Michael Keaton’s casting as Adrian Toomes/Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming was met with jubilation by comic book fans as the star’s a legend of the superhero genre, having played Batman in Tim Burton’s duo of Dark Knight movies back in the late 80s/early 90s. There was already a connection between Bats and Vulture due to their nature as flying vigilantes, but this was apparently made explicit in an easily-missed easter egg which has now been uncovered.
Reddit user @Deathstrokejt spotted a moment in the Spidey solo movie that seemingly calls back to an iconic shot from Keaton’s original Batman film. Here’s how the fan describes it:
“So I noticed this Spider-Man Homecoming Batman Easter egg. I’m almost positive it’s probably been found it’s the scene where the vulture and Spider-Man first meet and Spider-Man’s chute pops out and he falls to the ground for a split second you can see Keaton’s vulture in the moon just like Batman.”
He’s right, as this is very much like the moment in Batman’s climax when Bruce Wayne flies the Bat-glider in front of the moon and it hovers there for a second, referencing the Bat-signal. You can see the Homecoming shot below, via a screenshot the Redditer supplied, for an idea of what we’re talking about.
Keaton often reflects on his tenure as Batman and seems very honored to have played the part, so we’re sure he’d appreciate this nod to his most famous role if he knew about it. Spider-Man star Tom Holland’s even said that Keaton would joke around about playing Batman on set. Following one scene where Peter Parker tells his nemesis that he’s Spider-Man, Keaton broke character and replied: “‘But I’m Batman!”
Fans of the actor will be pleased to know that Keaton’s expected to reprise his role – as Vulture, not Batman – in the upcoming sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home. Toomes had gained a begrudging respect for the hero by the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, but we doubt he’d forgive him for locking him up in jail, so you can bet he’ll be causing some more trouble for Peter Parker in his next solo outing.
