It's nothing new to say that the MCU has a villain problem. The best shared universe in the biz does a lot of things right, but it just can't (or maybe won't) create exciting and fleshed out villains. You wouldn't think someone like the Vulture, an old man in a bird suit who gets beat up by a 15-year-old, would be the one who can break the trend; but in the hands of someone like Michael Keaton, it just might. Keaton has slowly been opening up about his role in the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Homecoming and he teased that his take on Vulture won't be that of a standard villain.
Michael Keaton's next big movie is The Founder, the true story of how Ray Kroc turned McDonald's into a fast food empire. Despite the less than ethical ways Kroc makes that happen, in a talk with Variety Keaton spoke about his characters always have some sort of likeability. And apparently the Vulture will find a way to connect with people as well.
Yeah, Vulture, recently. But not to give too much away, but interestingly, he is and he isn't, that character. He's a really interesting --- and more interesting than I thought --- villain because there's parts of him that you go, 'You know what? I might see his point.' Really, really. It makes it interesting to play.
The best villains are always the ones that you agree with (or at least see their point of view), so hopefully this is a good sign that the Vulture is heading in the right direction. Spider-Man fights some real relatable guys, and though he may not look it, the Vulture isn't too hard to understand. The villain is just really ridiculous on the surface. Though there have been dozens of different iterations of his character, the basics are that he's a brilliant crotchety guy who gets screwed over by the powerful corporation he works for. He then swears his vengeance and turns to a life of crime by wearing a green bird suit.
Information on what exactly is the deal with the MCU version is still being under wraps, but Homecoming as already gone a long way to bring the Vulture to the big screen. He's been appropriately changed to fit into the real world (by MCU standards), by ditching the feathers for a more high-tech look. Just judging from the trailers alone, not only is he more impressive to look at, but he's also threatening -- something the comic version has never really been able to boast. While that doesn't mean he'll be a great villain by any means, it's at least a start.
Spider-Man: Homecoming will take its bow in theaters on July 7, 2017.
