History Characters / SpiderManNeutralCharacters

[[WMG:[[center:[-''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' '''[[Characters/SpiderMan Main Character Index]]'''\\
'''Title Character'''\\
[[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]]\\
'''Supporting Characters'''\\
[[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Other Spiders]] | [[Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters Spider-Man's Allies]] | [[Characters/SpiderManFamily Peter Parker's Family and Relatives]] | [[Characters/SpiderManClones Peter Parker's Various Clones and Duplicates]] | [[Characters/SpiderManLoveInterests Peter Parker's Love Interests]] | [[Characters/SpiderManMidtownHigh Midtown High]] | [[Characters/SpiderManEmpireStateUniversity Empire State University]] | [[Characters/SpiderManDailyBugle The Daily Bugle]] | '''Neutral Characters'''\\
'''Rogues Gallery'''\\
[[Characters/SpiderManCentralRoguesGallery Central Rogues Gallery]] | [[Characters/SpiderManGoblins Goblins]] | [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGalleryAtoH A-H]] | [[Characters/SpiderManRoguesGalleryIToZ I-Z]]-]]]]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!!Neutral Characters

[[folder:Black Cat]]
-> See Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Cardiac]]
!!Cardiac
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/2944034_superiorspiderman_8_cover_anteprima_600x905_877934.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Dr. Elias Wirtham
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #342 (December, 1990)

When his older brother Joshua died of an incurable disease, Elias Wirtham dedicated himself to medicine, intending to save lives in honor of his brother's memory. Later, Wirtham discovered that a pharmaceutical company had developed a drug that could have saved Joshua's life but chose to withhold it as it wouldn't have been profitable to release it at the time. Angered and disgusted that his brother and so many others had died because of corporate greed, Elias subjected himself to experiments that replaced his heart with a beta particle reactor, and fused a Vibranium mesh into his skin. Assuming the costumed guise of Cardiac, he set out to avenge the deaths of innocents at the hands of individuals who were untouchable by the law.
----
* AntiHero: Cardiac can be extremely narrow-minded in his crusade and sometimes shows little concern for people caught in the crossfire. While investigating a corrupt pharmaceutical company, he and the ComicBook/BlackCat were attacked by a quartet of cyborgs. Cardiac kills them and Black Cat [[WhatTheHellHero castigates him for this]], saying that those cyborgs were probably victims of the company themselves and [[UnwillingRoboticisation had no choice in even becoming cyborgs]].
* BadassBookworm: Wirtham is an accomplished physician and surgeon and is trained in bio-technics.
* BlackAndNerdy: He's African-American and a genius when it comes to medicine, both as a doctor and a scientist.
* BoomStick: His Beta Staff can fire energy blasts.
* {{Cyborg}}: Cardiac's heart has been replaced with a beta particle reactor and his skin and muscle tissue have been grafted with vibranium mesh.
* GeniusBruiser: He's built like a linebacker and is plenty smart.
* HeadbuttingHeroes: While he is a good man whose heart is in the right place, Cardiac's more extreme methods often put him in conflict with other heroes, particularly Spider-Man.
* LatexPerfection: In order to avoid people noticing his cybernetic enhancements, Elias wears a layer of artificial "pseudoskin" over his re-engineered parts to disguise them.
* NotQuiteFlight: The "Hawk-Glider" can link to Cardiac's Beta Staff and allows him to fly for short distances.
* ScaryBlackMan: His suit makes look him rather intimidating, and even without it he's not particularly friendly looking.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Deadpool]]
-> See Characters/{{Deadpool|WadeWilson}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gibbon]]
!!Gibbon
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amazing_spider_man_vol_5_18hu_textless.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Martin Blank
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #110 (July, 1972)

The Gibbon's unsuccessful attempts as a criminal and a hero branded him a loser. As a mutant, he retained his powers after "M-Day."
----
* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:His death in ''Hunted'' is quite somber, with Spider-Man mourning him, and he actually appreciates the silence since no one is laughing at him.]]
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Originally he was just a guy with simian features, but after he was modified he became an actual humanoid gibbon.
* BerserkButton: He ''hated'' being called an ape or a gorilla, possibly due to being mocked for his apelike features in his youth.
* ButtMonkey: Kind of literally, but the guy goes through a lot of humiliation.
* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: The guy had a rather pitiful life, a sorry criminal carrier, [[spoiler:and his death was surprisingly sad]].
* {{Mutant}}: He's a mutant that was born with ape-like features.
* NeverGivenAName: The orphanage in which he grew up in never bothered to give him a last name, which is why he chose the last name Blank, he was a blank.
* UglyGuyHotWife: He was a literal humanoid ape and he was married to the very attractive Princess Python.
* VillainousFriendship: He was actually friends with Maxwell Markham/Grizzly and they even worked together for a time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Living Brain]]
!!Living Brain
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/living_brain_earth_616_from_superior_spider_man_vol_1_1_0001.jpg]]
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #8 (January, 1964)

--> ''"Whrr--click-ick--ow! Query: Why was unit programmed with pain receptors? Whyyyyy?"''

Intended to be the ultimate mobile supercomputer capable of answering almost any question, the Living Brain was brought to Midtown High by its creator for a demonstration of its abilities; two workmen, thinking they could make a fortune by using the Brain to predict the outcomes of sporting events, attempted to steal it, damaging it in the process, and causing it to go haywire until it was shut down by Spider-Man. The Living Brain project was subsequently scrapped, and the prototype was placed in storage, where it fell into disrepair.

Years later, a bullied youth uncovered the Brain, upgraded it, and sicced it on the jocks who had been bullying him. Spider-Man, who was visiting Midtown High as Peter Parker, fought the Brain again, this time defeating it via electrocution. Afterward, the Brain changed hands several times, going from a pair of thieves, to the [[ComicBook/{{Nextwave}} Beyond Corporation]], to the Grandmaster, and finally to Boomerang, who inducted it into his Sinister Six. After defeating the Sinister Six, the Superior Spider-Man confiscated the Brain, and employed it as an assistant up until Peter Parker reclaimed his hijacked body from Doctor Octopus. The restored Peter kept the Brain around as an assistant, not realizing it contained a backup of Doctor Octopus's mind.
----
* TheBusCameBack: Has a habit of returning after long absences.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: It's become famous among robotics aficionados. When a Doctor Octopus-possesed Peter brought it to Horizon Labs, one of his coworkers called it the "Super Nintendo of robots."
* NonIndicativeName: Is neither alive, nor does he have a brain inside him. He's just a machine with a minor level of artificial intelligence.
* SuperPoweredRobotMeterMaids: Exactly why the Living Brain, a machine created for the sole purpose of answering questions after being fed the appropriate data, needed arms, let alone clubbed ones that were strong enough to rip a door off of its hinges for use as a weapon, is unrevealed.
* VerbalTic: "Whrr--click-ick".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Molten Man]]
!!Molten Man
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moltenmanspidey_9673.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Mark Raxton
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #28 (September, 1965)

--> '''Molten Man:''' Hi. I'm Mark Raxton, Liz Osborn's step-brother.
--> '''Ben Urich:''' You're--you're the Molten Man!
--> '''Molten Man:''' Yeah, that too.

Mark Raxton wanted to get rich. Working hard, he developed a special liquid metal alloy, but his partner, Spencer Smythe, wanted it to be tested more. In a brief scuffle, the container holding the alloy broke, spilling the liquid over Raxton. Instead of poisoning him, his skin absorbed the alloy, making Raxton strong enough to buckle a car hood. While he started off as a criminal, he eventually accepted his transformation, and even reconciled with his sister Liz Allan.
----
* BigBrotherInstinct: After his initial villainous tendencies end, he becomes very protective of Liz.
* BroughtDownToNormal: He was finally cured post-''ComicBook/OneMoreDay''.
* TheBrute: When his temper gets the better of him.
* GeniusBruiser: He has both science smarts and superhuman strength
* HeelFaceTurn: Went from being a Jerkass Anti-hero/villain to accepting his change and apologizing to Liz.
* {{Jerkass}}: Gave a lot of crap to Liz back in the day. He got better at least.
* KungFuProofMook: Spider-Man's webs did not stick to him.
* MadeOfIron: Literally.
* SuperStrength: Strong enough to crush a car hood.
* UnskilledButStrong: For all his smarts he is not a very good fighter. He once tried to throw a punch and a kick at the same time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Morbius the Living Vampire]]
-> Characters/{{Morbius}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puma]]
!!Puma
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pumaspidey_2037.jpg]]

!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Thomas Fireheart
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #256 (September, 1984)

--> ''"When the tribe call--Puma must answer!"''

Puma is a powerful Native-American Werecat. Puma was raised to fight the Beyonder and became an ally to Spider-Man.
----
%%* AnimalMotifs: Guess which one.
* BadassNative: Fireheart is skilled in martial arts and possesses superhuman powers.
* BirdsOfAFeather: For a while he was dating the Black Cat.
%%* {{Depower}}: Briefly, after having gone against his tribe's wishes.
* [[CatGirl Cat Boy]]: He's a Puma man.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Has been a foe and an ally of Spider-Man on different occasions.
%%* MagicalNativeAmerican
* MustMakeAmends: After he attacks Spider-Man for a theft he was framed for, Puma sets out to clear his name, and buys The Daily Bugle to help him do it.
* OddFriendship: With ComicBook/CaptainAmerica villains Armadillo and Deadly Nightshade after ComicBook/{{MODOK}}'s 11.
%%* PantheraAwesome: Of the puma variety.
%%* ProfessionalKiller: Something he does on the side.
%%* SuperStrength
* TheChosenOne: Back before The Beyonder, who orchestrated the Secret Wars storyline, was {{retcon}}ed into a comparative wimp he was almost Omnipotent and literally nothing else in the Marvel Universe could hurt him except Puma, who was part of a BreedingCult to produce such an individual. Puma's cosmic power only manifested when Beyonder was around him though.
* ThenLetMeBeEvil: After he is framed for a felony regarding a bribe and has his assets frozen he ends up working for M.O.D.O.K. to get his fortune back.
* TooDumbToLive: Made fun of Thor for holding back in their fight. Had Thor actually stopped holding back Puma would have been a stain on the ground.
%%* TykeBomb
%%* VoluntaryShapeshifting
%%* WorthyOpponent: Considers Spider-Man to be one.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Punisher]]
-> See Characters/{{The Punisher|FrankCastle}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Razorback]]
!!Razorback
[[quoteright:280:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/buford_hollis_earth_616_004.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Buford T. Hollis
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #12 (November, 1977)

Razorback was a mutant with the innate ability to drive any vehicle instinctively. He was de-powered as a result of M-Day. He employed many gadgets in his crimefighter career.
----
* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: A razorback is a type of wild pig, although his powers have nothing to do with the animal.
* DePower: He was one of the many mutants who lost his powers of M-Day, and so far nothing indicates he has recovered them.
* FightsLikeANormal: His powers didn't give him any edge in fighting, hence his use of gadgets.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rocket Racer]]
!!Rocket Racer
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/robert_farrell_earth_616_from_amazing_spider_man_vol_1_172_001.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Robert Farrell
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #172 (September, 1977)

Robert Farrell was a misguided youth, stealing to feed his hungry family. After several confrontations with Spider-Man, he has since learned the errors of his ways.
----
* AntiVillain: At the end of the day, Robert just wanted to do right by his family. He calmed down quite a bit once he got a fairer shake in life, even joining Silver Sable's Wild Pack. He's later forced back into crime working for MODOK, but it's shown he had no choice.
* CoolBoard: His signature weapon is his mechanized skateboard. It can go at super high speeds and even ride straight up walls.
* GadgeteerGenius: He doesn't have any inborn superpowers. His abilities come from his PoweredArmor and super-fast skateboard, all of which he built himself.
* HandBlasts: His gauntlets are equipped with mini-rocket launchers that he can fire as offensive weapons.
* MegatonPunch: He can increase the strength of his punches by hitting his targets while riding at high speed on his skateboard.
* PoweredArmor: This is his main equipment along with his mechanized skateboard.
* WeHelpTheHelpless: Used his equipment to make money as a hired superhero, particularly when working for Silver Sable as part of her Wild Pack.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Silver Sable]]
-> See Characters/MarvelComicsWildPack
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toxin I]]
-> See Characters/{{Toxin}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Venom]]
-> See Characters/{{Venom|TheSymbiote}}
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Will o' the Wisp]]
!!Will O' the Wisp
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/will_o_the_wisp_marvel_comics_spider_man_arvad.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Jackson Arvard
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man #167 (April, 1977)

Jackson Arvard worked as a scientist in the Roxxon Energy Corporation's electromagnetic research division. Arvard was under constant pressure from his boss, James Melvin, to produce results or lose his job and as a result worked himself to the point of getting little sleep. This ultimately resulted in him getting caught in an accident at work involving a new electromagnetic device he was working on. Arvard discovered that the electromagnetic attraction between his molecules had been weakened, threatening his life.
\\\
Desperate, Arvard turned to Dr. Jonas Harrow, the scientist who operated on Hammerhead and gave him his metal skull. Instead, Harrow used a device on Arvard that placed him under the scientist's control and made him perform numerous robberies which led to him becoming in conflict with Spider-Man. With Spider-Man's aid, Arvard freed himself from Harrow's control and used his power of hypnosis to to get Harrow to confess to his crimes.
----
* AntiVillain: At least initially. Arvard is less a villain and more a desperate man trying to save his life, with the true villains of the Will O' the Wisp stories being James Melvin, who left Arvard to for dead and only cared about the applications of Arvard's research, and Dr. Jonas Harrow, who was only using him for his own ends. Arvard is more victim than villain.
* BallOfLightTransformation: Arvard can fly by making himself lighter than air and expelling a trail of excess molecules behind him. He gives off so much light when he does this that he looks like an ethereal glowing sphere.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Jonas Harrow pretended to help Jackson control his abilities, but instead implanted a MindControlDevice within him, placing Jackson under his control until Spider-Man intervened.
* CharmPerson: Arvard can mesmerize people by making the emblem on his chest glow. Anyone who looks at it is instantly under his sway.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Attempted but subverted. He was one of the villains poisoned by ComicBook/ThePunisher during a wake for Stilt-Man. It was later revealed in She-Hulk's book that they survived.
* {{Flight}}: Will O' the Wisp can fly by becoming lighter than air and expelling excess molecules in a single direction behind him, causing him to be propelled forward. When he travels faster than 5 miles per hour, the expenditure of molecular energy causes him to give off so much light that he appears to be an ethereal glowing sphere.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: While he was a villain, Arvard's quarrel was more with Melvin and Harrow than with Spider-Man, and he was even able to have the two men exposed for their crimes. He later teamed up with Silver Sable and her Wild Pack. Some time later, he was temporarily forced back into Harrow's employ until Ben Reilly helped free him from Harrow's control once again. For some reason, he was also part of the Chameleon's team of "exterminators" who targeted Peter after he [[ComicBook/CivilWar he revealed his identity to the public]] even though Wisp has no real grudge against Spider-Man.
* {{Intangibility}}: One of the powers he gained from the accident.
* LightIsNotGood: An AntiVillain variety. Arvard's moniker refers to a light phenomenon often attributed to ghosts and he takes the form of an eerie glowing sphere when flying.
* MindManipulation: He can hypnotize others by emitting a glowing light from his chest emblem.
* MonochromaticEyes: He has blank white eyes that give him a very creepy look. Especially when he smiles as seen in the image for this section.
* NighInvulnerability: He can also gain increased durability by increasing his density. Between this and his ability to turn intangible, Will O' the Wisp is virtually impervious to harm.
* NominalVillain: In his initial appearances, Arvard was forced into crime by Jonathan Harrow taking advantage of him.
* PowerIncontinence: Initially, Arvard had difficulty maintaining a solid state after the accident, prompting him to turn to Harrow for help. He was cured of this problem by Dr. Maria Madison.
* SuperStrength: By increasing his density for ten minutes, Will O' the Wisp can gain super strength.
* SuperToughness: He can also use his control over his molecules to make himself denser and [[SuperStrength stronger]].
[[/folder]]
----

!!Morbius the Living Vampire
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/7877822_6s8zbpfd92p61.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Doctor Michael Morbius
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #101 (October, 1971)

Once Michael Morbius was a world-renowned bio-chemist, dying of an unknown blood disease and desperately searching for a cure. He found that cure, but, in turn, it afflicted him with a curse far worse than any possible disease; the curse of the blood-sucking night-beast; the curse of the Living Vampire.
----

!!Black Cat
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_cat_vol_1_3_bring_on_the_bad_guys_variant_textless.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:"Funny. I spent years stealing money to buy champagne and caviar... instead of just stealing the champagne and caviar."]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Felicia Hardy
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #194 (July, 1979)

Former cat burglar Felicia Hardy became a crime fighter when she became romantically attracted to and involved with Spider-Man. Felicia has the ability to instill "bad luck" around others - this comes in handy when fighting crime!
----

!!Deadpool
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uncanny_avengers_vol_1_1_deadpool_call_me_maybe_variant_textless.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Wade Wilson
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''New Mutants'' #92 (February, 1991)

Wade Wilson is a former test subject of the Weapon X program, where he received his regenerative healing factor through the scientific experiments conducted upon him. Deadpool's powers and personality traits combine to make a wild, mentally unstable, and unpredictable mercenary. Deadpool has been a member of X-Force and the Thunderbolts, and a self-professed member of the X-Men and the Avengers. The "Merc with a Mouth" is infamous for breaking the fourth wall.
----
-> See ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}

-> ComicBook/{{Morbius}}

!!The Punisher
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/punisherwallpaper.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Frank Castle
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #129 (February, 1974)

When U.S. Marine veteran Frank Castle's family's was murdered for witnessing a mob hit, the man vowed to avenge their deaths and became a one-man army in his personal war against the criminal underworld. With a distinct death's head skull adorning his chest, Frank Castle became the vigilante known as the Punisher.
----
-> See ComicBook/ThePunisher

!!Silver Sable
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5558439_hdrtekrkxqau9hfpdekn.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Silver Sablinova
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #265 (June, 1985)

--> '''Paladin:''' I still can't believe you're doing this as a freebie!
--> '''Silver Sable:''' My father started the Wild Pack to rid the world of Nazi war criminals. I swore to uphold his dream of a free world.

A well-known female mercenary, she's been both an ally and a foe to the webslinger. Joining the Wild Pack at the age of seventeen, Silver Sable served as second-in-command until the death of her father, Ernst Sablinova. Based in Symkaria, a tiny country sharing a border with Latveria, the Wild Pack began offering its services internationally under Silver Sable's leadership. Eventually gaining approval from the Symkaria government, the Wild Pack would become one of the country's largest economic contributors.
----
-> See ComicBook/SilverSable

!!Toxin I
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toxinally_720.jpg]]
!!! '''Alter Ego:''' Patrick Mulligan
!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Venom[=/=]Carnage'' #1 (September, 2004)

--> ''I do know where I am headed. I know only that I cannot take the ones I love most with me. I have within me a creature called Toxin. I will try to use it for good. I have left my old life behind. Now, I must model myself on Spider-Man. I must learn to control what I have. Whatever happens, whatever monsters come my way, I must never forget who I am, where I come from. I must do the right thing.''

Patrick "Pat" Mulligan was an NYPD police officer who had the misfortune of running across the supervillain Carnage, who had just spawned a baby symbiote. Too weak to kill them, Carnage bonded the infant symbiote to Patrick and left, intending to kill them once he regained his strength. When the symbiote matured, Venom named it Toxin, but when he realized that not only was it more powerful than both himself and Carnage combined but that it was unlikely to aid him in his crusade against Spider-Man, he joined with Carnage in trying to kill it. Pat accepted his bond with the symbiote and joined forces with Spider-Man and Black Cat in defeating them, and on a number of other occasions, leaving his family behind in order to tame the symbiote, eventually succeeding after stopping himself from killing Razorfist, who had killed Pat's father. Pat made a deal with the infantile symbiote: in exchange for complete control of its powers, it could take over his body for two hours a day, provided it didn't commit crimes. Pat was listed as one of the Civil War Initiative's potential recruits, but was ultimately beaten to death in a gutter by Blackheart, who stole the symbiote. The Crime Master later re-stole the symbiote and bonded it to Eddie Brock, who was initially taken over by the symbiote but later made a deal with it to return to his Lethal Protector lifestyle.
----
-> See ComicBook/{{Toxin}}

!!Venom

----
-> See ComicBook/{{Venom}}

** UnskilledButStrong: For all his smarts he is not a very good fighter. He once tried to throw a punch and a kick at the same time.

* AnimalMotifs: Guess which one.

* {{Depower}}: Briefly, after having gone against his tribe's wishes.

* MagicalNativeAmerican

* PantheraAwesome: Of the puma variety.
* ProfessionalKiller: Something he does on the side.
* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob
* SuperStrength

** TykeBomb

* VoluntaryShapeshifting
* WorthyOpponent: Considers Spider-Man to be one.

* BlackAndNerdy: He's African-American.

When his older brother died of an incurable disease, Elias Wirtham dedicated himself to medicine, intending to save lives in honor of his brother's memory. Later, Wirtham discovered that a pharmaceutical company had developed a drug that could have saved Joshua's life but chose to withhold it as it wouldn't have been profitable to release it at the time. Angered and disgusted that his brother and so many others had died because of corporate greed, Elias subjected himself to experiments that replaced his heart with a beta particle reactor, and fused a Vibranium mesh into his skin. Assuming the costumed guise of Cardiac, he set out to avenge the deaths of innocents at the hands of individuals who were untouchable by the law.

* AngryBlackMan: Robert was a brilliant student, but he was extremely bitter at how racism and poverty made his family go hungry and kept him from going to college or treating his mother's illness. He felt no remorse at stealing from wealthier people. He calmed down after things start to go better for him, but his rage returned when he started attending Empire State University and was harassed by a white supremacist hate group.

* AntiVillain: At least initially. Arvard is less a villain and more a desperate man trying to save his life, with the true villains of the Will O' the Wisp stories being James Melvin, who left Arvard to for dead and only cared about the applications of Arvard's research, and Dr. Jonas Harrow, who was only using him for his own ends. He's pretty much more victim than villain.

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: While he was a villain, Arvard's quarrel was more with Melvin and Harrow than with Spider-Man and he even was able to have the two men exposed for their crimes. He later teamed up with Silver Sable and her Wild Pack. Some time later, he was temporarily forced back into Harrow's employ until Ben Reilly helped free him from Harrow's control once again. For some reason, he was also part of the Chameleon's team of "exterminators" who targeted Peter after he [[ComicBook/CivilWar he revealed his identity to the public]] even though Wisp has no real grudge against Spider-Man.

Mark Raxton wanted to get rich. Working hard, he developed a special liquid metal alloy, but his partner, Spencer Smythe, wanted it to be tested more. In a brief scuffle, the container holding the alloy broke, spilling the liquid over Raxton. Instead of poisoning him, his skin absorbed the alloy, making Raxton strong enough to buckle a car hood. While he started off as a criminal, he eventually accepted his transformation, and even reconciled with his sister Liz Allen.

-> See Characters/{{Black Cat|Marvel}}

* EverythingIsBetterWithMonkeys: Or gibbons in this case.

[[Characters/MarvelComicsSpiders Other Spiders] | [[Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters Spider-Man's Allies]] | [[Characters/SpiderManFamily Peter Parker's Family and Relatives]] | [[Characters/SpiderManClones Peter Parker's Various Clones and Duplicates]] | [[Characters/SpiderManLoveInterests Peter Parker's Love Interests]] | [[Characters/SpiderManMidtownHigh Midtown High]] | [[Characters/SpiderManEmpireStateUniversity Empire State University]] | [[Characters/SpiderManDailyBugle The Daily Bugle]] | '''Neutral Characters'''\\

[[quoteright:297:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cat_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:297:"Funny. I spent years stealing money to buy champagne and caviar... instead of just stealing the champagne and caviar."]]

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1468530373039501800
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
%%

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #194 (July 1979)
->''Any safe can be cracked. It just comes down to information, equipment, skill, and luck.''
-->-- ''ComicBook/BlackCat2019'', ''ComicBook/KingInBlack'' tie-in.

Felicia is the daughter of Walter Hardy, the world-renowned cat burglar who, before his arrest, encouraged her to never settle for second best.

Although she was a villain in her first appearances (or rather, an AntiVillain), she became the third most prominent love interest in the series after Mary Jane and Gwen (some would argue she's more prominent than Gwen at this point, at least plot-wise). Although she has the particularity that, unlike those two, she was way more in love with the Spider-Man persona than with the Peter Parker persona, which was the main source of conflict in their relationship.

In her backstory in ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlackCatTheEvilThatMenDo'', it is revealed that she was raped by her boyfriend Ryan when she was a freshman at Empire State University. Hating the idea of being a victim, she trained herself in various fighting styles and acrobatics, intent on killing her rapist. Finally, after months of preparing, she set out for revenge, but before she could find him, Ryan was killed in a drunk driving accident. Furious that she was denied the chance for revenge, she decided to utilize her new skills to follow in her father's footsteps. After amassing a fortune in stolen items, Felicia adopted her costumed identity.

She first donned the Black Cat costume in order to break her father out of prison. On the same night, she met Spider-Man. Unfortunately for Felicia, her father died, and she then faked her own death. Despite her antipathy towards men, Felicia felt a kinship with this lone hero; Spider-Man was the first man she felt she could trust and she grew to believe herself in love with him. Felicia looked for a way to earn his trust and continued with the Black Cat persona as a misguided attempt to attract his affection. Seeing the good in Felicia, Spider-Man made every attempt to have her criminal record expunged.

Aside from her appearance in many Spider-Man comics, Black Cat has also appeared in ''ComicBook/HeroesForHire'' which took place during the ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' and ''Marvel Divas'' (a parody of ''Series/SexAndTheCity''). In ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'', she is one of Spidey's friends whom he seeks for help. Later after ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland'' event, she was blamed for the theft of a Holographic Projector from Horizon Labs. Since Spider-Man was with her at the time of the robbery, he knew that she was innocent and recruited [[ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock]] to help prove her innocence. She also appeared in the mini-series ''Claws'' where she has a team-up with ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}.

In a part of the ''ComicBook/MarvelNOW'' event, she was contacted by her friend from ''Heroes for Hire'', Misty Knight, in order to help the [[ComicBook/TheDefenders Fearless Defenders]] fight the so-called Doom Maidens along with other female heroines such as ComicBook/{{Storm}}, Tigra, [[ComicBook/PatsyWalker Hellcat]], and ComicBook/{{Valkyrie|MarvelComics}}.

In ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'', she was in the middle of a robbery when Spider-Man (who was actually ComicBook/DoctorOctopus in Peter Parker's body) attacked her without warning, leaving her beaten and wrapped in his webbing for the police to arrest. This left Felicia totally shocked and furious at not only her lover's perceived betrayal, but at the loss of all of her personal belongings and criminal contacts. Following the conclusion of the ''Superior Spider-Man'' storyline, which Peter Parker returned as the true Spider-Man, Black Cat swore revenge and later escaped when Electro staged a breakout at the prison where she was being held. She then became a genuine criminal, and is one of villains in the 2014-2015 ongoing mini-series ''ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} vs. ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}''.

In the ''ComicBook/{{Silk}}'' solo series, Black Cat appears as a secondary antagonist whom Silk unknowingly thwarted by stopping her men. The two fight, but then one of Cat's men double-crosses her blowing up several of her men and almost killing Cat herself, all to kidnap Silk, so he could chop her up and sell the parts on the black market. Cat tracks her man and ends up saving Silk. Cat kills the man, which angers Silk because he was the closest lead she had to finding her parents; the two fight again, but it ends in a draw. In Volume 2, Silk is working for Black Cat, though in reality, she is TheMole placed by S.H.I.E.L.D. While undercover, Cat and Silk infiltrate and destroy the Goblin Nation, freeing people from the Goblin King's control. During this, Silk begins to bond with Cat and vice-versa; Silk seems to think there might still be good in Cat, though Cat claims she is AboveGoodAndEvil.

During the ''Venom Inc.'' storyline, Lee Price, the fifth Venom and the current holder of the Mania symbiote, took over Black Cat's criminal empire after she was affected by the symbiote. Freed by Spider-Man, Eddie Brock (now possessing the Venom symbiote again), Flash Thompson (who was transformed into "Agent" Anti-Venom) and later joined by the former holder of the Mania symbiote Andi Benson, Black Cat fought to stop Price's attempt to take over the Five Families, but lost her empire entirely. She ended her feud with Spider-Man due to his help, but was confronted by Eddie, who told her that being a criminal mastermind didn't suit her at all and she should go back to who she really is, the thief who has the heart of a hero.

After [[HazyFeelTurn hemming and hawwing over this sort of thing]], Felicia finally decided to abandon her evil ways during the attempt at filling the vacuum that Wilson Fisk left after he became mayor of New York City, exchanging information on the identities of who else was trying to play Kingpin in exchange for avoiding jail time. When the New York branch of the Thieves Guild made their move establishing their street cred in stealing heroes' gear, she teamed up with Spider-Man again, where she ultimately reveals the main reason for her turn to villainy -- that Peter's mindwipe via ''ComicBook/OneMoreDay'' affected Felicia terribly, making her feelings for him very hazy. Realizing the damage he caused, Peter revealed his identity to her again and the two finally became friends again.

Her [[ComicBook/SpiderManNoir Marvel Noir]] counterpart also has a supporting role in the ''ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' storyline.

[[AC:Solo Books]]
* ''Felicia Hardy: The Black Cat'' #1-4 (1994)
* ''Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Black Cat'' #1-5 (2010)
* ''ComicBook/BlackCat2019''
** ''Black Cat'' vol 1 #1-12 (2019-2020)
** ''Black Cat'' vol 2 (2020-present)

[[AC:Notable Comic Book Appearances]]
* ''Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws''
* ''Wolverine & Black Cat: Claws 2''
* ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders Fearless Defenders]]''
* ''ComicBook/TheDefenders'' (2017)
* [[ComicBook/CharlesSoulesDaredevil Daredevil]] (2015)
* ''Felicia Hardy: The Black Cat''
* ''Hawkeye vs. Deadpool''
* ''ComicBook/HeroesForHire''
* ''ComicBook/HouseOfM''
* ''Marvel Divas''
* ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage''
* ''ComicBook/PatsyWalkerAKAHellcat''
* Power Man and Iron Fist (2016)
* ''ComicBook/{{Silk}}''
* ''ComicBook/SpiderIsland''
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2016''
* ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan''
* ''ComicBook/SpiderManBlackCatTheEvilThatMenDo''
* ''ComicBook/StarLord'' (2016)
* ''ComicBook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan''
* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool''
* ''ComicBook/{{Venom}} vs. ComicBook/{{Carnage}}''
* ''ComicBook/NickSpencersSpiderMan''

[[AC:Animation]]
* ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderMan1981 Spider-Man]]'' (1981-1982): Voiced by Morgan Lofting.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' (1994-1998): Voiced by Creator/JenniferHale.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'' (2008-2009): Voiced by Creator/TriciaHelfer.
* ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' (2017): Voiced by Creator/GreyDeLisle.

[[AC:Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (2014): Only appeared as Felicia Hardy. Portrayed by Creator/FelicityJones.

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManTheVideoGame'' (1991): Appears as playable character.
* ''Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage'' (1994): Appears as AssistCharacter.
* ''[[VideoGame/SpiderMan2000 Spider-Man]]'' (2000): Appears as {{NPC}} and ExpositionFairy. Voiced by Creator/JenniferHale.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderMan2'' (2004): Appears as NPC. Voiced by Holly Fields.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManFriendOrFoe'' (2007): Appears as playable character. Voiced by Audrey Wasilewski.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManWebOfShadows'' (2008): Voiced by Creator/TriciaHelfer.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManShatteredDimensions'' (2010): She doesn't appear but her Noir version is referenced by ComicBook/SpiderManNoir and one of the background billboards in the [[ComicBook/Marvel2099 2099]] era depicts Black Cat seemingly being used to advertise a shampoo brand.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManEdgeOfTime'' (2011): An exclusive 2099 incarnation of Black Cat appears in this game, voiced by Creator/KateeSackhoff.
* ''VideoGame/SuperHeroSquadOnline'' (2011-2017): Appears as playable character. Voiced by Creator/TaraStrong.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelAvengersAlliance'' (2012-present): Appears as recruitable playable character.
* ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' (2012): Appears as villainess as Felicia Hardy. Voiced by Creator/AliHillis.
* ''VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet'': Appears as downloadable content as part of "Marvel Costume Kit 6".
* ''VideoGame/MarvelHeroes'' (2013-present): Voiced by Creator/JenniferHale (as a playable character) and Creator/AliHillis (as a boss).
* ''[[VideoGame/LEGOAdaptationGame LEGO Marvel Super Heroes]]'' (2013): Voiced by Creator/LauraBailey.
* ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' (2014): Appears as Black Cat. Voiced by Creator/AliHillis.
* ''VideoGame/DisneyInfinity: Marvel Super Heroes'' (2014): Appears as {{sidekick}} character.
* ''VideoGame/MarvelFutureFight'' (2015): Appears as a playable character.
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'': Does not physically appear in the core game, but talks with Spider-Man over the phone during a quest. Appears as the ArcVillain in ''The Heist'' DLC. Voiced by Creator/EricaLindbeck.

Not to be confused with [[ComicBook/BlackCatHarveyComics the Harvey Comics character of the same name]].

See: Characters/{{BlackCat|Marvel}}.

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #342 (December 1990)

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''New Mutants'' #92 (February 1991)

See ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #110 (July 1972)

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #8 (January 1964)

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #28 (September 1965)

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/morbius_the_living_vampire_vol_2_1_textless.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"I am not a vampire. I am not a super villain. I am not a super hero."'']]

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #101 (October 1971)

Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, Morbius has fought ComicBook/SpiderMan ever since his first appearance in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #101 (October 1971), occasionally working together or fighting against several other [[Creator/MarvelComics Marvel]] characters, perhaps most commonly with ComicBook/{{Blade}}. He was also seen as a character in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''.

Dr. Michael Morbius, also known as "The Living Vampire", was a Nobel Prize-winning scientist suffering from a fatal blood disease. In hopes of curing this illness he treated himself with fluids distilled from vampire bats and, as a last chance, tried shock-treatment as a way to electrically create blood cells. This "cured" him by transforming him into a vampiric human mutate that lusts after blood as a way to counter the disease. He also gained several other vampiric attributes, such as white skin, fangs, [[WeakenedByTheLight an allergy to sunlight]] (since he isn't undead, sunlight won't kill him outright, but his lack of melanin leads to quick burns), SuperStrength, a HealingFactor, and hollow bones which give him the capability of flight. Later he gains more supernatural abilities like hypnosis.

Because of his need to drink blood from living victims (stored blood contains too much anticoagulants for his body to handle, or the need to kill stays even after the physical need is satisfied) Morbius wallows in guilt and tries to find both an alternative substance to blood and a way to cure himself -- without much success. At best he has been able to change back into a human for some periods of time, but either has soon reverted back or retained the need to drink blood.

Despite all this, he's generally willing to help or at least unwilling to harm people he sees as innocent or has a closer relationship with, and he has consistently tried his best to only target violent or incorrigible criminals, and he also regularly tries to use his skill and knowledge as a scientist to give back to the community to the best of his ability.

He had a new series in January 2013 as part of Comicbook/MarvelNOW that lasted nine issues. A new series, written by Vita Ayala and penciled by Marcelo Ferreira, debuted in 2019.

In 2018, it was announced that Creator/{{Sony}} was developing a [[Film/Morbius2022 film]] centering on the character for their [[Film/SonysSpiderManUniverse shared film universe]], with Creator/JaredLeto in the main role. It is scheduled to be released on January 21, 2022.

If you were looking for the unconnected ''Series/DoctorWho'' story "The Brain Of Morbius", go [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS13E5TheBrainOfMorbius}} here]].

[[AC:Comics]]
* ''Adventure into Fear'' #20-31 (1974-1975)
* ''Vampire Tales'' #1-11 (1973-1975)
* ''Morbius: The Living Vampire'' #1-32 (1992-1995)
* ''Legion of Monsters: Morbius'' #1 (2007)
* ''Morbius: The Living Vampire'' #1-9 (2013)
* ''Morbius: The Living Vampire'' #1-current (2019)

[[AC:Live-Action Films]]

* ''Film/{{Morbius|2022}}''

[[AC:Video Games]]
* ''Spider-Man & Venom: ComicBook/MaximumCarnage''
* ''VideoGame/SpiderMan3''
* ''VideoGame/SuperHeroSquadOnline''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelAvengersAlliance''
* ''VideoGame/TheAmazingSpiderMan''
* ''VideoGame/SpiderManUnlimited''
* ''VideoGame/LEGOMarvelSuperHeroes2''
* ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder''

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''
* ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan''

!!Tropes:

* AbledInTheAdaptation: Both of his animated counterparts to date don't have the same disease that plagues the comic character -- though the '90s ''Spider-Man'' cartoon Morbius is still trying to cure one.
* AbortedArc:
** The ''Strange Tales'' story where Morbius goes to New Orleans to help Martine's niece. It is left on a {{cliffhanger}} too.
** The 8-page story in ''Amazing Fantasy vol 2 #17'' sets up multiple plotlines that were never followed up on, like Nikos having been found by real vampires and turned into one after Morbius killed him so he could seek revenge, the vampires saying they will meet again because Morbius has to pay for poisoning the pure bloodline of true vampires, or the implication that every person Morbius ever bit without killing them turned into a living vampire as well.
* AdaptationalVillainy: In ''[[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' he works for ComicBook/{{HYDRA}}.
* AlliterativeName: It runs in the family apparently: his father is named Makarioa Morbius. There is also the alias Morgan Michaels.
* AntiHero / AntiVillain: In his original 70's series, later got turned more into a NinetiesAntiHero. He is fundamentally a good guy... when he's not hungry.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Some of this in the earlier comics, both Martine and Amanda. He's also responsible for She-Hulk's current condition, it being the side effect of a potential cure he was going to use on himself.
* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: "Michael Morbius" is far from a Greek name. On at least one occasion it's questioned why his first name is not Michalis (the Greek version of Michael), the answer simply being that "[his] mother preferred Michael".
* BadAssLongCoat: Michael "borrows" one from a man on the subway during his fight with Noah, and is seen wearing it later on.
* BatOutOfHell: An ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'' story arc features an alternate universe Morbius who was transformed into a monstrous bat creature when a sorcerer used magic to bring out the worst in him. He's also turned into a giant half man/half bat in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 Ultimate Spider-Man]]''.
* BlessedWithSuck: His superhuman powers come at the cost of having an overwhelming bloodlust along with a mental desire to kill. His powers are actually dependent on the amount of blood he has ingested: he'll grown weaker the longer he goes without a "fix".
* BloodFromTheMouth: Inverted in ''Morbius'' v2 #2. Morbius coughs up blood just as the wound from a shotgun blast to the chest heals and gets back up.
* BoltOfDivineRetribution: In ''Vampire Tales'' #10 Morbius meets a woman who cares for him and tries to instill him with faith. After she is killed and Morbius has slaughtered those responsible in revenge, he yells that the only faith he'll believe in is that which strikes him dead where he stands. A bolt of lightning strikes at his feet, exploding the body of one of the woman's killers.
* ButterFace: He had kind of a weird-looking face even as a human; being turned into a living vampire made it more extreme, while it did wonders for his physique.
* CameBackWrong: After he is killed by Switchblade, Morbius is resurrected without his soul, which has remained behind in the afterlife. On top of that, he hadn't been brought back to actual life, but instead had been revived as an undead being.
* ComicBookFantasyCasting: Artist Gil Kane based Morbius' appearance on that of actor Jack Palance when he created the character.
* CreepyShadowedUndereyes: He is commonly drawn like this.
* CurbStompBattle: His (and Doc Ock!Spider-Man)'s battle with Nikoleta Harrow is easily this, with both of them being taken out twice and Nikoleta managing to beat the hell out of Michael and leave him in a burning building before disappearing.
* DarkIsNotEvil: He looks terrifying and he regularly causes huge messes for others when he loses control, but at the end of the day, he's a good dude with a whole lot of serious problems who tries his best to make the most of his situation and mitigate the impact of his feral spells when they do happen.
* DaywalkingVampire: Zigzagged. Since he's not a traditional vampire, Morbius is not killed by sunlight. However, his eyes and skin are very sensitive to it so he prefers to avoid it.
* DeathByOriginStory: Nikos
* DeadpanSnarker: Shades of this in a few of his appearances, especially in the Marvel NOW! Series.
* {{Dehumanization}}: When he is captured by ComicBook/{{Hydra}} he is referred to as a "thing" and an "it" multiple times, likely because they only see him as a piece of equipment that can be used to achieve their goals.
* DelinquentHair: Noah St. Germain, the guy at the top of the criminal world in Brownsville, has a blue mohawk.
* DestinedBystander: In ''TAS'' Morbius appears several times before becoming a living vampire.
* DisappearedDad: Morbius grew up without his father, whom he does not recall ever seeing in person, and does not recognize his voice when speaking to him over the phone. It's shown his parents had some kind of an agreement that Morbius' father would stay out of his wife's and son's lives, probably because he was involved in crime.
* DontLookAtMe: On occasion Morbius is shown to be pretty ashamed of his appearance, such as in ''Marvel Preview'' v1 #8 while he hides his face from his friend Ronson's daughter and wants her out before she sees him. He does this again in ''Morbius'' v1 #1 and says these exact words when he is confronted by his ex-fiancée Martine.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: His origin story in ''Amazing Spider-Man'' 699.1 shows he fit this trope even before becoming a living vampire, having black hair and a rather pale complexion due to his blood disease. Becoming a vampire made it more extreme.
* EnfantTerrible: Tara
* EvilCounterpart: Vic Slaughter
* EvilMakesYouUgly: When possessed by the Lilin Bloodthirst Morbius gets even uglier than normal.
* EvilVersusEvil: When he first showed up, he fought the Lizard as well as Spider-Man.
* FlyingBrick: Can fly and is strong.
* FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire: At times.
* FullMoonSilhouette: Occasionally used when Morbius flies at night. For example, an issue of ''Exiles'' introduces a further mutated, alternate universe version of Morbius like this.
* FurAgainstFang: The first couple of times Morbius the Living Vampire and ComicBook/WerewolfByNight's paths cross, they end up fighting, but it's not anything personal: Morbius is subject to HorrorHunger and the werewolf will attack anything that moves when it's a full moon. Over the years they grow to be best friends, although the occasional fighting is not something they get rid off entirely.
* GeniusBruiser: He was a brilliant scientist prior to his transformation which gave him considerably enhanced physical abilities.
* GeniusCripple: Before being 'cured' and turned into a vampire at least. In his [[{{Rewrite}} rewritten]] origin story he won a Nobel prize but didn't attend the ceremony, because even lifting a tea cup caused the bones in his fingers to break.
* [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan Get A Hold Of Yourself Woman]]: Applied to Amanda in ''Vampire Tales'' #7 though she suspects it was more because she insulted Morbius by calling him a vampire.
* GreaterNeedThanMine: Gives the cure he was going to use on himself to She-Hulk to cure her fatal blood disease.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: The experiment that was supposed to counter his blood disease had some rather unfortunate side-effects.
* GoodHairEvilHair: The soulpatch/chin tuft Morbius often sports is most commonly associated with anti-heroes.
* HairColorDissonance: Especially in earlier comics Morbius' black hair is shown as blue.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Started as an anti-villain, then went to being the anti-hero, eventually got upgraded to a nineties anti-hero who constantly fought against Spider-Man yet would help people in need, unless he felt like eating them.
* HighCollarOfDoom: Has one when he is introduced as a TragicVillain in the pages of ''Amazing Spider-Man''. Later inverted when he becomes more of an Anti-Hero, sometimes a hero outright but still wears the same outfit, with the collar often being drawn even higher and more pronounced than it was in his first appearance.
* HorrorHunger: The main cause of all his struggles and his desire to undo his curse.
* HospitalHottie: During his stint at St. Jude's several characters think he's quite good-looking.
* HumanShield: Morbius did this once when facing off with the ComicBook/XMen. He snatches Jean Grey and threatens to snap her neck unless Cyclops backs off. Scott just adjusts his glasses a bit and fires behind Morbius, striking a mirror and causing his eye-beams to re-direct into the vampire's back.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: In the UltimateUniverse Morbius is a true vampire and UsefulNotes/VladTheImpaler's brother. He fights against vampires and prevents other people from being turned into them.
* HybridMonster: In ''ComicBook/MarvelZombies 3'' there's a zombie version of Morbius, who calls himself a vambie.
* IAmAMonster: Sometimes, though at other times he rejects it outright.
* IHaveYourWife: In his Marvel NOW! series, the Rose tells Morbius he has his mother, and gives him her wedding ring as a reminder he works for him now. [[spoiler:Subverted when Morbius reveals his mother died years ago. The Rose's employer, who provided the ring, knows Morbius would know the threat was empty — so it was the Rose who was being conned.]]
* IJustWantToBeNormal: The single motivation that has remained a constant throughout all of Morbius' appearances since his introduction is the desire to undo the scientific accident that made him a living vampire and become a normal human being once more.
* IconicOutfit: The red and black bodysuit he originally wore as insulation against the electric shock during the experiment that transformed him.
* InSeriesNickName: Becky refers to Michael as 'Mike' when introducing him to members of Brownsville, and seems content to stick with that much to his chagrin. Him constantly correcting her becomes a bit of a RunningGag.
* InsanityDefense: Successfully argued by attorney [[ComicBook/SheHulk Jennifer Walters]], avoiding the death penalty for his crimes.
* InsistentTerminology: In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries''.
-->'''Morbius:''' I borrowed this equipment from the ESU Science Department.
-->'''Felicia Hardy:''' Pilfered.
-->'''Morbius:''' ...Borrowed.
* InTheHood: The first few nights in Brownsville Morbius wears a hoodie with the hood up after he's escaped the Raft and is laying low.
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With [[ComicBook/WerewolfByNight Jack Russell]]. Morbius was already an M.D. with at least one Ph.D. and a Nobel prize under his belt before Jack had even turned 18.
* InterruptedSuicide: Due to overwhelming guilt and generally being unable to cope with being a living vampire, he has attempted suicide several times, but laments that each time someone has stopped him or brought him back.
* KidSidekick: Played with in his Marvel NOW! series with the teenager Becky, who keeps saying she's his sidekick but Morbius insists she's not.
* LastNameBasis: He is almost always called by his last name, both in and out of universe. Only friends (sometimes) use his first name, "Or they would, if I had any."
* LimitedWardrobe: His black and red body suit. He's worn it for over 45 years now and though he sometimes switches things around he always goes back to it. Man must have one hell of a dry-cleaning bill.
* LooksLikeCesare: He is commonly portrayed like this.
* LooksLikeOrlok: When drawn by Tony Moore in the "Franken-Castle" arc, as well as by Paolo Rivera in ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #14.
* LovesMyAlterEgo: Lena falls in love with Morgan Michaels, but she hates Michael Morbius.
* ManlyTears: Cries when Marie Laveau turns him back into a living vampire against his will after he had been cured.
* MookHorrorShow: The 2019 series opens with this, as Morbius tears through a gang assembled by The Melter.
* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: DependingOnTheArtist, of course, but sometimes Morbius has been depicted with a particularly toothsome jawline. In particular, a fanmade poster for the 2022 Morbius film depicts him post-transformation with ripped-off lips and cheeks, creating a toothy ear-to-ear GlasgowGrin barely hidden by his high collar.
* MuggingTheMonster:
** Subverted in the NinetiesAntiHero comic as this happens soon after Morbius has found a way to make himself human again, and thus is unable to defend himself against several robbers (but gets revenge later).
** Played straight in other comics where people have tried to steal from a "corpse" or robbers have mistaken him as a harmless hobo.
** Members of the [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Friends of Humanity]] attack him because they think him to be a mutant. He would likely have killed them if Spider-Man hadn't stopped him. (Then again, this is [[TooDumbToLive far from the first time]] the Friends of Humanity have made this mistake.)
* {{Mutants}}: He started out as an ordinary human being but was altered when an experiment involving vampire bats went wrong.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Blood-Tide, Death-Flame, Vic Slaughter...
* NonhumansLackAttributes: An ''ComicBook/{{Exiles}}'' storyline introduces an alternate universe version of Morbius who looks like a giant bat. He is naked all of the time and doesn't have genitals or nipples.
* TheNoseless: Though he's commonly drawn as having an upturned or bat-like nose, some artists (such as Matthew Clark in ''Amazing ComicBook/SpiderMan'' 679.1) draw him without a nose at all.
* ObliviouslyEvil: A particularly tragic example in one of Todd [=McFarlane=]'s ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' stories, where Morbius hides in Manhattan's sewer and makes an agreement with a community of deformed, mentally ill humans living here: he protects them against their enemies and those who reject them, and they repay him by capturing bad people from the surface for him to feed on, thus sparing him the guilt of having to decide himself who deserves to be his victim. Unfortunately for him, their limited intelligence cause them to see ''all'' people from the surface as bad people, and they end up delivering him several innocent hobos. When Spider-Man gets involved in the case and reveals him the truth, Morbius is [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone horrified]] to realize he unintentionally caused innocents to kill other innocents and runs away from the community.
* OddFriendship: With ComicBook/WerewolfByNight.
* OneHeroHoldTheWeaksauce: He has all the physical abilities of a vampire, in part at least, with none of the traditional weaknesses except for the blood lust.
* OneManArmy: Manages to take out all of Noah St. Germain's thugs as well as the people working for the Rose single-handedly.
* OppositesAttract: Morbius and his fiancée Martine are each others' opposites in looks as well as personality. Morbius himself even wonders out loud how "an out and about society girl" could fall in love with "a morose scientist who can't stand the sun".
* OurVampiresAreDifferent:
** Besides himself being different (notice the "living vampire" moniker), he also inadvertently created another different vampire called Blade, though this was eventually retconned as Morbius' bite not having changed him at all.
*** He also bites [[ComicBook/XMan Nate Grey]], and winds up sort of turning him. However, this was implied to be more thanks to Nate's vast PsychicPowers - essentially, he believed that since he was bitten by a vampire, he would turn into one himself, and since he believed it, his powers subconsciously made it happen. It didn't stick.
** The [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries '90s cartoon depiction]] makes him even weirder by giving him myriad small, leech-like mouths in each hand, causing him to feed by grabbing hold of victims and sucking out the blood through them, instead of biting necks. It was supposed to make him more "kid friendly". Most would say it had quite the opposite effect. He spent a brief period of time as a hulking anthropomorphic bat version of himself as well.
** In ''[[WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan2012 Ultimate Spider-Man]]'' he is transformed when ComicBook/DoctorOctopus injects him with vampire bat formula. It gives him the ability to [[VampiricDraining drain people]] of their LifeEnergy, which he can do without physical contact.
* PainfulTransformation: In his first solo series Morbius is able to turn back into a human for short amounts of time thanks to a serum derived from Spider-Man's blood. The change from vampire to human and back is very painful, with lots of screaming involved.
* PastExperienceNightmare: In his first appearance in ''Amazing ComicBook/SpiderMan'' #101-102 his backstory is retold through the nightmares he suffers, in which he keeps recounting the scientific accident and killing Emil. He is occasionally shown to be reluctant to go to sleep because he knows he'll have more nightmares.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: Morbius uses this as a solution to slake his bloodthirst, figuring that if he needs to kill, he'll kill serious criminals.
* PeopleJars: Morbius has one in his Monster Metropolis lab which he keeps Werewolf by Night in after he is [[spoiler:infected with the zombie virus]].
* PeoplePuppets: In the ''VideoGame/SpiderMan3'' video game Shriek uses her powers to make him fight Spider-Man against his will. He repeatedly asks her to stop, to no avail.
* PointyEars: He initially did not have them, but later artists started adding them after which they quickly became a standard part of his appearance.
* PowerPalms: In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' Morbius could suck people's plasma through holes on his palms.
* ProHumanTranshuman: Though genetically he is not completely human anymore, Morbius still cares about humans a whole lot, such as when he runs a free clinic for the poor and when he defends the people of Brownsville from the criminals that run the town.
* ProfessorGuineaPig: To his defense he was running out of time and had tested at least ''some'' parts.
* RageAgainstTheReflection: In his first solo series, Michael uses Spider-Man's blood to develop a serum that changes him back into a human. While out on the street, he is attacked by a gang who beat him up. Crawling out of the gutter they left him lying in, he makes his way across the sidewalk to look into a shop window and sees he has reverted back to his vampire self. He runs off after punching a hole in the shop window.
* RealAwardFictionalCharacter: Won a Nobel Prize for his blood-related research.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Introduced as a ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' villain but later turned an AntiHero, Morbius' IconicOutfit is black and red. Originally his eyes were shown as pink but were later changed to red, making his entire color scheme white-black-red.
* RelatedInTheAdaptation:
** He's married to Shriek in the ''VideoGame/SpiderMan3'' tie-in game, while in the comics the two have no connection to each other and even fought against one another in the ''ComicBook/MaximumCarnage'' storyline.
** His ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' counterpart is {{Dracula}}'s brother--which in turn makes him a distant relative of ComicBook/DoctorDoom, who's one of Dracula's descendants.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'', he was mutated by being bitten by a vampire bat that he accidentally zapped with the Neogenic Recombinator whilst it was feeding on a sample of Peter Parker's blood he was testing it on. This results in a two-fer; not only is Spidey's blood stated to be the partial cause of his transformation, but they both transformed by being bitten by creatures exposed to the same bio-genetic altering radiation.
* ReligionOfEvil: Has battled against these more than once, which is ironic, seeing how he likes to remind people that he's a rational scientist.
* ResistTheBeast: He usually loses.
* SerialKillerKiller: For a time Morbius would only drink the blood of the guilty.
* ShirtlessScene: Both the 90's series and the Marvel NOW! run have quite a few of these.
* ASinisterClue: When Morbius is shown writing on something like a clipboard in volume 1 he does so with his left hand.
* SlidingScaleOfBeauty: Started out around XII as a human, with people laughing behind his fiancée's back for being with someone as ugly as him, and his attorney [[ComicBook/SheHulk Jennifer Walters]] saying he's weird-looking. Slides to XIII after being turned into a living vampire, with people describing him as looking like the back-end of a bulldog, and one of Spider-Man's first thoughts when coming face-to-face with him for the first time being "His face—it's hideous!"
* TheSoulless: After having been killed by Blade, Morbius is accidentally resurrected as an undead, soulless being. He is later brought back to proper life, but is never shown to actually get back his soul. It doesn't really seem to change him at all; he mentions his emotions are numbed somewhat but he is portrayed the way he always was: as a deeply flawed but fundamentally good person and caring doctor. The fact that he's soulless hasn't been mentioned in years and most writers even seem to have forgotten entirely.
* StakingTheLovedOne: Morbius staked (or caused to be staked) [[spoiler:his ex-fiancée Martine]] after she became a true vampire and tried to convince him to let her turn him into one too.
* StockSuperheroDayJobs: Of the scientist variety. Morbius worked as a hemato(patho)logist during one of his stable periods, and worked for a pharmaceutical company during another.
* TattooedCrook: Noah St. German is heavily tattooed, even on his face.
* TheseHandsHaveKilled: Morbius does this in his rewritten origin story after killing his lifelong friend Emil Nikos.
* ThirdPersonPerson: At times, though it's not very consistent from one appearance to the next.
* TotallyNotAWerewolf: The MarvelUniverse has plenty of vampires. Morbius differs from the rest by his scientific origin (combined with DNA of a vampire bat), and the fact that he is very much a living being. How much this trope applies varies [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the writer]].
* TyopOnTheCover: Morbius' name is misspelled as Moribus on the cover of ''Amazing Spider-Man'' #102.
* UglyGuyHotWife: When he was engaged to Martine he wondered how he got so lucky.
* UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain: He didn't think highly of his appearance even as a human, and turning into a vampire didn't help at all. In contrast, quite a few of the higher members of the Hell-Fire cult are handsome and beautiful.
* UndeathAlwaysEnds: Morbius was killed by Switchblade but not much later was resurrected as an undead being. True to his name, he reverted to being a ''living'' vampire about a year later.
* UnskilledButStrong: He's a doctor who spent most of his life in laboratories doing research before his transformation into a living vampire gave him tremendous strength. He doesn't seem to have much of a fighting technique beyond punching, tearing and biting his enemies, which gets even worse when he's in a blood frenzy that essentially reduces him to a mindless beast. But due to his strength he is able to hold his own against opponents such as Spider-Man, who on occasion even admits that he forgot how strong Morbius really is.
* VampiresHateGarlic: Averted, as he himself points out. He actually loves garlic, "especially in a nice pesto sauce."
* VampireVannabe: There's a club full of them and they just ''love'' Morbius, who is pretty freaked about by the idea that there are people who actually ''want'' to be vampires.
* VampireVords: His accent in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' and the ''VideoGame/SpiderMan3'' video game.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Jack Russell a.k.a. ComicBook/WerewolfByNight.
* WeakenedByTheLight: Won't turn to ashes in sunlight like a regular vampire, but ''will'' quickly suffer burns due to his extremely pale skin.
* WealthyYachtOwner: Subverted. Martine thinks he's bought a yacht with the Nobel prize money, but it turns out it's merely a rental.
* WhatHaveIBecome: His exact words after having been turned into a living vampire and killing his friend Emil.
* WhoWritesThisCrap: In ''Marvel Zombies'' Comicbook/WerewolfByNight takes a jab at Morbius: "Ha! You're such a cliché. So emo all the time about the tragedy of bloodlust like some bad ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' fanfic."
* WigDressAccent: In ''Strange Tales: Blade'', Morbius disguises himself as human to meet with Martine's relatives, which stretches quite a bit to PaperThinDisguise. Though he does wear reasonably normal clothes as opposed to his leather wear, he does nothing to his white skin, fangs, pointy ears or claws, making everyone creeped out by him. While he's not recognized as Michael Morbius, one of the family soon starts to suspect him to be a vampire and goes straight to ComicBook/{{Blade}} for help. Truly a Nobel-prize winning scientist at work.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: At the end of the day, Morbius is a decent human being given an extremely raw deal thanks to a terrible genetic dice roll, who then made an incredibly bad choice out of desperation (without really having any way to know just how bad an idea it was), and turned into an abomination as a result. He must spend every waking moment fighting off the call of the beast (which he generally does a good job at, but he can count on slipping or losing control in spite of his best efforts on a fairly regular basis), while also needing to feed and having his only means of sustenance be something that is usually fatal to the other party. Half of the reason why he is even a vigilante boils down to his need to feed and desire to at least have ''some'' good come out of it, and while he tries to be careful, he is all too aware that his efforts as a vigilante frequently lead to gigantic messes that he has to clean up because he lost control. While most of his allies are wary of him (for good reason) and he has caused a lot of problems for a lot of people, none of them can deny that his life sucks and he's putting in the best effort he possibly can to help others and not wallow in misery.
* WouldntHurtAChild: The only type of prey Morbius is rarely seen to attack. There is one character who is a child who is rapidly aging and being reborn and eventually demands Morbius to attack in her child stage; he tries his damnest to resist, but ultimately gives in this horrifically bizarre situation.
* YouSexyBeast: Mandy certainly thinks this; she just ''loves'' the fact that Morbius is a vampire and much prefers his vampire form over his human one.

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #256 (September 1984)

* OddFriendship: With ComicBook/CaptainAmerica villains Armadillo and Deadly Nightshade after MODOK's 11.

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #129 (February 1974)

See ComicBook/ThePunisher

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Spectacular Spider-Man'' #12 (November 1977)

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #172 (September 1977)

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #265 (June 1985)

For more information on her, please refer to '''[[ComicBook/SilverSable her page]]'''.

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''Venom[=/=]Carnage'' #1 (September 2004)

For more information on him, please refer to the '''ComicBook/{{Carnage}} [[Characters/{{Carnage}} characters]]''' page.

See ComicBook/{{Venom}}

!!! '''First Appearance:''' ''The Amazing Spider-Man #167 (April 1977)

[[Characters/SpiderManSpiderRelatedCharacters Spider Related Characters]] | [[Characters/SpiderManSupportingCharacters Spider-Man's Allies]] | [[Characters/SpiderManFamily Peter Parker's Family and Relatives]] | [[Characters/SpiderManClones Peter Parker's Various Clones and Duplicates]] | [[Characters/SpiderManLoveInterests Peter Parker's Love Interests]] | [[Characters/SpiderManMidtownHigh Midtown High]] | [[Characters/SpiderManEmpireStateUniversity Empire State University]] | [[Characters/SpiderManDailyBugle The Daily Bugle]] | '''Neutral Characters'''\\

See: Characters/BlackCatComicBook.