When it comes to being a superhero, there are a variety of levels to the foes they encounter. Some are simply one-time encounters or low-level thugs that are no match for the hero, but the more interesting battles come when the villain can go toe-to-toe with them. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has so far done a good job balancing these different villain archetypes, and Spider-Man: Homecoming will look to that once again for its young superhero.
Marketing so far has made it clear who the big bad will be for the MCU's first Spidey solo adventure, and it will see Tom Holland's Peter Parker go up against a former Batman star Michael Keaton. For his latest comic book movie role, Keaton is trading in the cowl for a high-tech flying suit that will transform Adrian Toomes into the deadly Vulture. Even though Captain America: Civil War established that Peter has been at this for a while, Vulture will be his first true supervillain.
When Screen Rant's Rob Keyes visited the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming last August in Atlanta, he spoke to co-producer Eric Carroll about the film's character selection and story arcs. While Spider-Man has been serving as a vigilante hero in Queens, stopping small crimes and helping people out, Vulture is his first big-time opponent and by far his greatest threat.
"Yes. This is, aside from his adventures in Civil War, this is the biggest thing he has ever done."
One of the common criticisms of the MCU has been their use or lack thereof of key villains. With Sony and Marvel collaborating with this movie and opting to avoid using characters, story lines and villains from previous Spider-Man movies, it'll be interesting to see how much focus Vulture is given and how he fits into a world where The Avengers exist. Keaton has continued to be prominent in the marketing and looks to be both a compelling and dangerous villain.
He will not be the only foe featured in the film, however. He leads a criminal group (really, it's his salvage crew) that features a number of other foes that are set to appear that we know little about. Donald Glover and Logan Marshall-Green have only barely been seen and their roles yet unconfirmed, meanwhile Bokeem Woodbine will be playing Shocker and can be seen in the trailers, but Michael Chernus' Tinkerer has yet to be seen. We do know that it's the Tinkerer helping make the gear Toomes and his crew use.
More: Spider-Man: Homecoming Trailer Breakdown
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine - distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man - but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. Directed by Jon Watts. Produced by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Jon Watts & Christopher Ford and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Stay tuned to Screen Rant for more coverage from the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming.
