Let's be real for a second. Most Marvel villains are pretty forgettable. They’re usually just giant purple aliens or some guy in a slightly different colored suit who wants to blow up the world because of a vague grudge. But then you have Adrian Toomes. When we first met the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, it felt different. It felt grounded. Michael Keaton didn't just play a bad guy; he played a guy who got screwed over by the system and decided to screw it back.
He's a blue-collar scavenger. He's a dad. He's a nightmare in a flight suit.
The Working Class Grudge of Adrian Toomes
The genius of the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming starts with his motivation. Think back to the opening scene of the movie. We’re literally looking at the wreckage of the Battle of New York from the first Avengers film. Toomes has a legitimate contract to clean up the mess. He’s invested his life savings into trucks and crew. Then, Damage Control—a joint venture between the government and Tony Stark—shows up and kicks him off the job.
Imagine that. The guy who caused the mess (Stark) is now getting paid to clean it up, while the little guy gets the boot.
It’s a relatable spark of rage. Toomes doesn't want to conquer the galaxy. He wants to keep his house. He wants his crew to have health insurance. To do that, he starts stealing Chitauri tech to build black-market weapons. It's high-stakes grand larceny, but in his mind, he’s just "collecting the scraps" left behind by the "rich and powerful." This shift in perspective makes him one of the most empathetic antagonists in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That Terrifying Car Ride: A Lesson in Tension
If you ask anyone about the standout moment for the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, they’re going to bring up the "Dad Talk." You know the one. Peter Parker shows up at Liz’s house for the homecoming dance, the door opens, and it’s Adrian Toomes holding a bowl of popcorn.
Pure chills.
The scene that follows in the car is a masterclass in screenwriting and acting. The way the traffic light turns green, casting a literal "green goblin" hue over Keaton’s face as he realizes Peter is Spider-Man, is cinematic perfection. He doesn't start screaming. He doesn't pull a gun immediately. He just talks. He calls Peter "kid." He tells him he loves his daughter. And then, with the coldest delivery imaginable, he tells Peter he’ll kill everyone he loves if he doesn't stay out of his business.
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It’s terrifying because it’s intimate. It isn't a battle on a skyscraper; it’s a threat delivered in a mid-sized sedan.
Designing the Suit: Tech Over Magic
Most people forget how much work went into making the Vulture’s flight suit look functional. In the comics, the Vulture is an old guy in a green leotard with feathered wings. It’s... well, it’s a bit silly.
For the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the design team went for a "found object" aesthetic. The wings are massive—nearly 15 feet across—and they look like they were stripped from a jet turbine. The talons on his boots are repurposed industrial claws. Even his bomber jacket has a fur collar that mimics the ruff of a real vulture.
It looks heavy. It looks dangerous. When he hits a building, the building breaks. It gave Spider-Man a physical threat that felt overwhelming because Peter was just a kid in spandex, and Toomes was a flying tank.
The Morality of the Scavenger
Is Adrian Toomes actually a "villain"?
Technically, yes. He sells dangerous weapons to criminals. He kills one of his own men (mostly by accident, but still). But compared to someone like Thanos or Hela, his body count is remarkably low. He’s a survivalist. He even honors a certain code of ethics.
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At the end of the movie, after Peter saves his life from the exploding battery pack, Toomes is in prison. Another inmate, Mac Gargan (who fans know as the Scorpion), asks him if he knows who Spider-Man really is. Toomes lies. He says, "If I knew who he was, he’d already be dead."
He protects Peter’s identity. Why? Maybe it’s gratitude. Maybe it’s respect. Or maybe he just wants to be the one to deal with Peter on his own terms later. Regardless, it adds a layer of complexity we rarely see in comic book movies. He’s not a cackling madman; he’s a man who understands debt and honor.
How the Vulture Changed the MCU’s Approach
Before the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel had a serious "villain problem." Most of their bad guys were mirror images of the heroes. Iron Man fought a guy in a suit (Iron Monger). Hulk fought a bigger Hulk (Abomination).
Vulture broke that mold. He wasn't a "dark Spider-Man." He was a completely different beast with a completely different set of problems. This paved the way for more nuanced villains like Killmonger in Black Panther or Mysterio in Far From Home. They started focusing on villains who were products of the environment the heroes helped create.
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Toomes exists because the Avengers exist. His entire criminal career is built on the literal trash the Avengers left behind.
Actionable Insights for Marvel Fans and Collectors:
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the lore of the Vulture or grab a piece of this movie history, here is what you should actually look for:
- Watch the "Special Features" on the Blu-ray: There is a specific segment on the engineering of the wing-suit that explains how they used real-world physics to determine how a man of Keaton's size could actually stay airborne.
- Read "The Vulture's Claw" (Amazing Spider-Man #2): If you want to see where the character started back in 1963, this is the issue. Comparing the 1960s version to Keaton's version shows just how much the character was modernized for the film.
- Check the Hot Toys or Marvel Legends figures: The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming has some of the most detailed action figures in the Marvel line. If you're a collector, the Marvel Legends "Build-A-Wing" set is a fun project, though it requires buying six different figures to complete the wingspan.
- Analyze the "Damage Control" Connection: If you want to see how the Vulture's origin ripple-effects through the MCU, go back and watch the Ms. Marvel series on Disney+. It features the Department of Damage Control as a major antagonist, showing that Toomes's hatred for them was actually pretty justified.
The legacy of Adrian Toomes isn't just about his wings or his gadgets. It's about the fact that he was right about one thing: the world is changing, and the people at the top don't care about the people at the bottom. That's a motive that stays relevant long after the credits roll.