Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 was supposed to be released in theaters on May 5, 2011, and the movie got pretty far into pre-production before the decision was made to reboot the franchise. John Malkovich had been cast as The Vulture, while we recently learned that Angelina Jolie was eyed to play his daughter, Vulturess.
She would have suited up as that newly created villain after her father died in battle against the web-slinger, with Anne Hathaway expected to take on the role of Black Cat.
It's a shame the movie didn't happen, but The Vulture would eventually make his live-action debut in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming played by Michael Keaton. He was a force to be reckoned with, but a newly revealed photo from behind the scenes of Spider-Man 4 shows that Malkovich's version also would have been no joke.
Shared by Marvel and DC Comics writer and artist Ken Penders, the image reveals that The Vulture's wings would have had the potential to tear poor Spidey to shreds!
We'd love to see what the full costume looks like and have to believe there's someone else out there with images of the suit and access to concept art which has never seen the light of day. Other plans for the movie called for cameo appearances from Mysterio and Stilt-Man, along with Dylan Barker's long-awaited transformation into The Lizard as Dr. Curt Connors.
Raimi returned to the comic book movie genre earlier this year for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but made it clear to the press that he's not desperate to helm Spider-Man 4 anytime soon.
Take a closer look at The Vulture's wings below.
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