Michael Keaton’s MCU Vulture Returns (But For Which Marvel Movie?)

Michael Keaton confirms Vulture’s return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe by admitting that he’s filming new scenes, which could appear in anything from Spider-Man: No Way Home to Morbius. Keaton’s Vulture/Adrian Toomes debuted in the MCU in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland’s first solo Spider-Man film. Spider-Man: Homecoming introduces Vulture as a black market dealer selling alien technology left from battles with the Avengers. Toomes used to be a regular businessman but turned to a life of crime after he lost his contract to clean up the mess left by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and the Chitauri aliens in New York City after The Avengers. Spider-Man ultimately thwarted the criminal, stopping Vulture from stealing weapons headed to the Avengers’ new headquarters. Of course, Keaton’s character ends the film in prison, but it seems Vulture will soon make a comeback.

The MCU is about to enter a completely new era. In Loki, Lady Loki (Sophia Di Martino) kills He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a Kang the Conqueror variant, destroying Marvel’s sacred timeline in the process. Lady Loki’s actions unleash the Multiverse on the MCU, and now characters from Marvel movies and beyond are free to cross paths with one another. The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailers have already shown various villains from past Spider-Man movies, including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx’s Electro, making their way into the MCU. And that film is only the beginning.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Keaton announced he was filming new Vulture scenes, opening up several possibilities for the character. First, Vulture could appear in No Way Home, which will hit theaters in December. Morbius is another Vulture possibility, as the character surprisingly appears in the trailer for the film. Beyond the obvious, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is also an option, as the film continues to go through reshoots. Then again, the reveal could be more significant than all of those possibilities, with Vulture appearing in an upcoming post-credit scene.

Vulture Could Appear In Spider-Man: No Way Home

No Way Home is doing something unprecedented in the MCU. The film brings in several villains from previous Spider-Man movies, including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman, and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin. In addition, Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Rhys Ifans’ Lizard even get new looks for the film. Together, the characters seemingly make up the Sinister Six, but there is still one spot missing on the team of villains. While some fans speculate that Tom Hardy’s Venom could fill the vacancy, Vulture could also return to the Spider-Man franchise.

Since the upcoming Spider-Man movie releases in December, filming scenes now wouldn’t allow much time to incorporate new sequences into the final movie. However, the No Way Home script was constantly in flux during filming, so last-second changes aren’t entirely out of the question. Additionally, since Vulture previously appeared in Homecoming, he could seamlessly slide into the story as an extra villain. Holland’s Peter Parker is sympathetic towards Vulture at the end of Homecoming, even saving his life. Spider-Man also wants to save the lives of the new villains in No Way Home, which goes against Doctor Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) wishes, so Vulture could be a success story for Peter Parker to point out.

Vulture Could Be Shooting More For Morbius

Keaton surprised MCU fans everywhere by showing up in the Morbius trailer in 2020. In the teaser trailer, Vulture appears with Jared Leto’s Morbius, saying, “Michael Morbius. Got tired of doing the whole good guy thing, huh? What’s up, Doc?” The moment confirmed that Sony films are crossing over with the MCU, and it opened up a world of possibilities long before Lady Loki unleashed the Multiverse. Keaton also appeared in the latest Morbius trailer, telling Leto’s character, “You and I should stay in touch.”

Morbius comes to theaters in 2022, so there would be more time for Michael Keaton’s new Vulture scenes to make it into the film. After all, the film has already gone through reshoots, so it’s still possible that Morbius director Daniel Espinosa is tweaking the movie behind the scenes, despite multiple trailers already appearing. However, Keaton was somewhat coy when he announced the new Vulture scenes on Jimmy Kimmel Live, so there could be another option.

Vulture May Appear In Doctor Strange 2

Doctor Strange 2 is a massive film for the MCU, bringing in Doctor Strange to deal with all the hijinks of the Multiverse. Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch is already confirmed for the film, possibly hinting at a showdown with Doctor Strange. Additionally, rumors indicate James McAvoy’s Professor X could even appear. With several characters coming together in the movie, Marvel could throw in a Vulture appearance as well. And with Vulture being a Spider-Man villain, his arrival could even help connect Doctor Strange more to the events of No Way Home.

The Doctor Strange sequel is already undergoing significant reshoots. Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed in an interview that the reshoots would take place in November and December in an attempt to make the film “even better.” The actor added that the film would introduce “extraordinary things.” Since those reshoots are ongoing, Keaton’s comments may hint that Marvel and director Sam Raimi are adding Vulture scenes to the film. With Keaton currently filming the scenes and Doctor Strange 2 going through reshoots simultaneously, the film is perhaps the most likely possibility for Vulture.

Vulture Could Appear In An MCU Post-Credit Scene

Post-credit scenes constantly overshadow the actual Marvel films they follow. For example, in Eternals, one post-credit scene introduced Harry Styles’ Eros, bringing Thanos’ (Josh Brolin) brother into the MCU. Another scene featured Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman approaching the Ebony Blade. However, an unseen voice makes him hesitate, which turns out to be Mahershala Ali’s Blade. Similarly, the Ant-Man and the Wasp post-credits scene also received more buzz than the actual movie, showing that Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) became trapped in the Quantum Realm and Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp was a victim of Thanos’ deadly finger snap.

Keaton’s confession about new Vulture scenes could indicate he’s in an upcoming MCU end-credits scene. After all, the actor was jokingly boastful about the scenes, showing they could be impactful. If Vulture does appear in a forthcoming post-credit scene, that could also more easily be attached to the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home, perhaps linking to the upcoming Doctor Strange 2. Likewise, a post-credit scene for Morbius could also further connect the film to the future of the MCU.

About The Author

Bill Bradley
(523 Articles Published)

Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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