10 Amazing Comic Book Characters That Narrowly Missed Appearing In Movies
3. The Vulture
Spider-Man 3 was disliked by fans but it still did well at the box office, and it was clear that the movie only failed because the producers compromised Sam Raimi’s vision. As a result, in the initial development of the sequel, it looked like Raimi was in charge again.
He tapped John Malkovich as Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture, a petty criminal who builds himself a flying apparatus. The designs were complete and the character was ready to go until the movie was promptly scrapped in favour of a reboot.
Although this reboot would finally give the Lizard his due as a villain, it came at the cost of another classic foe. Vulture may not be the most amazing villain Spider-Man has faced but he was there from the very beginning, and had a lot of potential in Raimi's hands.
Malkovich lamented the loss, suggesting that it was either the fans or the executives who did not think the villain was powerful enough. Conversely, Raimi was a little more diplomatic when speaking on the project, saying that they simply couldn't all agree on a story and suggesting he didn't want to rush to meet a release date.
In a surprising turn, recent rumours have suggested that the character will finally appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming. If true, it would make the end of a long journey for this classic villain to finally face off against Spider-Man in theatres.