If there’s one common complaint that’s often leveled against the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s how the studio tends to butcher its leading villains. With the exception of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, you’d struggle to pinpoint an antagonist that left much of an impression on the moviegoing masses, and it’s something that Marvel boss Kevin Feige has acknowledged in the past.
2017 could be the year in which the studio turns over a new leaf in the villain department, what with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Thor: Ragnarok and Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming all releasing within the space of seven months. The latter is set to become Marvel’s summer tentpole, given its primetime July release window, and we know that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will be locking horns with the Vulture in a few months’ time.
Brought to life by the Oscar-winning Michael Keaton, Vulture (real name Adrian Toomes) was initially viewed as an unusual choice for Spider-Man: Homecoming, but after unveiling a pair of show-stopping trailers, we’re really beginning to warm to the idea of Vulture and Spidey duking it out on the big screen. There’s the fact that Parker’s nemesis will be played by Keaton, of course, but given how Homecoming‘s villain is woven into the fabric of the MCU – Toomes, a jaded engineer, uncovers some leftover Chitauri tech from the battle of New York City (read: The Avengers) – there’s a real sense of gravitas emanating from the Vulture. Harboring a grudge against Tony Stark and his Damage Control group, Keaton’s character goes on to construct a powerful winged suit to enact his revenge, and it’s up to Spidey to stop him in his tracks.
Spider-Man: Homecoming makes a beeline for theaters on July 7th. It’s the third crack at Peter Parker since Tobey Maguire first slipped into the iconic suit back in ’02, and earlier today, writer-director Marc Webb looked back at his own Amazing Spider-Man series with an unyielding sense of pride.
