Over the past nine years, Marvel has taken the film industry by storm with the first successful cross-franchise cinematic universe in movie history. While most of the films in the MCU have been acclaimed by critics and fans alike, no film is perfect. That being said, one of the most frequent complaints fans have had with Marvel movies is the lack of a complex and compelling villains. With the exception of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio), and a few others, most of the villains in the MCU have been fairly one-dimensional. However, it seems as though Michael Keaton is going to go against this trend with his performance as the Vulture in this summer’s upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. Keaton has been on the press tour for his new movie The Founder, and over the past few weeks, he has started to tell us a little more about his villainous new role. In past interviews, he has claimed that the Vulture will be an empathetic character, and in a more recent interview, he has continued to tease a more layered villain:

“The character actually has more relevance. I know there’s this issue that comes up about how timely The Founder is, in terms of where we are now in this country. My character, actually, is, if not more relevant — and I’m not going to say more than that. There’s a B-story to this guy that’s kind of really interesting and really relevant. I would be lying if I said that’s why I took it, but as we talked about it and did, I went, ‘Whoa, there’s some layers to this guy.’ … This director’s [Jon Watts] is a very bright guy, and he wanted to bring this issue out. A lot of people are going to like him more than they probably want to, would be my guess.”

When it was announced that the Vulture would be the main antagonist of Homecoming, some fans were concerned that he wouldn’t be able to carry the film. Granted, when compared to the likes of the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom, the Vulture doesn’t seem all that threatening. However, it seems as though there’s more to this Vulture than some fans may have suspected, and that’s what ultimately counts. Right now, Keaton’s comments are intentionally vague; we won’t know for sure what he’s referring to in his character development until the film’s release in July, but this definitely should give us something to look forward to. The Vulture may not be considered an A-List villain, but if Keaton follows through on his claims, the emotional and thematic depth explored in his character could earn him a place alongside the best of the worst in the MCU.

Are you excited to see Michael Keaton’s Vulture? Sound off in the comments below!

Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters on July 7, 2017.

Source: Collider