A fresh Spider-Man 4 behind-the-scenes photo offers a close-up look at John Malkovich’s proposed Vulture suit, the movie’s intended antagonist. Tobey Maguire first played the role in the 2002 film Spider-Man, and he later reprised it for two sequels with director Sam Raimi, including the critically praised Spider-Man 2 and the contentious Spider-Man 3. Despite Spider-Man 3’s lackluster critical and commercial reaction, Raimi was planning a fourth movie, but Sony ultimately abandoned the idea. In recent years, information about the canceled Spider-Man film has come to light, showing that Malkovich was supposed to play an extremely dark version of the Vulture.
A closer look at the Vulture’s suit in Spider-Man 4 has now been released by comic book writer and artist Ken Penders. Malkovich isn’t wearing the outfit in the picture, but it does show how the character would have been depicted on film, including the overall darker tone that was intended for the legendary villain. View Pender’s tweet and the image it included below:
How The MCU’s Vulture Differs From Sam Raimi’s Vulture
Tom Holland’s first solo appearance as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming had the superhero going up against Michael Keaton’s portrayal of the villain, even though viewers never got to witness Raimi’s Vulture come to life. Audiences enjoyed the 2017 MCU movie, but Raimi’s portrayal of the Marvel villain would have been considerably different. Raimi’s camp-horror background, which he frequently incorporated into his work in the superhero genre after getting his start as a director with movies like The Evil Dead, may also have been included in Spider-Man 4’s Vulture. In Spider-Man 4, the Vulture earned his nickname by leaving nothing but bones behind, which suggests that the villain may have been more brutal and merciless than Keaton’s portrayal in a recent book on all things Spider-Man.
At this time, it seems unlikely that Raimi and Maguire will work together again on Spider-Man 4, and it seems much less probable that Malkovich’s Vulture would serve as the antagonist if they did. Although Raimi’s darker interpretation of the Vulture may never be realized on the big screen, the information that has been made public so far creates a picture of a distinct enemy that might have made up for some of Spider-Man 3’s flaws. Vulture’s Spider-Man 4 outfit is unknown, but hopefully, it will surface again in the future so that fans can continue to admire the creativity and skill that went into making it.