Marvel fans are still in the dark over who will be the main villain of the forthcoming Spider-Man 4, but it is unlikely to be Michael Keaton's Vulture. The Spider-Man: Homecoming actor recently revealed that he has not yet been asked to return as the Spidey villain for the fourth Tom Holland-led Spider-Man movie.
During an interview with Screen Rant to promote his upcoming comedy movie Goodrich, Keaton was asked if Amy Pascal — who produced both Spider-Man: Homecoming and Goodrich — had been in touch about returning for Spider-Man 4 as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture. "Oh, wow. That's an interesting character, that guy. Actually, I was there for a minute in the second one... That really was fun experience, but I haven't talked to anybody about anything," Keaton shared, before jokingly adding, "I try not to talk to anybody. I really don't like people."
After being almost played by John Malkovich in Sam Raimi's scrapped Spider-Man 4, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture was eventually introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), serving as the movie's primary antagonist. After being captured by Spider-Man and incarcerated by the credits, Toomes is approached by his former business partner, Mac Gargan (Better Call Saul's Michael Mando) in the Homecoming mid-credits scene, who asks Toomes if it's true that he knows Spider-Man's real identity, a fact that Toomes, surprisingly, denies knowing. At the time of writing, this interaction has not been expanded on yet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although Mando remains open to returning to the Spider-Man franchise as Gargan's villainous alter ego, The Scorpion.
Vulture Almost Appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home
While Keaton hasn't returned to the MCU yet as the Vulture, he was considered to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In September 2023, Marvel Studios concept artist Phil Saunders shared a piece of concept art showing an unmasked Spider-Man at the front door of Toomes' house with Doc Ock, Green Goblin and Electro webbed together behind him. According to Saunders, "An early version of Spiderman: [No Way Home] had Peter enlisting the aid of a former foe in rehabilitating the captured multiverse villains."
While this scene never made it past the concept stage, Keaton's Vulture still ended up being involved with the multiverse shenanigans of No Way Home, albeit indirectly. The post-credits scene of Sony's Morbius strongly implied that Doctor Strange's spell in No Way Homesomehow transported Toomes to the Morbius universe (a.k.a. Sony's Spider-Man Universe).
Spider-Man 4 Rumored to Feature Venom
Sony and Marvel Studios have tapped Shang-Chi filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton to direct Spider-Man 4, which is eyeing an early 2025 production start. Holland and Zendaya (Michelle Jones-Watson) are also in the process of closing new deals to return for the sequel. While plot details remain under wraps for Spider-Man 4, a recent rumor has emerged claiming that Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom will play a major role in the movie, with set photos from Venom: The Last Dance's reshoots showing the SSU character in New York City. However, fans should take this rumor with a grain of salt until it's been confirmed by Marvel or Sony.
Spider-Man: Homecoming and Morbius are currently available to stream on Disney+. Spider-Man 4 does not yet have a release date.
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