After a back-and-forth negotiation, Michael Keaton signed on to play the villain in Marvel and Sony’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. Almost immediately, rumors began circulating that the part was that of Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture, and leaked concept art seemed to corroborate the talk. Nothing was confirmed, however, until Marvel’s Kevin Feige recently spoke with the Toronto Sun.
Asked about the future villains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Feige gave offhanded confirmation that Keaton is indeed playing Vulture. “We’ve had a wish list, and most of them in the near-term are coming together,” Feige told the paper. “Cate Blanchett is playing Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. Michael Keaton’s Vulture in Spider-Man [Homecoming] is something. And of course, finally, we’re showcasing Josh Brolin’s Thanos (in Avengers: Infinity War). We’re looking forward to that very much.” (via ComicBook.com)
In addition to the confirmation, more leaked production designs have revealed what could be a fresh look at the Vulture’s costume:
Directed by Jon Watts, Spider-Man: Homecoming is due out on July 7th, 2017. In addition to Keaton, the film will star Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Star/Iron Man, Zendaya as “Michelle” (rumored to actually be Spidey’s love interest Mary-Jane Watson), Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson, and Laura Harrier as Liz Allan. Other confirmed cast members Bokeem Woodbine and Michael Chernus are rumored to be playing villains Herman Schultz/Shocker and Phineas Mason/Tinkerer, respectively. An unnamed major villain from the comics is also rumored to play a large background role.
