics Presents #145[3/4]
- Morbius: The Living Vampire #17
- Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #18
- MIdnight Sons Unlimited #4
- Venom: The Enemy Within #1-3
- Morbius: The Living Vampire #18-32
- X-Man #24
- Peter Parker: Spider-Man #77-80
- Peter Parker: Spider-Man #8
- Legion of Monsters: Morbius #1
- Marvel Zombies 3 #1-4
- Marvel Zombies 4 #1-4
- Punisher #11-13, (14), 15-16
- Amazing Spider-Man #622
- Franken-Castle #17, 21
- Legion of Monsters #1-4
- Amazing Spider-Man #679.1, 688-691, 699.1
- Morbius: The Living Vampire #1-9
Absolute Carnage: Lethal Protectors #2-3 (2019)
Absolute Carnage #5 (2020)
Morbius joins the fight against the Carnage-infected Hive during ABSOLUTE CARNAGE.
Morbius #1-5 (2020)
First appearance of Elizabeth Nikos; desperate for a cure, Morbius a new formula which ends up having the opposite effect and mutates him further.
Legion of Monsters
Both include...
Legion of Monsters #1-4
Spider-Man: Big TIme - Complete Collection vol.4
Spider-Man: Lizard - No Turning Back
Both include...
Amazing Spider-Man #688-691
Morbius: The Living Vampire - The Man Called Morbius
Amazing Spider-Man #699.1
Morbius: The Living Vampire #1-9
Thanks, Tom!
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