The Vulture is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Most are depicted as enemies of the superhero Spider-Man and are characterized by their advanced suits that enable them to fly and bear resemblance to their namesake.
The first incarnation of the character, Isidoro Scarlotti, is an Italian scientist who wears a mechanized vulture mask, lacks the ability to fly, and debuted as an enemy of the original Human Torch and Toro. The second and most famous incarnation, Adrian Toomes, is an inventive but maniacal genius who designed his flight suit and turned to a life of crime, becoming a recurring enemy of Spider-Man and a founding member of the Sinister Six. Later characters to assume the mantle include Blackie Drago, a former cellmate of Toomes who stole his Vulture suit, and Clifton Shallot and Jimmy Natale, human/bird hybrids of independent origins. Toomes was later revealed to be the grandfather of the superhero Starling.
Since his conception, the character has been adapted from comics into various other forms of Spider-Man media, including television series and video games. In live-action, Adrian Toomes was played by Michael Keaton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Morbius (2022).
Publication history The first Vulture, Italian scientist Isidoro Scarlotti, first appeared in Young Men #26 (December 1953), created by Joe Gill and Carl Burgos and depicted as an enemy of the original Human Torch and Toro.Young Men #26
The second Vulture, Adrian Toomes, first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #2 (May 1963), and was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 92: "Introduced in the lead story of The Amazing Spider-Man #2 and created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the Vulture was the first in a long line of animal-inspired super-villains that were destined to battle everyone's favorite web-slinger." According to Ditko, Lee wanted the villain to be heavy-set and based on actor Sydney Greenstreet. Ditko designed him to be leaner and more gaunt, feeling he should be swift and fast and also because "The bulkier anything is, the more panel space it has to take up, thereby shrinking panel space for other characters and story panel elements."
Since Toomes originally assumed the Vulture alias as an enemy of Spider-Man, several other character have taken on the mantle from him. The third incarnation, Blackie Drago, first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #48 (May 1967), and was created by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr. Lee created the new version because he thought that Spider-Man looked like a bully fighting a wizened old man. However, the readers wrote in that they did not like the new Vulture, and Lee relented and brought the original back.
The fourth incarnation, Clifton Shallot, first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #127, and was created by Ross Andru, Gerry Conway, and John Romita Sr.
A fifth incarnation, Jimmy Natale, first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #593 as part of the story arc "Spider-Man 24/7"; created by Mark Waid and Mike McKone, he is a recurring enemy of both Spider-Man and the Punisher.The Amazing Spider-Man #593
Fictional character biography Isidoro Scarlotti Isidoro Scarlotti was born in Italy and attained a doctorate in theoretical physics. Craving power and wealth, he rose to become czar of the "International League of Criminals", constructing a series of "super atomic bombs" with which to hold the world ransom, and wearing a mechanized vulture mask as the "Vulture" to conceal his identity.
In an attempt at preventing the flaming heroes Human Torch and Toro from interfering with his plans, Vulture builds robot duplicates of the heroes programmed to commit crimes and murders in order to discredit them; when the Torch and Toro arrive at their boss Chief Wilson's office, they learn that Vulture has kidnapped his daughter Mary, with his trademark Vulture plane spotted en-route to New Mexico. Following it to Vulture's hideout and melting through its walls, they are confronted by Vulture, who traps them with a wall of ionized radiation deflecting their fire powers, leaving Mary behind to watch them die. After the radiation-proof Torch is able to save them, the Torch and Toro return to Chief Wilson's office and stop their Vulture-made robotic duplicates from killing the Chief, before learning of Vulture's ransom demand to the world's governments and rushing back to his base in New Mexico, trashing his equipment. On revealing his identity, Vulture traps the heroes in his base again, which begins to fill with corrosive acid. After revealing he has set the atomic pile in his base to explode, Vulture flees, with the Torch and Toro barely able to escape in time, the Torch believing it to be far from the last they will hear of Vulture.
Vulture next kidnaps and kills roboticist Professor Costene in order to obtain his "robot formula", using it to create a wave of crime robots, the largest of which he names Metallo. When the Torch and Toro arrive to investigate Costene's disappearance, they encounter Vulture's robots and manage to defeat them by luring them into the swamp to be short-circuited by water. On getting to Vulture's hideout, they battle Metallo and free Vulture's hostage Betty Wilson (the chief's other daughter) as Vulture gets away.Captain America #76
Later, Vulture sabotages a testing site for a new rocket to take men to the moon, with the Torch and Toro learning he has constructed his own rocket in Canada. Rushing up north to the secret location of Vulture's hideout, the Torch and Toro ambush the criminal and his minions and destroy the rocket. Vulture and his men attempt to escape by plane with the two heroes in pursuit, only for Vulture to unleash a fire-dousing chemical that stops them from following him. On returning to the United States, the heroes encounter Vulture taking Betty Wilson hostage again in an attempt to reach the Moon first, blasting off in the rocket only for the pursuing heroes to board through the rocket thrusters and knock Vulture and his men out. The ship is then stopped by aliens calling themselves the "Guardians of Space", who tell the Torch that mankind is not ready for travel into space until they forsake war. As the Vulture knows of their existence, he is taken into deep space and never seen again.Young Men #28
Adrian Toomes Adrian Toomes was born in Staten Island, New York. A skilled electronics engineer, Toomes is the business partner of Gregory Bestman, working on various inventions. After much trial and error, Toomes created a "flight harness" from scrap parts, but when he visited Bestman to show off his invention, he discovered that his partner had embezzled their profits and fled, leaving Toomes penniless. Enraged, Toomes wrecked the business and realized the physical strength he gained from using the harness. He then decided to turn to crime professionally as Vulture.
Vulture employs a special electromagnetic harness of his own design that allows him to fly; his flight is directed by a pair of artificial wings worn on his arms. The harness also endows him with enhanced strength and (according to some sources) increases his lifespan. Although Toomes is advanced in age, he is a strong fighter and a remorseless killer. On one occasion, he restored his youth through biochemical means,The Amazing Spider-Man #388 though this wore off after exposure to an elemental superhuman's corpse.The Sensational Spider-Man #18 At one point, he had used a device to steal Spider-Man's youth, leaving Vulture young and Spider-Man elderly, but this effect wore off within hours.The Amazing Spider-Man #387
Vulture was on a robbery and burglary spree throughout New York City when he first encountered Spider-Man. Spider-Man realized for the first time he could sell photos to J. Jonah Jameson after the Daily Bugle offered a reward for a picture of Vulture. Due to a preoccupation with the camera, Spider-Man was knocked out by Vulture and sealed in a water tank with sides too slippery to climb up, but was able to break free. Vulture then challenged the police, saying he was going to steal diamonds; however, he escaped through the sewers. Spider-Man had created a device that stopped Vulture's harness from working and activated it during an airborne fight with Vulture, causing the two to crash onto a roof, knocking Vulture unconscious. He was then arrested.The Amazing Spider-Man #2 Vulture modified his harness, and attempted to rob the Daily Bugle payroll.The Amazing Spider-Man #7 He joined Doctor Octopus's first Sinister Six, and gave the message to the Daily Bugle that the group had captured Betty Brant. He was the last foe to battle Spider-Man before Doctor Octopus. He forced Spider-Man to remove the web-shooters by threatening to fly away, then squirted oil onto the roof, and tried to push Spider-Man off using a wind created by his wings, but Spider-Man escaped this. Vulture was caught after Spider-Man swung onto him using a lasso. He then told Spider-Man where to find Doctor Octopus's lair and (like the rest of the team) was jailed at the end of the story.The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
Later, believing himself to be dying in prison due to injuries obtained in the prison workshop, Toomes revealed an extra Vulture outfit's location on the prison grounds to his cellmate Blackie Drago. Drago revealed to Toomes he caused the accident for this very purpose. Toomes was angry, but apparently fell unconscious within the next few minutes; Blackie then knocked out a guard, dug up the wings, and escaped.The Amazing Spider-Man #48 Drago, as Vulture, teamed with Kraven the Hunter against Spider-Man.The Amazing Spider-Man #49 Toomes ultimately escaped from prison and recovered from his injuries – crediting his hatred for Drago's betrayal with the strength to overcome them – and as Vulture again, defeating Drago.The Amazing Spider-Man #63 Toomes then nearly defeated Spider-Man in battle, injuring the arm before Spider-Man managed to play possum and tricked Toomes into coming in close enough for Spider-Man to damage his power pack and force his nemesis to retreat.The Amazing Spider-Man #64 Some time later, Dr. Clifton Shallot mutated his body into a form resembling Toomes's, but possessing natural wings and flight capability.The Amazing Spider-Man #127–128
Vulture came out of retirement to claim vengeance on his former research partner Bestman who embezzled him out of the profits of their business.The Amazing Spider-Man #240–241 He then confronted the Vulturions, a group of criminal youths who stole his designs.Web of Spider-Man #1–2
He became involved in Atlantic City casino racketeering to prepare for his own ostentatious funeral, but was thwarted by the Hobgoblin.Web of Spider-Man #24 Reduced to a "mere salesman", he journeyed to Las Vegas, where he attacked Morris "Snake" Diamond in the middle of the desert for stealing Toomes's blueprint journals for ultrasonic-sensitive dice. Intending to inject Snake with a mummification serum, Vulture was thwarted by Spider-Man (who had been granted a flight on Snake's plane back to New York) and Agent Sara Glenville of the Central Intelligence Division.Web of Spider-Man #45 He later confronted the mutants Rusty Collins and Skids in an attempt to release Nitro.New Mutants #86
On more than one occasion, Toomes has been in league with several of Spider-Man's other villains to destroy him. Vulture has been in every incarnation of Sinister Six, and also appeared in the ranks of the Sinister Twelve. He has a strong friendship with fellow villain Electro; the two once nearly beat Spider-Man to death.Marvel Knights Spider-Man #2