Spider-Man: Homecoming is a complete mystery. While shooting has now finished, an official cast list has never been revealed and plot details are being kept firmly under wraps. We do, however, know that The Vulture will be the main villain, and while it’s widely believed that Michael Keaton will play Adrian Toomes, that’s never been confirmed.
Well, until now, that is. During a recent interview to promote Doctor Strange, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige finally made it clear that the Birdman star is playing the classic villain.
“We’ve had a wish list and most of them in the near-term are coming together,” Feige told the Toronto Sun about villains to be featured in upcoming Marvel Studios films. “Cate Blanchett is playing Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. Michael Keaton’s Vulture in Spider-Man 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.”
Many fans have speculated that Keaton could have been secretly cast as J. Jonah Jameson with a younger actor possibly playing a new take on The Vulture. That’s clearly not going to be the case, but Spider-Man: Homecoming has landed one hell of a bad guy, that’s for sure. It is still possible though that two different actors will end up playing Toomes.
How will that work? Well, in the comics, the original Vulture had his costume and moniker stolen from him by a younger man. He’s also used energy draining tech to restore his youth both in the source material and animated series, so there’s precedent for there being some sort of twist with how he’s handled in Spider-Man: Homecoming next year. We’ll have to wait and see, but it would definitely be an interesting direction to take the character in, don’t you think?