With Spider-Man: Brand New Day swinging into theaters on July 31, fans of superhero cinema are breaking out in Spider-Fever worldwide. Everyone wants to experience the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler’s latest adventure, and find out what happens after Tom Holland’s Peter Parker erased himself from everyone’s memories at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Still, what about the Spider-Man movies that came before No Way Home’s nail-biting cliffhanger? Do you remember Spider-Man: Homecoming? What if I told you that Lin-Manuel Miranda almost played the Vulture in that film? Wild, right? So, what happened? Why didn’t one of the greatest Broadway creatives in the past several decades join the MCU? Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast has the scoop!
Miranda on surrendering his potential MCU role
While talking about Miranda’s storied career on Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the duo touched on one of the Hamilton creative’s missed opportunities in the film industry. According to Miranda, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige offered him the role of Adrian Toomes, aka The Vulture, in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. While Miranda was flattered and intrigued by the opportunity, Homecoming’s filming schedule butted up against his tenure on the Broadway sensation, Hamilton. Miranda would have had to film Homecoming immediately after wrapping a string of Hamilton performances. For someone who hadn’t been home in quite some time, this condition was a deal-breaker.
While discussing the need to turn down the MCU role, Miranda told Horowitz the following:
“It was Vulture,” Miranda admitted while Horowitz was trying to guess the forfeited role. “And Kevin Feige told me the entire plot over the phone…I really was the canary in the coal mine, and I said, ‘When does it shoot?’ and he said, ‘Basically, the moment you step off stage on “Hamilton.” And I went, ‘Well, I really like these movies, but I’d really like to stay married, so I cannot do this.” And, god, that would have been terrible…No, Michael Keaton was PERFECT, like they found exactly who they needed.”
John Leguizamo almost played the Vulture?
Another actor who almost played the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming was John Leguizamo. However, the actor said in a 2023 interview with ComicBook that he felt like a “pawn” to get Michael Keaton to accept the role. Initially, Keaton had passed on the part, but after some negotiating, he wanted it back. Leguizamo relinquished the role, nodding his head when Marvel said they’d like to work with him again, but nothing materialized. Ultimately, Michael Keaton suited up as Adrian Toomes, delivering a memorable performance as the scorned villain that swoops through the air on wings of steel.
What do you think about Lin-Manuel Miranda almost playing the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming? Would he have been better for the role than Michael Keaton or John Leguizamo? Who would you want to see Miranda play if he did join the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments section below.
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