Josh Nizzi’s design never made it into “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” as Michael Keaton’s Vulture didn’t appear in the film. Instead, a roster of villains, including Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), and Electro (Jamie Foxx), played key roles in the multiversal story. However, despite Keaton’s Vulture not showing up as originally intended, it didn’t spell the end for the character.
In the live-action film “Morbius,” starring Jared Leto, there is a post-credit scene featuring Adrian Toomes and the titular character. In the encounter, it’s revealed that Toomes has somehow been transported to Morbius’ universe. In his full-on, weaponized ensemble, Toomes meets with Leto’s vampiric character and tells him he’s been reading about him. Vulture reveals he isn’t sure how he got to the alternate universe, but he theorizes that his arrival has to do with Spider-Man before suggesting the pair start a team. Morbius responds by admitting that he’s intrigued by a potential partnership, with the scene hinting at the early beginnings of a new Sinister Six.
Given the commercial and critical failure of “Morbius” and Sony’s unsuccessful attempts at building a franchise around Spider-Man villains without the web-slinger (see “Madame Web”), it seems unlikely the conversation will lead to anything meaningful. However, considering Keaton’s popularity, it might be a mistake to completely abandon the Vulture as a character, as there’s still plenty of bandwidth to include him as a foe in future movies — and even use Nizzi’s updated costume concept art at some point.
