Vulture (Marvel)

The Vulture (Adrian Toomes) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Toomes is an inventive, but maniacal genius who designed a special suit that allows him to fly at vast speeds. After turning to a life of crime, he became a recurring enemy of the superhero Spider-Man, and a founding member of the Sinister Six. Other characters have also taken the mantle.

Since his conception, the character has been adapted from into various other forms of Spider-Man media, including television series and video games. In live-action, the character was played by Michael Keaton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and the Sony's Spider-Man Universe film Morbius (2022).

Blackie Drago
Raniero "Blackie" Drago was a prison cellmate of Adrian Toomes's. He tricked Toomes by causing an accident in the prison workshop that made Toomes think he could die soon, and stole the Vulture harness and costume which was recently rebuilt. He used the suit to make money through air piracy which led to a confrontation with Spider-Man, that Drago believed ended in the wall-crawler's death (Spider-Man had merely collapsed due to a serious cold in reality). After robbing a helicopter, Drago was pursued by Kraven the Hunter, who resented his claims of victory over Spider-Man, and ended up fighting him until Spider-Man arrived. Spider-Man managed to defeat them both and webbed them up for the police.

Drago was later 'rescued' from prison by Toomes - who revealed that the revelation of Drago's role in his accident had given him the strength to overcome his injuries - but that was merely so that Toomes could prove himself to be the true Vulture once again. Once the two were free, he was subsequently defeated and humiliated by Toomes, who regained the recognition he deserved. A humbled Drago was taken away by the police, vowing "I'm through!! I'll never put these wings on again! The Vulture's too much...for anyone!"

Drago was later seen in the same prison that Norman Osborn was incarcerated in during the "Sinister Twelve" storyline.

Clifton Shallot
Doctor Clifton Shallot was an expert on bio-mutation and a professor at Empire State University. He also had one of Toomes' harnesses and costumes, which he had requisitioned from the State Prison Authority. When one of his courses was cancelled by the university trustees, he snapped, and underwent the final stage of the mutation himself when he donned the Vulture costume – his face, teeth, and fingernails mutated, and for a short time, the wings became part of his body and he could fly. The only ones who knew his secret was his lab assistant Dr. Christine Murrow and her roommate Gloria Jenkins.

Mary Jane Watson witnessed him killing Gloria (whom he had mistaken for Christine) and she became a target. While flying around Mary Jane's apartment, he noticed Spider-Man and attacked him. Vulture managed to defeat Spider-Man and leave him for dead. Shallot then searched for a way to reverse the transformation. He stole some chemicals from a ship called the Düsseldorf at Dock 20. The next morning as he was flying to Christine's lab, Vulture noticed Mary Jane in her car. He dove toward the car and grabbed Mary Jane. He was then encountered in the air by Spider-Man, who dropped Mary Jane, giving Vulture enough time to reach the Biology Lab. He attacked Christine, only for Spider-Man to arrive and defend her. Vulture managed to rip the webbing with his sharp finger claws and teeth. Their fight continued, with Spider-Man blinding Vulture with the webbing as the cops arrived and threw a net over them. Still blinded by the webbing, Vulture broke free from the net and grabbed Spider-Man, thinking he was Christine. When he saw it was Spider-Man, Vulture ended up dropping him.

Vulture went back to his lab and transformed back into Shallot. He then had an agreement with Christine, stating that he would not kill her if she did not betray his trust. Later that night, Vulture flew back to Dock 20 and stole more chemicals. He noticed that Peter Parker had followed him and picked him up and dropped him into the water. When he flew above Mary Jane's apartment, Vulture noticed her getting into a taxi. Vulture attacked the taxi and kidnapped Mary Jane, only for Spider-Man to interrupt him, causing Vulture to flee. He made it back to his lab where Christine was. Spider-Man then arrived an hour later, finding Christine there. Vulture then attacked Spider-Man, who subdued him and force-fed Vulture the antidote he had stolen from the Düsseldorf. After reverting from his Vulture form, Shallot fainted. Shallot is presumably still serving his sentence for the murder of Gloria.

Vulturions
While in prison for dealing heroin, an engineer named Honcho is the cellmate of Adrian Toomes, who showed his Vulture harness designs to him. Memorizing on how to construct it, Honcho (when released on parole) builds four Vulture costumes (red, yellow, and silver) complete with anti-graviton generators in which he equips himself and three petty criminals (Gripes, Pidgeon, and Sugar Face). Gaining all the Vulture's powers, the group members called themselves the Vulturions. Wanting to become big-time criminals, the Vulturions make several tries to kill Spider-Man and accumulate wealth, ultimately failing in all their attempts. Learning of the Vulturions' existence, Toomes built himself a new Vulture suit and broke out of prison, intent on hunting down his "rip-offs". By locating the group, Adrian beats and nearly murders all of them, only to be stopped by Spider-Man. After defeating the Vulture, he turned him and the Vulturions in to the police.

A new group of Vulturions (consisting of three members, including a female) appear in Avengers: The Initiative, where they steal a briefcase containing classified research on gamma radiation from Baron Von Blitzschlag. One of the Vulturions is identified as Honcho (apparently released from prison and having gone back to crime). They are stopped with ease by a costume-less Peter Parker and the Scarlet Spiders.

During the "Civil War II" storyline, the original Vulturions resurface. This time, they have upgraded their gear and are still using the same moniker. The Vulturions were seen committing a heist until they were stopped by Spider-Man upon him being tipped off by Ulysses Cain.

During the "Spider-Geddon" storyline, the Vulturions are on a heist, where they encounter Miles Morales. Despite some difficulty, Miles defeats them.

Jimmy Natale
A fourth Vulture appears in the story arc "Spider-Man 24/7". He is a human/bird hybrid vigilante rather than supervillain, mercilessly killing and eating criminals. While fighting, he temporarily blinded Spider-Man by an acid the creature spits in his face. Spider-Man defeated a newer Vulture in the Yankee Stadium.

During The Gauntlet storyline, he escaped from prison and goes after the mobsters responsible for his transformation. The first mobster he finds revealed Vulture's past as the Maggia's "cleaner" Jimmy Natale and then, lies about the transformation caused by J. Jonah Jameson. In truth, it is actually Dr. Charles Goss, a biochemist who used these machines that were previously owned by the Stillwell brothers so they can have a new Vulture. Dr. Goss fibs that Jameson had a hand in his creation, until he confessed to the proper authorities. When Spider-Man fended him off, Vulture visits the mobster again, who came clean for being behind his mutation. After that, he killed him. Vulture was later seen soaring above the Daily Bugle ruins and flew past by a jobless Peter Parker at night.

In the Origin of the Species story-arc, the Vulture joins Doctor Octopus' supervillain team, which was assembled to procure specific items. He attacks Spider-Man, who is caring for Lily Hollister's newborn child in Hamilton Heights, but their fight was interrupted by the Freak. The two villains team-up after a brief scrimmage and are knocked out by Spider-Man.

A further-mutated Vulture is hired by the Exchange to assassinate the Punisher. Vulture ambushes the vigilante at an abandoned warehouse, and the two engage in an aerial battle, which ends with the Punisher fatally stabbing the Vulture in the torso and jaw, causing him to crash land in the South Bronx. The Punisher fled the scene, leaving Vulture's body to be recovered by the NYPD, and examined by Carlie Cooper.

Idea Wiki appearances

 * Vulture appears in Marvel's Spider-Man: Webbed Champion, voiced by Alastair Duncan. This role is the same in the first season of the 2017 Spider-Man animated series, until the events of "On the Tiger's Claws".
 * The same version returns in the show's second Disney+ follow-up movie Marvel's Superhero Adventures: Infinity War, but with no speaking dialogues.
 * Vulture appears in Marvel: All New, All Different Chronicles, voiced by Nolan North.