Despite not seeing John Malkovich as the bad guy in Spider-Man 4, the first look at his Vulture wings has been revealed. The author and illustrator Ken Penders shared a picture of the villain’s wings on social media, explaining that he had kept it hidden for almost 15 years. Recent reports indicate that Malkovich would have played an exceptionally dark Vulture in the scrapped Spider-Man project.
“Before Tobey & Sam were bid adieu by Sony, work actually had begun on SPIDER-MAN 4, and I visited friends who were working on the Vulture’s costume intended for actor John Malkovich. Once production shut down, all materials were turned in. I’ve sat on this for almost 15 years.”
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Vulture Wings Revealed
Even though the public wasn’t able to see Raimi’s version of the Vulture on screen, Michael Keaton played the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland’s first solo appearance as Spider-Man. Despite the success of the 2017 Marvel Cinematic Universe film, Raimi’s take on the villain would’ve been very contrasting. Having developed his filmmaking skills with horror movies such as The Evil Dead, Raimi often incorporated horror elements into his superhero films. Due to this, Spider-Man 4’s Vulture may have also adopted the same horror style. Recently, it was revealed that the movie would have given Vulture very dark characteristics. It may be the case that the villain was more violent and brutal than Keaton’s portrayal.
In addition, Penders’ Vulture image suggests that the antagonist’s suit was functional in at least some scenes. Raimi did similar things to Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) in Spider-Man 2, which included human-operated practical arms in some scenes but mostly computer-generated action. In contrast, the Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming has full CGI wings on all occasions he appears. If the dark take on Vulture had been dressed in a practical costume, Spider-Man 4 would have felt much more intense. With that approach, Raimi’s spider trilogy would have continued to have a unique tone and aesthetic that so many fans love.
As of now, it is unlikely that Raimi and Maguire will collaborate again for Spider-Man 4, and the possibility of the Vulture playing the bad guy is even less realistic. Although Raimi’s darker take on the character may never be brought to life on the big screen, the information released thus far paints a picture of a unique villain character that may have redeemed some of Spider-Man 3’s flaws. There is no word on what happened to Vulture’s Spider-Man 4 costume, but we hope it will show up in a different production in the future.
