7 Marvel Villains Saved By The MCU

7. Vulture

Admittedly, the classic Spider-Man villain known as Vulture differs from the other villains on this list, as he actually has not appeared in any movie not made by Marvel Studios. However, he very nearly did on multiple occasions, only to have it fizzle out each time, which warrants giving him a mention.

When Spider-Man 3 was in development, old Adrian Toomes was originally slated to appear as the film's third villain alongside New Goblin and Sandman, and Ben Kingsley (who would later appear in the MCU as the "Mandarin") was even in talks to play the character.

Unfortunately, he was ultimately cut from the film and what we got instead was that regrettable first attempt at bringing Venom to life.

Vulture was set to appear in a fourth Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, which ultimately never came to be. The criminally underrated Amazing Spider-Man 2 also hinted at the villain's impending arrival, possibly in a Sinister Six movie, but that also failed to materialize.

In 2017, however, Vulture finally made his way onto the big screen in Marvel Studios' Spider-Man: Homecoming. The character quickly earned a reputation for being one of the best Marvel movie villains in recent memory, due in no small part to Michael Keaton's fantastically sinister performance.

Persistence truly is key.