Captain America: Civil Waris out and,Doctor Strangehas wrapped production, so all eyes are on Marvel Studios slate of 2017 releases, and information aboutSpider-Man: Homecominghas been finally starting to pour in, though most of it has been rumors up until this point. We’ve known for quite some time thatCop Cardirector Jon Watts would be directing the first Spidey solo film that would be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the director took to Twitter yesterday to seemingly confirm some long rumored and much welcomed news. If the directors tweet is to be believed, it looks likeMichael Keatonwill indeed be playing the villain inHomecoming.
Though the director didn’t use any words in hisTweet, that gif said more than his words ever could have. Knowing how Marvel is with theirreveals, it would be very unlikely that this Tweet is anything but a fun form of confirmation that the Oscar nominee is joining theMCU. This isn’t from the first that we have heard ofKeatonflirting with the role inSpider-Man: Homecomingthough. Recently, reports were circulating thatKeatonwas being pursued by Marvel Studios and Sony to take on the role of The Vulture, but talks fell through after an offer was made and other actors were being pursued. However, as luck would have it somehow, somewayKeatonhas come back around and it is looking like he’ll be back in a big superhero franchise.
When initial talks fell through withKeatonfor the role in the film, it was presumed that either the actor simply didn’t want to commit to a likely multi-picture deal or that the money wasn’t going to work out. Right around the same time the initial rumors of talks withKeatonand Marvel surfaced, it was announced thatRobert Downey Jr.had closed a deal to appear in the film, and he doesn’t come cheap, so it is possible that at least initially, that was part of what got in the way and the studio was forced to pursue other actors.Woody Harrelson’s name had come up during that time period, but that seems to be a moot point now as it looks like the search for Peter Parker’s next bad guy is over.
The Vulturewas one of the very first villains that Spider-Man ever fought inThe Amazing Spider-Mancomics back in the Stan Lee and Steve Ditko days and has remained a fixture in the series ever since. For those that don’t know, the man behind Vulture, Adrian Toomes, is a former engineer who builds himself a suit that enables himself to fly and gives him enhanced strength and capabilities. Though, another rumor that has been floating around suggests that in the film, the character The Tinkerer will be building the suit for Toomes using parts salvaged from the Chitauri invasion of New York CIty from the firstAvengersfilm. That would be a cool way to tieTom Holland’s Spider-Man films into the MCU even further, but we likely won’t know if that’s true for quite some time.
Spider-Man: Homecomingis currently set for a June 28, 2025 release date. The film is being directed by Jon Watts and starsTom Holland,Robert Downey Jr.,Marisa Tomei,Zendayaand it looks likeMichael Keaton.Marvel Studiosis also releasingGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2on June 05, 2025 andThor: Ragnarokon June 30, 2025. We will be sure to keep you posted as more casting news and details are revealed over the coming months.
