Michael Keaton rejoined the comic book movie world last year when he premiered as Vulture, in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Hollywood legend has become known as one of the best Marvel Cinematic Universe villains yet for his portrayal of the relatable Adrian Toomes, but for many fans, he will forever be known as Bruce Wayne from Tim Burton's Batman. In fact, it seems that Keaton himself remains a fan of his old work, as his most famous line from Batman almost popped up in Homecoming. During a panel appearance at Ace Comic Con in Seattle, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland explained:
There's a great scene - it's not in the movie, it was cut short - where I carry the Vulture out of the flames when he nearly dies and I rescue him, and I lay him down on the sand and he says, I think the line was 'Why did you save me?' And I'm like, 'because I'm Spider-Man,' and then he goes, 'But I'm Batman!'
It's easy to understand why that line was ultimately cut, as it's pretty meta even by Marvel Cinematic Universe standards. Nevertheless, as Tom Holland explained during his appearance at Ace Comic Con in Seattle (via Comicbook.com), the climactic scene in which Spider-Man prevents Vulture from stealing a shipment of Avengers weapons and equipment initially featured a take that directly called back to Keaton's time under the cape and cowl.
It turns out that this wasn't the only instance of Michael Keaton going back to his DC roots while filming Spider-Man: Homecoming. In fact, last year Tom Holland similarly opened up about working on the film with Keaton and noted that the actor loved to utter classic Batman quotes while working on the Marvel blockbuster, with Keaton specifically dropping that infamous declaration during a scene where Holland threw a punch at him.
Michael Keaton's love of Batman and the quotes that made him an icon continues to this very day. Not only does he like to quote The Caped Crusader while working on Marvel films, but he also closed out a recent commencement speech at Kent State by uttering the phrase, "I'm Batman," for a captive audience. If nothing else, it's clear that Keaton's love for the hero that made him a household name has not diminished, even as he has crossed the aisle to play a villain in another comic book universe.
CinemaBlend will bring you more information about the Spider-Man corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as new details about the hero are made available to us. For now, you can currently catch Tom Holland as Peter Parker in Avengers: Infinity War, which is still in theaters. Looking ahead to the future, make sure to keep an eye out for Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is set to debut in theaters on July 5, 2019.
