Lin-Manuel Miranda reveals the Spider-Man villain he turned down
Lin-Manuel Miranda nearly suited up as a Marvel baddie in Spider-Man: Homecoming — then walked away. Almost a decade later, he says he loved the story but passed on the role, leaving fans to wonder which villain it was.
So, here's one you might not have guessed: Lin-Manuel Miranda, yes, that Lin-Manuel Miranda, almost wound up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not doing musical numbers about webs or whatever, but actually playing a proper villain. He finally talked about it nearly a decade after Spider-Man: Homecoming landed, which, frankly, is longer than most Marvel character arcs last these days.
Miranda's Brush With Marvel Villainy
Miranda revealed on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast that Marvel came to him with a proper offer back when Homecoming was gearing up. The part in question? None other than Adrian Toomes, aka the Vulture. In the end, as fans know, that role went to Michael Keaton—who, let’s be honest, did a solid job and remains one of the movie's best bits.
The Marvel boss himself, Kevin Feige, personally phoned Miranda with the pitch. Miranda still remembers Feige building up the film's 'big twist'—that moment when Peter Parker realises his date's intimidating dad is, yes, the winged villain he's fighting. Miranda's reaction on the call:
‘And they get to the door, and it’s her dad’… I went 'OH!' over the phone.
Maybe he should've held out for a musical twist—Vulture, the tap-dancing menace.
Why He Turned It Down
Despite loving the script and genuinely being tempted, Miranda says the timing just wasn’t on his side. He'd just finished a marathon stint—about a year and a half—headlining in Hamilton. So, Marvel wanted him to jump straight from revolution to vulture wings without so much as a weekend off. Unsurprisingly, Miranda said he was completely knackered and told them:
I would really like this. I really like these movies, but I would like to stay married, so I cannot do this.
Can’t fault him for putting the marriage ahead of Marvel—rare moment of a showbiz type with common sense. He also admitted in hindsight he probably would have been 'deeply miscast' as the Vulture anyway.
No Hard Feelings, Only Keaton
Miranda seems perfectly content not to have joined the MCU. In fact, he gave full props to Michael Keaton, calling him 'perfect' for the role and backing Marvel’s final choice, saying they cast exactly the bloke they needed. No resentment, no regrets—just a much-needed holiday after the punishing Hamilton schedule.
- Role offered: Adrian Toomes / Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming
- Why he said no: Too exhausted after Hamilton, needed a break, wanted to stay married
- Who ended up with the part: Michael Keaton
- Miranda's current Disney/Marvel gigs: None announced—except, maybe, a stage version of Encanto if time ever allows
For now, Miranda says he’s not got any new Disney-backed projects lined up—though he’s keen on doing a stage adaptation of Encanto when he can clear his schedule.