John Leguizamo was almost the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming: 'We had negotiated, and I was about to play him'

"We had negotiated, and I was about to play him," were the words of John Leguizamo, who could have been Spider-Man: Homecoming's villain, Vulture, a role that ultimately went to Michael Keaton, as reported by ComicBook.

A Bumpy Ride to Casting Vulture: A Twisty Hollywood Tale

The casting of Vulture was not as straightforward as you'd expect. John Leguizamo's almost engagement with the character came after a series of bumps that Sony Pictures faced. From the canceled Spider-Man 4 by Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire to the reboot of the Andrew Garfield reboot, Vulture has had a tumultuous history in Hollywood.

But why Leguizamo? Why Keaton? And what happened in the eleventh hour that changed it all?

Leguizamo's Lost Opportunity: A 'Tiny' Mistake?

"I said, 'Well, okay I guess.' They said, 'No, we'll work with you again, we're gonna... That's what happened there." This bold revelation shows the wheeling and dealing behind the scenes of one of the most celebrated Spider-Man films. Leguizamo was so close to bagging the role of the Vulture, but the studio wanted a more prominent name to carry the franchise forward, someone like Keaton.

The alternative? A "something tiny" role that Leguizamo wisely declined. Who can blame him? From a high-flying supervillain to a possible high school teacher role? That's quite the drop!

Keaton's Vulture Versus Leguizamo's Dream: A Marvelous What-If

The success of Spider-Man: Homecoming was in part due to Keaton's portrayal of the Vulture. But Leguizamo's take on the character might have provided a different flavor, one aligned with the working-class struggles, and the moral dilemmas Peter faced.

It's tantalizing to consider what might have been had the actor's talks not been thwarted. Yet, the studio's desire for a big name to stand opposite Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man was a deciding factor.

A Vulture's Flight: From Canceled to Successful Debut

Spider-Man: Homecoming's Vulture will be remembered for many things, but perhaps most intriguing is the tale of the actor who almost gave him wings.

As Spider-Man continues to swing into the future, one can't help but look back and wonder about Leguizamo's Vulture, forever etched in the annals of what could have been, a Hollywood dream left unfulfilled, a negotiation unsealed.

Several parts of the text in this article, including the title, were generated with the help of an AI tool.