Will he or won't he? After one of the most memorable Batman performances ever on the big screen, and his Oscar-winning turn as Birdman a couple of years ago, Michael Keaton was rumored to be suiting up once more as the villain in Marvel's Spider-Man: Homecoming. And then he was suddenly out of the running without much of an explanation. Well now we know the reason, and fortunately it comes as Keaton is back in the mix.
According to Variety, Keaton is once again in talks for the webhead's big standalone Marvel film, and they say the reason he left in the first place had to do with money. It seems Marvel was concerned about being able to afford both he and Robert Downey Jr., but apparently somebody found some change in the bullpen couch cushions and the deal is back on.
There's no exact confirmation of his role, but the previous rumors have suggested he'll play the Vulture, one of Spidey's most enduring foes. Here's where we start getting into SPOILER territory, so watch out. According to Joblo, Vulture will be the primary antagonist, and he'll have a little bit of help. They say he'll be joined by The Tinkerer, who will use discarded Chitauri tech to ramp up Vulture's flight suit.
One thing you should have noticed by Spidey (Tom Holland) and Iron Man's interactions in Captain America: Civil War was the mentor/student bond that formed. Not only did Stark give him some new threads, but the post-credits scene showed his revamped webshooters and Spidey signal beacon. Well those aren't the only upgrades he could be receiving, as Stark will reportedly add the webbed wings to Spidey's suit, just like in the classic versions of the character. Pretty cool. Kind of pointless given all we've already seen him do, but they could make for a sweet visual.
Directed by Jon Watts with Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Tony Revolori, Laura Harrier, Marisa Tomei and Zendaya Coleman co-starring, Spider-Man: Homecoming opens July 7th 2017.
