While Michael Keaton did an incredible job portraying the MCU's Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, a veteran actor revealed that Marvel Studios almost hired him to play the Marvel villain in the Tom Holland-led solo movie.
Spider-Man: Homecoming introduced Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes, a formidable adversary to Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Although the web-slinger ultimately defeated Keaton's MCU villain, the character still made a triumphant return in Morbius, potentially setting up a future sinister team-up.
While fans are waiting for Vulture's eventual comeback and possible larger role moving forward, it looks like Keaton almost didn't make his Marvel debut in the 2017 MCU movie.
John Leguizamo Almost Played the MCU's Vulture
Speaking with Comicbook.com, Violent Night actor John Leguizamo revealed that he almost starred alongside Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture.
The actor said that Marvel Studios told him to give up the role since Michael Keaton "wanted it back:"
"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.”
Still, Marvel did offer him a follow-up role, but Leguizamo didn't say yes to it since it was "something tiny:"
“They offered me something tiny, I went, ‘Nuh uh.’”
Will John Leguizamo Join the MCU?
It's unfortunate that a talented actor like John Leguizamo couldn't join the MCU during Spider-Man: Homecoming. The actor's comment about rejecting a role in the movie suggests that he was offered the role of Mac Gargan (aka Scorpion), but Michael Mando eventually portrayed the character in the film.
Despite that, it's possible that Leguizamo could still be in the cards for a Marvel role, especially now that the MCU is in the age of expansion. Leguizamo's bravado and immense talent would be a valuable asset for the interconnected franchise.
But which characters could Leguizamo play? Given that the actor was first eyed for a role in the Spider-Man universe, it's possible that Leguizamo could still end up portraying one of Peter Parker's villains, such as Hammerhead or Morlun.
Whatever the case, it's safe to assume that Leguizamo's desire to join the Marvel universe is still alive, and hopefully, joins the fight soon.
