It looks like Marvel Studios is bringing back a fan-favorite villain for another shot at Spider-Man.
According to Variety, in their report about Jake Gyllenhaal being in talks to star as Mysterio, they said that none other than Michael Keaton would be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture. The report says that Mysterio will be “joining” Keaton’s Vulture in the sequel to last year’s hugely successful “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
READ MORE: ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Sequel To Begin “A Few Minutes” After ‘Avengers 4’ Ends
The news of Keaton’s return is exciting on multiple fronts. First, and foremost, Keaton’s a great actor and brought a lot to his role as Vulture. Unlike many of the other one-note villains in MCU films, Keaton was able to present a villain that was multi-layered and not a maniac would-be world conqueror. He is also responsible for what is probably the best scene in all of ‘Homecoming,’ when he is driving Peter Parker and Liz to the titular dance. The menace and subtlety that Keaton brought to that performance are far too good for a ‘Spider-Man’ beat ‘em up flick.
Another reason fans should rejoice at the news is that this is the first sign that Marvel is playing the long game with their Spider-Man villains, which could eventually lead to a Sinister Six. For those that don’t know, Spider-Man’s foes have routinely teamed up to form their own supergroup of sorts, called the Sinister Six. Andrew Garfield’s failed ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ franchise attempted to rush into the supervillain team and failed. So, perhaps Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios are attempting to show Sony how it’s done.
Also mentioned as returning in the Variety report are Tom Holland (obviously…or not), Maris Tomei, and Zendaya as “MJ.” And apparently, Marvel and Sony are in the midst of looking for a new female actress in her 20s to play another lead in the film. They could be looking at perhaps adding Gwen Stacey to the mix or one of about a million different female supporting characters that have graced the pages of “Spider-Man” comics throughout the decades.
The sequel to “Spider-Man: Homecoming” is set to hit theaters July 5, 2019.
