NOTE: This article is about the mainstream version of Vulture from the Marvel comics. The incarnation of Vulture from the Marvel Cinematic film series can be found here: Vulture (Marvel Cinematic Universe).
I fought Daredevil. I was in the Sinister Six. I'm faster, stronger, and smarter than a hundred men my age. No flunky with a pistol gets the drop on me.
„
~ Vulture
Adrian Toomes, better known by his supervillain name the Vulture, is a villain in Marvel Comics, primarily serving as an enemy towards Spider-Man. He is a supervillain who utilizes an anti-magnetic harness, which enables him to fly at high speeds and make agile aerial maneuvers, to commit crimes. At one time a younger man named Blackie Drago stole Toomes' harness and became the second Vulture. The original Vulture defeated him, however, and reclaimed his role.
The Vulture's parents died at a young age, and so he was raised by his brother. He grew up to become an electrical engineer. He eventually started a business with his colleague Gregory Bestman. During this time, he invented his iconic electromagnetic wing vest that he is often seen wearing. The company eventually crumbled when Adrian learned that his partner was embezzling money, and when he was confronted, Adrian was fired. After Adrian retired, he learned that his partner sold the company, and created the Vulture alias to rob him, soon becoming a full-time criminal.
After this, The Vulture became a full-time villain. He first targeted the Park Avenue Diamond Exchange. He ended up being thwarted by Spider-Man, beginning their hatred of each other. Soon after their first encounters, he teamed up with other villains to form the Sinister Six.
Adrian was eventually imprisoned. During his time in captivity, he befriended Raniero Drago, who became a major annoyance. Raniero's main goal was to obtain The Vulture's wings. He ended up getting Adrian involved in a serious accident. Using the information that he had obtained from Adrian, he briefly became the "New Vulture". Adrian eventually broke out, made new wings, and took revenge. Spider-Man was unable to catch Adrian.
The events following didn't really focus on Spider-Man, but he did still have encounters with the hero. The Vulture planned to have New Yorks top mobsters to be killed so that he could become the supreme crime lord, and to take revenge on his former business partner. The first was successful, but the latter resulted in getting sidetracked.
While he was in rehab, he befriended May Parker's love interest, Nathan Lubensky. Misunderstanding advice that was given to him, he dressed in his Vulture persona and destroyed the center, prompting Spider-Man to show up. Nathan's friendship had an impact on Adrian, even causing him to work for Kingpin. Nathan met his unfortunate demise after the Vulture took May hostage during a battle. Nathan suffered a heart attack trying to save her, and the Vulture was captured by Spider-Man.
Around this time, the Vulture was diagnosed with cancer. This led him to go to the Parker's apartment and plead May Parker for her forgiveness, as he felt sorrow over Nathan's death. He and Parker got into a quarrel, and so the Vulture tried to kidnap him and take him to his lair. The Vulture was defeated and taken to prison, where Mary visited him and told him that he could not be forgiven.
The Vulture got caught up in a scheme involving the Green Goblin, Chameleon, and shapeshifting androids. Mary Parker's android broke down and fused with the Vulture, causing him to become young and cured of cancer. Now young, he sought to kill everyone who knew him as the old Vulture. He ended up facing off against David Kalen, someone who could negate this effect, and he became old again.
After a few more failed missions (including trying to raid A.I.M.), The Vulture had witnessed Spider-Man unmask himself while in custody. He later attacked the now rouge Spider-Man during a book signing. The Vulture ended up suffering a stroke, and was taken to the hospital. He tried to convince Spider-Man to kill him, but he couldn't.
The Vulture wasn't involved in anything major after this (other than Kraven's Zoo). He resurfaced after a team of flying-thieves became a problem in New York, being supplied by The Vulture. They worked for the Vulture, and helped him with conflicts involving Spider-man. He was later offered money by Spider-Man claiming to be Otto Octavius to leave the city, but the Vulture refused. He sent his henchman after him, which only made Otto more angry and caused him to attack the Vulture in a rage. He was defeated and incarcerated.
Adrian later modified his suit and dubbed it the "Falcon Suit". This was a short lived alias, only lasting approximately one theft attempt. Around this time, Kraven hunted down animal themed humanoids and forced them to preform under the animal that they identified as, The Vulture being one of these. Arcade helped him to escape, and the Vulture gained a following to revolt, which was short lived because Kraven soon disbanded his captured collection, and the Vulture was sent to prison. In prison, he formed the Savage Six.
Powers and Abilities
The Vulture is an extremely skilled electrical engineer. He was able to develop himself a harness that allowed him the ability of flight. His expertise in magnetic technology also gifts him with the ability of super-human strength. The harness itself allows him to achieve peak human fitness, allowing him to lift upwards of 700 lbs at a time.
In other media
Video Games
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Vulture in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows.
The Vulture is one of the bosses in Web of Shadows. Spider-Man fights not only Vulture but a small army of winged minions while supended in the air. After Vulture is defeated, Spidey chooses whether to trap the Vulture, or spare the Vulture's life so he could pay Spider-Man back by aid him whenever he calls. After that, Vulture aids the Black Suit Spider-Man.
Symbiote Vulture
Spider-Man encounters The Vulture several times. One of these encounters is when he need a ride to a maximum security prison so he can break out the Tinkerer. Around the end of the game, The Vulture gets infected with a Symbiote and tries to destroy a machine that can destroy the symbiotes without killing the hosts. After Spider-Man defeats Symbiote Vulture, Vultures tries to convince Spider-Man to destroy the machine because symbiote made him feel stronger. If Spider-Man did more good though out the Game, he refuses Vulture's Idea and activates the machine, destroying the symbiotes. If Spidey did more bad though out the game, he accepts Vulture's ideas and destroys the machine before it was activated.
Vulture makes an appearance in the Noir Dimension in Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. In this version, Vulture has a much darker role. According to the Noir Spider-Man, Vulture was once a carnival freak that use to eat chicken heads, until he had taste of human flesh. He became one of the members of Norman Osborn's mob known as the Enforcers. He's also was the one who murdered Uncle Ben, but he didn't just kill him, he ate Uncle Ben's flesh. When Vulture doesn't eat humans, he eats rats. He was also one of the villains that acquired a piece of the Tablet of Order and Chaos. During the first fight, with Vulture, Vulture uses throwing knives, claws and limited flight. When he acquired the powers of the Tablet, Vulture acquired the powers of teleportation. He could teleport through a puff of feathers, he also threw bombs that created a fire stream when it makes contact. Vulture's main weakness is light. If Vulture is exposed by a spotlight, he'll moan in pain. Despite his new powers, Vulture was defeated by the Noir Spider-Man and was most likely sent to prison.
Lego Marvel Super Heroes
Vulture is seen, along with Howard the Duck, having captured Stan Lee, when Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic arrive to confront them. In the battle, Vulture falls for traps and is noticeably dumber than most of his incarnations. After the fight, he and Howard are arrested.
Vulture appears as a minor antagonist in Marvel's Spider-Man. For most of the game, he was imprisoned in the Raft after his previous defeat from Spider-Man. But thanks to Doctor Octopus, he managed to escape and he joined the Sinister Six. Vulture agreed to aid him in exchange for a cure for his spinal cancer caused by his suit. His mission was to terrorize Times Square. After Spider-Man escaped Doctor Ock's trap, Vulture and Electro teamed up against the web head, but both were defeated.
Cartoons
Spider-Man (1994 series)
In 1994 Spider-Man animated series Vulture was voiced by Eddie Albert as an old man and Alan Johnson as a young man. In this series Adrian Toomes is an elderly inventor, engineer and scientist who developed very strong grudge against Norman Osborn for rejecting and ridiculing his work. He created special wings and harness that allowed him to fly, as well as youth draining talons that could restore his youth. Later, he used his Vulture talons to suck youth out of people to temporarily make himself young, which he was able to do with the Tablet of Time he bought from Hammerhead. In the episode "The Final Nightmare", Vulture transformed into the Man-Spider after absorbing Spider-Man's DNA and youth. Eventually, Spider-Man enlisted Doctor Connors' aid who helped defeat Vulture and return Spider-Man's youth, although he reprogrammed the device so that the Vulture would absorb the excess DNA that had caused Spider-Man to become the Man-Spider originally. The episode "Partners" reveals that the Scorpion afterwards captured Vulture who somehow managed to get rid of the mutation, but, as a result, he began shifting between his young and old selves, with no control over this transformation. His intent was to have Vulture cure him once he had enough money for a laboratory. Vulture saves Spider-Man, Black Cat and Scorpion from Silvermane's clutches. He also becomes young full-time by swapping energy with the baby Silvermane, reverting Silvermane back to an old man. In the episode "Six Forgotten Warriors" part 1-5, Vulture became a member of the Insidious Six replacing Mysterio (who was originally a member but apparently died in an earlier episode). He went after Miss America for the key to the doomsday device that she had as she had flying powers. By the end of the story arc, he left Insidious Six. His later fate is unknown.
The Vulture was originally going to appear in Spider-Man 3,, where he would've been played by Ben Kingsley (who also played Archibald Snatcher), but the character was replaced by Venom.
Vulture was originally going to appear as one of the villains in Spider-Man 4 before it was cancelled in 2010.
In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Vulture's wings can easily be seen at Oscorp along with Doc Ock's tentacles as well as during the end credits, which hinted that he may have been planned to appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 3.
