Over the past couple of years, Mark Hamill has made somewhat of a comeback to live-action films. Through roles in Sushi Girl, Kingsman: The Secret Service, as well as the new trilogy of Star Wars films, there's been more Hamill on the big screen than you could shake a stick at. Sadly though, there was one big role that the legendary sci-fi fixture didn't obtain, despite his best wishes: Adrian "The Vulture" Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Mark had revealed this tidbit during the D23 conference this weekend, as he mentioned the following:
I had my fingers crossed that Michael Keaton would turn down The Vulture, but darn it!
Now while Michael Keaton was an amazing Vulture, and quite frankly, one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe villains out there, having Mark Hamill playing Adrian Toomes could have been pretty damned awesome. Though if Hamill had landed the role, there's a good chance that the character would have been more sinister in his execution. After all, the man behind the animated incarnation of The Joker has the voice and the demeanor of a world class baddie, so The Vulture could have been more of a threatening villain than a balanced threat. Again, no complaints, because Hamill's threats are gold.
Of course, the really funny coincidence is that for a time, it looked like Michael Keaton was going to turn down Spider-Man: Homecoming. Just as quickly as he was announced as a potential cast member for the Jon Watts-directed Marvel movie, talks had apparently broken down for a period of time before his eventual casting. So for a brief moment, Mark Hamill may have had a chance to be the man who faced off against Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Though Hamill had a good reason for looking out for this opportunity, which he wasn't shy to share with Rotten Tomatoes:
There's not a lot of villainous roles for senior citizens, and so I had my eyes on The Vulture.
Considering his schedule with shooting Star Wars: The Last Jedi, there's a chance that being The Vulture wouldn't have worked out for Mark Hamill anyway. But now that he's keen to join the MCU, we can't help but want to see this happen. Now that we think of it, Hamill could be an awesome Doc Ock in the Spider-Man universe, giving him a prime spot in the Sinister Six's line-up. One minute, we could see the lighter side of Hamill as Dr. Otto Octavius, and the next moment he's undergone his transformation and become the metal-tentacled menace Peter Parker once looked up to.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters now, with Star Wars: The Last Jedi heading to screens everywhere on December 15.
