Nearly six years after the release of Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Homecoming, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe may have a hard time imagining anyone other than Michael Keaton playing the villainous-yet-sympathetic Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. 'Vulture.' But in a new interview with ComicBook.com, actor John Leguizamo says that he nearly played the part instead.
Keaton was originally cast as the antagonist opposite Tom Holland in Spidey's much-anticipated return to the MCU. But there was a moment when the Batman star dropped out of the part for unspecified reasons. According to Leguizamo, during this period, he all but closed a deal to play the role in the Jon Watts-directed film... and then Keaton came back into the picture:
"I was supposed to be the Vulture. We had negotiated and I was about to play him, and they said that Michael Keaton wanted it back and they asked me if I would give it up. I said, 'Well, okay I guess.' They said, 'No, we'll work with you again, we're gonna...' That's what happened there."
Leguizamo goes on to say that while Marvel did eventually offer him another, unspecified part, it wasn't substantial enough in his opinion, saying "They offered me something tiny. I went, 'Nuh uh.'
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Vulture would have marked Leguizamo's second foray into playing an onscreen adaptation of a major comic book nemesis, after his portrayal of Violator in 1997's ill-received Spawn. Incidentally, he did go on to voice another supervillain, The Riddler, in HBO Max's Batman: The Audio Adventures.
Keaton, however, ultimately made quite an impression playing the character. In his review for Collider, Matt Goldberg praised the Emmy-winning actor's performance, writing that "Keaton is legitimately terrifying as Toomes but his goals are remarkably relatable. He feels jilted by the system, and he’s taken up a life of crime to support his family." Keaton went on to play the role again for a brief cameo in last year's Morbius. Recently revealed concept art from 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home shows that the character nearly appeared in that movie as well.
Leguizamo, meanwhile, had a big 2022, playing lead roles in The Menu and Violent Night, both of which are now available via major streaming outlets. He can next be seen in Waco: American Apocalypse, which hits Netflix on March 22. He's also scheduled to guest-host The Daily Show later this year.