Spider-Man 4 to reportedly feature major unexpected MCU comeback

Anticipation continues to increase for Spider-Man 4. Not only is Spidey one of the biggest superheroes in the world, the fourth film is coming off the back of its predecessor, 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which single-handedly changed the game for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Multiverse Saga and Spider-Man in general. It was a cultural phenomenon and the receipts prove that, as the film went on to gross almost $2 billion at the box office.

This has set an incredibly high standard for the fourth outing, which is set to launch a new trilogy for the webslinger. Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct, and he's already very familiar with the MCU franchise as the director of Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, so we're all very excited to see him bring those immersive action scenes to the world of Spider-Man. And given all of the reports about what the film might (and might not) entail, it's certainly going to be immersive in many ways.

Now, a new report has surfaced claiming that a certain villain familiar with Spider-Man could make his return to the franchise in the upcoming film.

Michael Keaton's Vulture rumored to return in Spider-Man 4

According to renowned industry scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Michael Keaton will return to the MCU with an appearance in Spider-Man 4. The legendary movie star, who recently returned to one of his most iconic roles in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, portrayed Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, serving as the first real threat that Peter Parker had to face on his own. He hasn't been seen in the MCU since, so a return in Spider-Man 4 would mark his first appearance in the franchise since the 2017 film.

Interestingly, however, Keaton did reprise the role in 2022's Morbius, appearing in a post-credits scene to confront Jared Leto's Michael Morbius. That movie is set on another earth and is completely removed from the MCU, so it's not clear how a villain as grounded as the Vulture managed to hop from one universe to another. But that might be something that the Multiverse Saga could help explain.

I mentioned "grounded" and that's exactly what Adrian Toomes was. A man who lost his livelihood after the events of The Avengers, he personally held Tony Stark responsible, so he and his crew began manufacturing weapons with alien technology and selling them. That's also how they created his Vulture wings, which allowed him to be a formidable threat to Spider-Man.

All of that resulted in a positive response from audiences, who appreciated how well-rounded and developed a character he was. Even though he was committing many, many crimes, the character had strong motivations (he believed he was doing it for his family) and an interesting backstory to get viewers invested. Oh, and Michael Keaton's performance was exhilarating to watch.

The character had a code that, though quite questionable, he stuck by. That much was clear when he refused to reveal Peter Parker's true identity to the Scorpion in prison; a favor in return for Spider-Man saving his life or perhaps the fact that he liked how respectful Peter was with his daughter, Toomes - surprisingly to some - did the right thing. That, however, makes it hard to imagine how he could return.

But, again, the character is no longer in prison and he's now stranded on another earth entirely. Morbius likely won't be getting a sequel after its negative response and lacklustre performance, so perhaps Spider-Man 4 - which is now rumored to be a multiversal movie - could find a way of bringing him back to Earth-616, on which the franchise is set.

Keaton himself hasn't ruled out a return, telling Screen Rant that he thought the Vulture was "an interesting character" while adding that he "hasn't talked to anyone" about it as of yet.

"That's an interesting character, that guy. Actually, I was there for a minute in the second one... That really was fun experience, but I haven't talked to anybody about anything. [In a joking tone] I try not to talk to anybody. I really don't like people."

Normally, the idea of an actor not hearing anything from the studio would automatically mean that a return wouldn't be happening, but with Marvel Studios being so secretive about all of its projects, it's highly possible that they haven't even consulted Keaton about a potential return just yet. But then again, anything can happen in the MCU, so we wouldn't rule out the chances to seeing him back in the role in the near-future.

Whether it happens or not, there is no denying that fans would be thrilled to see Keaton back as the Vulture. The character was praised for offering up something different to so many of the typical MCU one-and-done villains and is fondly remembered as one of the franchise's best.

As the beginning of a new trilogy, could Spider-Man 4 create a full-circle moment and bring back Spidey's first villain? Stranger things have happened in this franchise.