Why Mr. Fox From Morbius Looks So Familiar

Sony's "Morbius," starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, and Jared Harris, finally hit theatres in early April of 2022 after multiple theatrical delays. It was ... not received well by critics, who left the Marvel project a depressing 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences flocked in nonetheless, netting the film over $128 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) and a likely sequel. Not everyone in the vampiric tale would be lucky enough to return for a second run, however.

Dr. Emil Nicholas (Harris) met an abysmal end when Lucien/Milo/Loxias Crown/Hunger (Smith) gifted him an extra entrance into his chest, and Mr. Fox was turned into a human Capri Sun by the totally-a-good-guy protagonist, Michael Morbius (Leto). If you don't remember the actor who plays Mr. Fox, that's okay. His screen time was brief and his end was swift, but chances are that you've seen the big guy more than once, meandering through Hollywood's cinematic catalog with impressive consistency.

While it's commonplace for actors of certain celebrity status to bemoan their typecasting situation, others lower on the ladder lean into it to make that sweet, sweet money, and the man behind Mr. Fox has found a niche that never ends: the Disposable Jerk. Honestly, you've probably seen this actor bite the dust more times than Sean Bean, and that's saying something. Here's a look at some of his highlights.

"Morbius" bad guy Mr. Fox is played by Corey Johnson, and in past films, his characters were frequently hired to be a Problem, But Not The Biggest Problem. These are the roles where his character stands opposed to the protagonist to help solidify the ladder's moral standing, which gives them more credibility with the audience when the Real Villain makes an appearance. In the 1999 fan-favorite film "The Mummy," which follows Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn Carnahan (Rachel Weisz) on their curse-plagued quests through Egypt's history, Johnson portrays Mr. Daniels, a treasure hunter. 

Since he's not as charming of a treasure hunter as O'Connell, he's the bad guy! Well, because of that and all the murder. He tends to overuse his pistols when money is involved. Mr. Daniels' career as a treasure hunter ends when the recently revived high priest Imhotep (Arnold Vosloo) needs an immediate magical organ transplant. There's a hoard of mind-controlled slaves involved in that particular grotesque exchange, too.

Johnson's credits include a number of goons. While, yes, that word is usually synonymous with "thug" or "minion," it doesn't necessarily mean that he's always working for a crime boss ... any old boss will do, really. "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "The Bourne Legacy" both follow trained agents David Webb/Jason Bourne and Aaron Cross (Matt Damon & Jeremy Renner, respectively) as they flee from the CIA's desperate need to shoot at everyone they've ever employed. In both films, Johnson portrays Ray Wills, an assistant to Noah Vosen (David Strathairn).

Wills is, ostensibly, a goon, and does the grunt work for his corrupt director. It's unclear whether or not he approves of the CIA's blatantly criminal operation, but he does reach for his sidepiece with alarming ease inside of a crowded office when Vosen gets cranky, so there's that little fun fact. Wills, the bane of locked glass doors around the world, is still breathing when the final credits roll, so what happens next for the walking-anger-management-ad is up to your imagination. 

In the 2014 surprise success "Kingsman: The Secret Service," which follows Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton) on his journey to becoming a classier version of James Bond, Johnson appears for a single, truly unforgettable scene as the unnamed Church Leader of the South Glade Mission Church. In the film, the SGMC was a noted hate group, based on the very real Westboro Baptist Church.

Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), intent on testing the violent effects of his mind-controlling SIM cards, lures Harry Hart/Galahad (Colin Firth) to the Kentucky church where, once activated, the SIM cards cause an explosive battle to erupt. Valentine watches as Galahad, and the rest of the church, attempts to kill each in the most aggressive ways possible. Johnson meets his fate at Firth's hands, on the end of what we're pretty sure was a broken flag pole. His death signifies the climax of the cruel experiment, and the scene lingers, briefly, on his newly mounted head.

More than once, Johnson has found himself in the middle of a (movie) military mess. In the 2022 miniseries remake of "The Ipcress Files," which follows small-time criminal Harry Palmer (Joe Cole) on his deadly mission to absolve his criminal records via court-ordained spy shenanigans, Johnson portrays Captain Skip Henderson, a blustering U.S. military official. 

Henderson, who primarily appears in Episodes 4 and 5, is stationed at the Grant Maddison Airbase and serves as a major obstacle to Palmer's mission to observe the creation of the neutron bomb. Although he's heavily hinted to have a twisted history of untoward deeds, Henderson really hits his stride when he threatens to tie 200 pounds of concrete to the would-be spy and drop him into the ocean. You know, standard U.S. military stuff. Henderson's fate is not an explicit part of the finale's web, so Johnson's character gets to live — at least this time.