Few movies have had a stranger second life than Morbius. The 2022 Marvel film starring Jared Leto was panned by critics and quickly left theaters. Then the internet adopted it as a running joke, created a wave of Morbius memes, and pushed Sony to put the movie back in cinemas, where it flopped all over again. Here is the full story of the Morbius meme, how it evolved and the funniest jokes it produced.
What Is Morbius?
Morbius is a superhero film from Sony Pictures, part of its universe of Spider-Man characters. Jared Leto plays Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist who tries to cure his rare blood disease and accidentally turns himself into a vampire-like antihero. The film was released in April 2022 after several delays, and it received very poor reviews from critics and audiences.
Where Did Morbius Memes Come From?
After its release, people online began joking about the movie in an exaggerated, ironic way. Instead of mocking it directly, they pretended it was the greatest film ever made. Fans claimed they had seen it dozens of times, invented fake box office numbers and made up quotes that were never in the film.
“It’s Morbin’ Time”
The most famous joke is the phrase “It’s Morbin’ Time”, a parody of the “It’s Morphin’ Time” catchphrase from the Power Rangers. Morbius never says it in the movie, which is exactly why it is funny. People attached the line to edited clips and fake trailers, treating it as an iconic quote. “Morbin'” also became a joke verb, used as if it meant something powerful or epic.
“Morbius Sweep” and Fake Box Office
Another joke claimed that Morbius had swept awards shows and broken every box office record, often called the “Morbius sweep”. People posted fake headlines about “one billion Morbillion dollars” and Morbius being the highest-grossing film of all time.
How the Meme Brought Morbius Back to Theaters
The jokes became so popular that in early June 2022, Sony re-released Morbius in over 1,000 theaters in the United States. The studio seemed to believe the online buzz meant real interest. It did not. The re-release earned only a tiny amount over its weekend, and the result became one more chapter in the meme. The internet’s lesson: ironic hype is not the same as real fans buying tickets.
How Morbius Memes Evolved Over Time
- Early 2022: Mocking reviews and jokes about the film’s many delays.
- Spring 2022: Ironic praise, fake quotes and “It’s Morbin’ Time” edits.
- June 2022: The re-release and its box office flop, which created a new wave of jokes.
- Later: “Morbius” became shorthand for any overhyped or bad superhero film, and the meme still pops up whenever a new comic book movie disappoints.
The Funniest Morbius Memes
- Edited clips of Jared Leto dramatically saying “It’s Morbin’ Time” before transforming.
- Fake movie tickets for “Morbius 2” and “Morbius 3: Morbin’ Forever”.
- Fake box office charts showing Morbius beating every blockbuster in history.
- People using “morb” as a verb, as in “I’m about to morb all over this exam.”
- The famous “Morbius sweep” posts pretending the film won every award.
Why Morbius Became Such a Big Meme
- Irony culture: Pretending to love something bad is a classic internet joke.
- A real-world twist: Sony’s re-release made the joke bigger than anyone expected.
- Easy to join: Anyone could invent a fake Morbius quote or statistic.
- Superhero fatigue: Morbius became a way to joke about the flood of comic book movies.
Morbius is not the only movie the internet has turned into a joke. Shrek memes show how fans can love a film so much it becomes a meme, while our Star Wars memes show how quotes live forever online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “It’s Morbin’ Time” mean?
It is a joke catchphrase based on the Power Rangers line “It’s Morphin’ Time”. Morbius never says it in the movie, which is the point of the joke.
Why did Morbius return to theaters?
Sony re-released the film in June 2022 after seeing the huge online meme buzz, but the re-release earned very little at the box office.
Who plays Morbius?
Jared Leto plays Dr. Michael Morbius.
Is Morbius a good movie?
Most critics and audiences disliked it. The memes ironically pretend it is a masterpiece, which is why they are funny.
Final Thoughts
Morbius memes are a perfect example of how the internet can turn a forgettable movie into a legend. It started as ironic praise, grew into a running joke and even changed a studio’s decisions. Explore more film humor in our movie and TV memes.
Md. Emam Hasan is the founder of Memes Point. He is an English teacher and the founder of Anirban Lexicon Center in Mirpur, Dhaka, and he also works in digital marketing and SEO. At Memes Point he researches where popular memes come from and explains them in clear, family-friendly language.
