Vulture

I was old when I started. Imagine how dangerous I am now.

Real Name:Adrian Toomes

Aliases:The Vulture, Adrian Toomes

First Appearance:Amazing Spider-Man #2 (1963)

Creators:Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

Publisher:Marvel Comics

Teams:Sinister Six, Sinister Twelve, Savage Six

Abilities

•Electromagnetic wing harness — grants powered flight at speeds up to 95mph
•The harness enhances his strength to superhuman levels
•Brilliant engineer and inventor — designed and built the flight harness himself
•Expert aerial combatant — decades of experience fighting in three dimensions
•The harness grants him enhanced vitality, slowing his aging and keeping him in peak condition despite his age
•Can use the harness to generate powerful gusts of wind as weapons
•One of Spider-Man's oldest enemies — literally and figuratively, fighting since the 1960s
•A founding member of the original Sinister Six
•His age is his weapon — every opponent underestimates the old man, and every opponent regrets it

Powers & Abilities

Flight90

Strength75

Speed85

Intelligence90

Combat Skill75

Durability70

Biography

Adrian Toomes was an elderly electronics engineer who was cheated out of his own company by his business partner. Broke, bitter, and with nothing left to lose, Toomes used his engineering genius to build an electromagnetic wing harness that granted him powered flight and superhuman strength. He became the Vulture — one of Spider-Man's very first supervillains and the living proof that you should never underestimate an old man with a grudge and a genius-level intellect.

Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in Amazing Spider-Man #2 (1963), the Vulture was only the second supervillain Spider-Man ever faced (after the Chameleon). Ditko designed him as a bald, gaunt old man in a green suit with massive wings — visually terrifying in his frailty, because his power came from technology and rage rather than youth and muscle. He was a founding member of the original Sinister Six in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, and his rivalry with Spider-Man spans the entire history of the character.

The Vulture's most disturbing power was discovered by Roger Stern — his harness could drain the life force from others, rejuvenating Toomes while aging his victims. The old man who steals youth is the most horrifying version of the character. When diagnosed with cancer, Toomes went on a rampage, draining people to stay alive. His desperation makes him more dangerous than any young villain.

Michael Keaton's portrayal of Adrian Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) became one of the MCU's most acclaimed villain performances — a blue-collar worker turned arms dealer who is Liz Allan's father. The film reinvented the Vulture for a new generation while honoring the core concept: an older man the world discarded who built himself wings and refused to be grounded. In the comics, Toomes remains what he has always been — the oldest, angriest, and most persistent bird of prey in Spider-Man's sky.

First Appearances

Amazing Spider-Man #2

1963

First appearance of the Vulture — Adrian Toomes, an elderly engineer cheated out of his own company, builds an electromagnetic wing harness and becomes one of Spider-Man's first supervillains. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko create the villain who proves age is no weakness. Spider-Man's second-ever villain. A top-tier Silver Age key.

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Amazing Spider-Man #7

1963

Second Vulture appearance — Toomes returns from prison with an improved harness. His grudge against the world grows. Ditko draws the aerial combat that defines the character.

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Amazing Spider-Man #48-49

1967

Second Vulture — Blackie Drago steals the harness and becomes the new Vulture. Toomes is furious. Two Vultures. John Romita Sr. draws the succession crisis.

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Amazing Spider-Man #63-64

1968

Toomes reclaims the Vulture identity — he defeats Drago and takes back his wings. There is only one Vulture. Toomes proves no one else is worthy of the harness.

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The Sinister Six

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1

1964

First Sinister Six — the Vulture is a founding member alongside Doctor Octopus, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter. Lee and Ditko assemble the greatest villain team in Spider-Man history. A landmark Silver Age key.

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Amazing Spider-Man #334-339

1990

Return of the Sinister Six — Toomes rejoins the team under Doctor Octopus. Erik Larsen draws. David Michelinie writes. The Vulture is the elder statesman of the Six.

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Spider-Man #18-23

1992

Revenge of the Sinister Six — the team returns again. Larsen writes and draws. Toomes is the most experienced member, having fought Spider-Man longer than any of them.

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Superior Spider-Man #1

2013

Sinister Six vs. Superior Spider-Man — Toomes leads a new Sinister Six against Otto Octavius in Peter's body. The irony: the Six's leader is fighting his own former member. Slott writes.

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Classic Vulture Stories

Amazing Spider-Man #2

1963

The origin — Adrian Toomes was a brilliant engineer whose business partner stole everything from him. He built the harness to take revenge on the world that cheated him. Lee writes the bitterness of a man who had everything taken.

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Amazing Spider-Man #128

1973

Vulture returns — Ross Andru draws Toomes in the Bronze Age. His hatred of Spider-Man has only grown. Each prison sentence makes him angrier.

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Amazing Spider-Man #224

1981

Vulture in the 80s — Roger Stern writes. Toomes is older but no less dangerous. The harness keeps him young. Without it, he is a frail old man.

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Amazing Spider-Man #240-241

1983

Vulture and the youth drain — Stern writes Toomes discovering his harness can drain life force from others, rejuvenating him. The old man who steals youth. The most horrifying Vulture power.

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Vulture's Darkest Stories

Amazing Spider-Man #386-388

1994

Lifetheft — the Vulture discovers he is dying of cancer. He goes on a rampage, draining youth from victims. David Michelinie writes the most desperate Vulture. Mark Bagley draws.

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Spider-Man: Noir #1

2009

Vulture Noir — David Hine and Fabrice Sapolsky reimagine the Vulture as a cannibalistic freak show performer in 1930s New York. The darkest Vulture ever written.

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Punisher War Journal #13-15

2008

Vulture vs. Punisher — Matt Fraction writes Toomes as a ruthless crime boss. Frank Castle targets him. The old man proves he is more dangerous than anyone expects.

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Modern Vulture

Amazing Spider-Man #593-594

2009

Vulture reinvigorated — Mark Waid writes Toomes returning with a vengeance. His harness technology has been upgraded. Joe Kelly and Phil Jimenez contribute. The old Vulture is the best Vulture.

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Amazing Spider-Man vol. 3 #1

2014

Vulture in the modern era — Slott writes Toomes continuing to plague Spider-Man. Decades of history between them. The longest-running Spider-Man rivalry after the Goblin.

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Amazing Spider-Man vol. 5 #1

2018

Spencer's Spider-Man — the Vulture continues as a recurring threat. His role in Spider-Man's world is permanent. Nick Spencer writes.

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Amazing Spider-Man vol. 6 #1

2022

Zdarsky's Spider-Man — Toomes appears in the latest era. His grudge against Spider-Man spans 60 years of publication history.

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Other Vultures

Amazing Spider-Man #48

1967

Blackie Drago — the first replacement Vulture. He steals the harness from Toomes in prison. A younger, more aggressive Vulture. Romita Sr. draws.

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Web of Spider-Man #1

1985

New Vulture era — the ongoing features Toomes in the mid-80s. His legacy as the original Vulture is threatened by imitators but never surpassed.

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Amazing Spider-Man #623-625

2010

Jimmy Natale Vulture — Mark Waid introduces a new, more monstrous Vulture. He is a true mutation, not a man in a suit. Toomes remains the definitive version.

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MCU Impact

Amazing Spider-Man #2

1963

The source — Michael Keaton's portrayal of Adrian Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) became one of the MCU's most acclaimed villains. A blue-collar worker turned arms dealer. The film elevated this issue's value significantly.

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Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1

1964

Sinister Six origins — the team that Homecoming hinted at. The Vulture as the foundation of a villain team. The MCU continues building toward the Six.

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Vulture's Defining Moments

Amazing Spider-Man #2

1963

The debut — an old man builds wings and terrorizes New York. Lee and Ditko create the villain who proves that experience beats youth.

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Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1

1964

Founding the Sinister Six — the Vulture joins the most iconic villain team in comics. Spider-Man's worst nightmares united.

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Amazing Spider-Man #63

1968

Reclaiming the wings — Toomes defeats Drago and proves there is only one Vulture. The old man takes back what is his.

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Amazing Spider-Man #240

1983

Draining youth — Toomes discovers his harness can steal life force. The horror of an old man feeding on the young.

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Collector Highlights

Amazing Spider-Man #2

1963

The holy grail — first Vulture. Lee and Ditko. Spider-Man's second villain. A top-tier Silver Age key. Massively elevated by Michael Keaton's MCU portrayal.

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