Michael Keaton Reportedly Returning for 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Sequel

It seems Michael Keaton is set to return as Adrian Toomes, the villain known as the Vulture, in Marvel's sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The news comes from a Variety report about Jake Gyllenhaal entering talks to star as new villain Mysterio in the same film.

Keaton debuted as the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of the character is a blue collar worker who ran a salvage company that cleaned up after superhero battles. After Tony Stark took control of the salvage operation, leaving Toomes and his employees out of the deal, Toomes built his Vulture suit and began selling the alien technology he had collected to criminals.

In a change from Toomes' role in the Marvel Comics universe, the Marvel Cinematic Universe Vulture is also the father of Liz Allen, a classmate - and crush - of young Peter Parker. Peter's involvement with Liz led to Toomes learning that his daughter's classmate was also Spider-Man. However, even after being put in prison, Toomes has promised to keep Peter's secret as a way of paying his debt to Spider-Man for saving Liz's life.

That Keaton is returning as the Vulture could mean bad things for Spider-Man. What is the Vulture's relationship, if any, to Mysterio? Is Peter's secret identity truly safe with Toomes?

Spider-Man: Homecoming opened in 2017. The film made $334 million domestic and $880 million worldwide. Directed by Jon Watts, the film stars Tom Holland as Spider-Man, with Keaton as Vulture, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Zendaya as Michelle, Donald Glover as Aaron Davis, and Marisa Tomei as Aunt May.

You can see how well Spider-Man: Homecoming ranked among all 19 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies as voted on by the ComicBook.com staff here.

Are you excited for Keaton's return as the Vulture? Let us know in the comments!

The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming is scheduled to open in theaters on July 5, 2019. Filming is expected to begin in July 2018.

Holland's Spider-Man can currently be seen in Avengers: Infinity War, which is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel opens on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.