Milo

*"All our lives, we've lived with death hanging over us. Why? Why shouldn't they know what it feels like for a change, Michael?"*
―Milo to Michael Morbius[src]
**Lucien**, better known as **Milo**, was a wealthy scion and life-long friend of Michael Morbius; both suffering from the same rare blood disease. Milo used his considerable wealth to support Horizon Labs' experiments, in hopes of finding a cure for his illness. When Morbius discovered a supposed cure for his illness, Milo stole it and used it on himself; transforming him into a Living Vampire.

## Biography

### Childhood

Since childhood, Lucien has suffered from a rare blood disease; the disease prevents his blood cells from coagulating. In order to receive the best treatment, Milo was sent to a private hospital in Greece; where he would be under the care of Doctor Emil Nicholas. Whilst a patient there, he met and befriended Michael Morbius, who suffered from the same rare blood disease. As soon as they met, Michael nicknamed Lucien "Milo"; stating every person who lay in the bed before Lucien was “Milo”. One day, whilst in conversation with Michael, Milo’s blood pump machine experienced a malfunction and Milo passed out, Michael however was able to identify the fault and fix the machine; saving Milo’s life. As Morbius left to study in New York, Michael left Milo a letter, informing Milo of his intention to find a cure for their disease. After accidently losing the letter, he was attacked by a group of bullies and was saved by Dr. Nicholas, who decided to take care of him.

### Expedition to Costa Rica

25 Years later, Milo had become a very wealthy man, and a large contributor to Michael’s experiments at Horizon Labs. After a successful experiment, Michael Morbius visited Milo to inform him of the progress he had made; due to the illegal nature of his experiments, Michael asked Milo to fund an expedition to Costa Rica to retrieve DNA samples from Vampire Bats. With no regard for the illegality of the experiments, and due to the liberties afforded by his wealth, Milo chose to help Morbius, and gave him the resources he needed.

### Rise of the Vampires

Shortly after the horrific events occurred during the expedition, Milo watched the news; learning of the incident that occurred on the ship. Hearing about what had happened during the expedition, Milo visited Horizon Labs, where he was surprised to find Michael Morbius in his lab; seeming cured of his disease and seeking blood. After giving Michael the blood he needed, and learning of the effects of the "cure", Milo wished to take it himself. However, Morbius refused to give him the cure, informing Milo that it would turn him into a monster. Milo, feeling outraged and betrayed, lashed out at his friend; for getting to live whilst he was left to suffer and die.

### Betrayal

*"You are not capable of killing that woman."*
―Milo to Michael Morbius[src]
Since Morbius refused to let Milo take the cure and monstrously told him to go, Milo decided to steal the cure and administer it to himself; unbeknownst to Michael. After transforming into a Living Vampire, Milo’s bloodlust took over and he killed a nurse in Horizon Labs. The FBI investigated the murder, which Michael believed he was responsible for; seeing the danger he posed to others, Michael decided to flee with a large supply of blood. Before Michael could escape, he was confronted by agents Stroud and Rodriguez; as they attempted to bring him in for questioning, Morbius decided to flee. Before Morbius could escape, agent Stroud was able to get him at gunpoint; Michael willingly surrendered to police custody. Milo visited Morbius in his prison cell, claiming to be his lawyer, despite never finishing law school. Milo informed Michael that he would get him out of this predicament, but Michael, experiencing guilt and blood withdrawal, felt as though a cell was the best place for him. As Milo exited Michael’s cell, he left a bag of blood and his cane in Michael’s cell; so Morbius would learn the truth about the nurse’s murder. Feeling enraged and betrayed, Michael drank the bag of blood and escaped from jail to hunt down Milo.

### Subway Battle

After hunting down Milo with his echolocation, Morbius chastised Milo for taking the serum and killing the nurse; Michael believed their condition to be a curse, whilst Milo saw it as a gift. Milo enjoyed the perks afforded by his transformation; becoming a Living Vampire made Milo feel powerful and fearless, no longer having to experience the suffering he had endured, or worry about the inevitable death that had awaited him in life. When Morbius informed Milo of his intentions to find a cure for their new condition, Milo became fearful, and forcefully informed Michael that he refused to go back. Milo assaulted Morbius with a powerful shockwave, as Michael fled to a nearby subway an aggressive chase ensued; where Milo easily overpowered and tossed Michael about.

The destruction and damage they had caused caught the attention of the police; as several officers attempted to arrest them, Milo quickly slaughtered them, an act which gave him immense pleasure. Michael seeing the deaths caused by Milo, looked to flee from the area. Milo taunted Michael informing Michael that he intended to force him to embrace his nature. As he searched for an exit, Milo attacked Michael; knocking him down with a shockwave. Before Milo could continue his assault, Michael was able to use the air currents, generated by a speeding subway, to glide to safety.

### New Vampire Lifestyle

The following day, Morbius contacted Martine to inform her of Milo's transformation, as well as his involvement in the recent string of deaths; requesting that she stay away from Milo, and aid him in his search for a cure. As Morbius looked to cure his new affliction, Milo revelled in his newfound powers and nature. As a Living Vampire, Milo had become more confident and outgoing, he also began to hunt for his prey. Milo decided to go to a bar to enjoy the facets of life his disorder had deprived him of; drinking, dancing, as well as flirting with women. Milo’s actions led to a confrontation with a belligerent bar patron; feeling slighted after this confrontation, Milo hunted the patron and his friends as they exited the bar. In an embrace of his predatory nature, Milo hunted and killed a number of people; unleashing a city-wide crime spree to satiate his thirst for blood. Initially, Milo enjoyed the hunting and killing, however the satisfaction he felt quickly dissipated, and Milo soon found himself binge drinking.

### Duel of the Living Vampires

*"Michael doesn't accept what he is, Nicholas. I'm gonna make him accept it."*
―Milo to Emil Nicholas[src]

Following several days of hunting and binge drinking, Milo was confronted by Emil Nicholas, who was concerned, and horrified by Milo's actions. However, after seeing that Milo was struggling with his new condition, Emil offered to help him, but insisted that Milo stop killing and drink artificial blood; this antagonised Milo and he became aggressive, believing Emil always chose Michael over him. When Emil told Milo that he was repulsed by what Milo had become, he brutally wounded Emil and left him to die.

As Michael visited Milo's home, intending to use an antibody he developed to take him down, he found a dying Emil on the floor; as Emil drew his last breath, Morbius used his enhanced senses to locate Milo, who was with Martine. Milo demanded Martine tell him of Morbius' location, however when she refused to, Milo fatally injured her. Morbius made his way across the city, but not in time to stop Milo; as he held her in his arms as she died, Morbius fed on her blood. Enraged by Martine's apparent death, an aggressive confrontation ensued between Milo and Morbius; Milo dominated Morbius in their fight, easily tossing him through the air and tackling him, causing them to fall hundreds of feet into the sewers. Injured and in pain, Morbius let out a powerful scream that summoned an army of bats; as they surround the two, Milo prepared to strike a fatal blow on Morbius. Before Milo could strike, Morbius set the bats upon Milo; restraining him long enough for Morbius to use his compound, ending Milo's bloodlust and killing spree.

## Personality

*"Everything I am, I am because of you. I looked up to you my whole life. I will never leave you, and I will not go back. You cannot make me go back. I won't let you make me go back!"*
―Milo to Michael Morbius[src]
Having suffered a life threatening illness for most of his life, Milo became a rather withdrawn and bitter man. Milo's poor quality of life, and the alienation he felt as a result of his condition, deprived him of a tangible social life; leaving him with few friends or close relationships. Despite this, Milo still maintained a relationship with his childhood doctor Emil Nicholas, and close friendship with his childhood friend Michael Morbius; the two were surrogate brothers and quickly bonded upon meeting due to their shared illness.

Milo resented those who had not suffered the way he and Morbius suffered, the transformation into a living vampire seemed to increase his feelings of anger and resentment; all of Milo's worst traits were amplified due to his vampirism, turning him into a deranged, misanthropic monster who had an insatiable bloodlust. Milo's subconscious envy for Michael became more apparent, however at the same time, Milo also desired Michael's acceptance, and tried to convince him to embrace his darker nature; believing he and Michael had evolved beyond humanity. As he was dying, Milo was fearful and remorseful, apologising to Michael for all the pain and damage he had caused.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

*"It's not a curse. It's a gift."*
―Milo to Michael Morbius[src]
* **Pseudo-Vampirism**: Michael Morbius developed a serum intended to cure his blood disorder, however, the serum had the unfortunate consequence of turning the recipient into a being known as a Living Vampire. After stealing the serum and using it on himself, Milo was transformed. As a Living Vampire, Milo possessed pseudo-supernatural and superhuman physical abilities; in addition to superhuman levels of strength and speed, Milo possessed the health and vitality of an Olympic athlete. Milo also lacked the weaknesses associated with mythological vampirism; such as an aversion to holy water or a sensitivity to sunlight. The transformation also affected Milo’s overall appearance; when using his abilities, Milo developed bat-like features, possessing fangs and claws, a flattened nose and extremely grey and pale skin. His eyes would also change colour depending on what ability he used, from blood red, to white with black star-like shapes (this change only occurs when using his echolocation). Milo’s abilities appeared to be stronger and more refined than those of Michael Morbius, possibly due to how he had embraced his vampiric side by drinking fresh human blood; as opposed to Morbius who was subsisting on artificial blood.
	+ **Transformation**: Living Vampires possess the ability to shift their features to express bat-like traits. In this form, Milo develops a flattened nose, extremely grey and pale skin, and eyes that change colour depending on what ability he was using; from blood red, to white with black star-like shapes. Milo would also develop wickedly sharp fangs and claws, they could easily tear apart flesh.
	+ **Superhuman Strength**: Milo was considerably stronger and tougher than any normal human, enabling him to overpower, lift, toss and manhandle full grown men with relative ease. Milo could exert sufficient force to smash glass, tear flesh, and toss others hundreds of feet through the air. The force of Milo’s strikes are capable of smashing tiled walls and knocking down doors; Milo was also able to go toe-to-toe with other living vampires such as Morbius, dominating him throughout their final conflict.
	+ **Superhuman Durability**: As a Living Vampire, Milo's body was tougher, stronger, and more resistant to conventional forms of physical injury. Milo could withstand trauma that would be fatal normal humans; such as falls from great heights, slashes and stab wounds, gunshot wounds and tremendous impact forces, including those from other superhuman beings like Morbius, without sustaining injury.
	+ **Superhuman Speed**: Milo can run and move at incredible superhuman speeds, appearing as a blur to human eyes; enabling him to quickly scale buildings, cross a room in the blink of an eye, dispatch multiple enemies in moments and even dodge bullets. When moving at high speeds, Milo generates an aura of energy currents and mist-like shapes that match the colours of the clothes he is wearing; this aura creates a trail, much like fire or wind. Milo proved capable of overwhelming Morbius, another Living Vampire, in high speed hand-to-hand combat during their second fight, able to easily dodge his feral attacks, as well as land a number of strikes and blows of his own.
	+ **Superhuman Agility**: Milo possessed greater agility, dexterity, balance, and body coordination than that of a normal human being. Milo was able to easily and rapidly run, jump and climb, he can leap between buildings, as well as scale upside-down and vertical surfaces like walls and the sides of high-rises. Milo is also able to leap from high places, such as the rooftops of buildings, and land lightly on his feet with relative ease.
	+ **Superhuman Stamina**: Milo's advanced musculature was considerably more efficient than that of a normal human being; affording him superhuman health and vitality. As a result, Milo’s muscles produced virtually no fatigue toxins during physical activity; his endurance allowed him to exert himself at peak physical capacity for an indefinite period of time (after days of hunting and killing, Milo stated he was unable to sleep). Milo’s health and vitality were affected by how regularly he ingests blood; being deprived of blood will cause his blood disorder to return and his vitals to drop.
	+ **Superhuman Reflexes**: Milo's reflexes and reaction times were many times faster than a normal human’s; he was easily able to dodge and react to people and objects traveling at high speeds. Milo could dodge and counter any attack, match Morbius in high-speed hand-to-hand combat during their fights, and evade high-speed projectiles such as gunfire, even at point-blank range.
	+ **Superhuman Senses**: Milo possessed predatory senses, that enabled him to see, hear and smell with greater clarity and across greater distances than a normal human; to the point where he could use his enhanced senses to track his targets. Milo was able to use his senses to hunt and stalk his prey, as well as track down Michael and Martine, and spy on them from a distance of hundreds of feet. Milo could even use his enhanced hearing to listen in on an individual’s heartbeat; enabling Milo to detect lies by changes in heart rhythm.
		- **Echolocation**: Like all Living Vampires, Milo possessed an advanced form of echolocation; like the vampire bat, Milo was able to emit sound waves, and use the reflected echoes to map his surroundings and track prey. Even in a large urban cityscape, Milo was able to use echolocation to isolate and track his prey.
	+ **Shockwave Generation**: Milo was capable of creating powerful shockwaves that could knock his enemies back a considerable distance. This also afforded Milo an edge whilst in combat with Morbius.
	+ **Regenerative Healing Factor**: As a Living Vampire, Milo's health, vitality and metabolism were drastically modified and enhanced; as well as curing his blood disorder, Milo would rapidly regenerate damaged bodily tissues with greater speed and efficiency than a normal human. Due to the nature of his abilities, Milo’s health and vitality are affected by how regularly he ingests blood; being deprived of blood will cause his blood disorder to return and his vitals to drop.

### Abilities

*"We miss you at Horizon. We could use your mind."*
―Michael Morbius[src]
* **Genius-Level Intellect/Expert Tactician**: According to Dr. Michael Morbius, Milo was highly intelligent; he was accepted into law school and spent time at Horizon Labs. Milo was also a skilled strategist; as well as being a competent chess player, Milo was able to successfully frame Michael for the murders he committed.
* **Expert Combatant**: Having been in various fights all his life Milo is a fairly experienced combatant. Milo’s transformation into a Living Vampire has madd him an even better combatant; he is able to use his superhuman strength and speed to overpower groups of human and blitz attack his enemies, even the likes of fellow vampire Michael Morbius.
* **Skilled Thief**: Milo was a competent thief; despite the mobile impairment caused by his condition, Milo still managed to steal Morbius' serum without being detected.
* **Bilingualism**: Milo spoke English and Italian.
* **Network**: Due to his considerable wealth, Milo has connections in various enterprises, legitimate and otherwise; Milo was able to afford Michael the resources he needed to collect DNA samples from Costa Rica, and conduct illegal experiments at sea. Even after the deaths of a group of hired mercenaries, Milo suggested that he could make the legal ramifications go away.

## Weaknesses

* **Antibody**: Morbius developed an antibody which is harmful to humans. This was made to kill Living Vampires, it was lethally used on Milo during their fight.
* **Haematophagy**: Milo’s condition as a living Vampires requires him to regularly ingest blood in order to maintain his health and vitality. The longer Milo goes without blood, the sicker and weaker he will become. This dependency on blood also manifests as a thirst for blood, being deprived of blood will also cause Milo to act feral.

## Relationships

### Enemies

* Emil Nicholas † - Victim
* Horizon Labs
	+ Michael Morbius - Former Best Friend, Attempted Victim and Killer
	+ Martine Bancroft - Victim
	+ Kristen Sutton † - Victim
* FBI
	+ Simon Stroud
	+ Alberto Rodriguez

## Trivia

* Matt Smith was originally reported to play **Loxias Crown**, also known as **Hunger**, but was changed into an original character based on him.
* Milo's drink of choice was tequila, specifically Don Julio 1942.
* When Milo first met Michael when they were kids, Michael told Milo about all the 'other Milos' before him. This would indicate he might have named him and all the other kids Milo, because the first Milo was really named Milo, and he was Morbius’ first friend.

## Behind the Scenes

* George Kirby, James O'Daly and Paul Philip Clark were stunt doubles for Matt Smith in the role of Hunger.
* Matt Smith was encouraged by Karen Gillan to take up the role.

## References

The Sony's Spider-Man Universe Wiki has a collection of images and media related to **Milo**.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 *Morbius*

## External Links

* Milo on Marvel Database
* Hunger on Marvel Database
* Hunger on Wikipedia