Honestly, it’s still kind of wild that it actually happened. Michael Keaton—the guy who literally defined the modern superhero as Batman—playing a villain in a Marvel movie. It sounds like something a fan would invent in a fever dream, but Adrian Toomes remains one of the few high points of the MCU’s rogue gallery.
Most people remember the "Vulture" as just another guy in a mechanical suit. That's a mistake. Keaton didn't just play a bird-themed bad guy; he played a mirror to Peter Parker’s own struggle. While Peter was a kid trying to prove he was a hero, Toomes was a man trying to prove he wasn't a victim of a system rigged by billionaires like Tony Stark.
The Michael Keaton Spider Man Casting That Almost Didn't Happen
You might not know this, but Michael Keaton almost passed on the role. Initial reports from 2016 suggested he wasn't interested or that scheduling wouldn't work. Kevin Feige and the team at Marvel were basically holding their breath because, let's be real, who else has that specific "Keaton energy"?
Eventually, the stars aligned.
On set, Keaton knew exactly what he was doing. Tom Holland has told stories about how Keaton would literally whisper "I'm Batman" to him during their fight scenes. It’s hilarious, sure, but it also shows the level of confidence he brought to the set. He wasn't just there for a paycheck. He was there to remind everyone who the original heavy hitter was.
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Why Adrian Toomes is Actually the Best MCU Villain
Most Marvel villains want to blow up the world or conquer a planet. That’s boring. Toomes? He just wanted to pay his mortgage and keep his salvage crew employed.
The Blue-Collar Backstory
The movie kicks off with the aftermath of The Avengers battle in New York. Toomes and his crew are cleaning up the mess until the Department of Damage Control—a joint venture between the government and Tony Stark—kicks them off the job. Imagine being a small business owner, taking out loans for equipment, only for the guy who caused the mess to swoop in and take the profit for cleaning it up.
That’s why the Michael Keaton Spider Man dynamic works so well. It’s a class war.
- Motivation: Pure survival and family protection.
- The Tech: Scavenged Chitauri scrap and "hacked" military hardware.
- The Vibe: Relatable, even when he’s being terrifying.
Keaton describes the character as someone who feels like a victim of the "upper echelon." He’s not wrong. When he’s driving Peter to the homecoming dance and figures out he’s Spider-Man, that’s not a supervillain monologue. That’s a father protecting his interests. It’s one of the most tense scenes in the history of comic book movies because it’s so grounded.
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The Suit: More Than Just Wings
The Vulture suit in Spider-Man: Homecoming is a beast. It’s not some sleek, elegant Stark tech. It’s bulky, loud, and looks like it was built in a garage—because it was. Keaton has talked about how the suit felt physically imposing to wear. There’s a logic to it: why would a guy building a wing-suit need a helmet? High altitudes. Cold temperatures. Lack of oxygen.
The design team didn't just make it look cool; they made it look functional. It’s a military-grade flight harness augmented with alien technology. It’s basically what happens when a brilliant engineer gets pushed to the edge by late-stage capitalism.
That Confusing Morbius Cameo (The Elephant in the Room)
We have to talk about the 2022 Morbius cameo. It was... weird. Even Michael Keaton admitted on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he had "zero idea" what was going on or how his character even got to that universe.
Sony basically used a multiverse "glitch" to pull Adrian Toomes out of the MCU and into the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU). It felt forced. It felt like a desperate attempt to build a Sinister Six movie that nobody was asking for at that point. While it’s technically "canon," most fans (and seemingly Keaton himself) prefer to view his MCU arc as the definitive version of the character.
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What's Next for Keaton's Vulture?
As of 2026, things are a bit quiet on the Vulture front. With the MCU heading into more multiverse chaos, there's always a chance he could pop back up. The ending of Homecoming showed him protecting Peter’s identity in prison, which implies he still has a shred of honor.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore, here is what you should actually do:
- Rewatch the "Car Scene": Pay attention to the lighting. As Toomes realizes Peter is Spider-Man, the traffic light turns green, washing Keaton’s face in a sickly green glow. It’s a masterclass in visual storytelling.
- Look for the "Falcon" Connection: Fans have long theorized that Toomes might have been an ex-Air Force engineer who helped design the early Falcon flight suits. While not explicitly confirmed, the technical similarities are hard to ignore.
- Check out the Comics: Read The Amazing Spider-Man #2. It’s his first appearance from 1963. Seeing how Jon Watts and Michael Keaton transformed an old man in a green leotard into a terrifying salvage king is incredible.
The legacy of Michael Keaton in the Spider-Man franchise is that he proved you don't need a "save the world" plot to have a great movie. You just need a relatable guy, a pair of wings, and a really scary dad talk.