Watching him go from Mr. Rogers grip (under his real name Michael Douglas—but, sorry, it was already taken) to light comedy to full-on comedy, to becoming Tim Burton's "go-to" guy to light drama (superhero variety) to full-on drama and slipping back and forth between cōmoedia and tragoedia to where he can easily turn from one to the other on a dime. And then, there are the times when he can just turn evil. The man is just plain versatile, but underutilized.
Maybe it was the shadow of the bat holding him back from the spotlight, but, when he was chosen by Alejandro González Iñárritu to star in Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)—playing, essentially, himself, a serious actor trying to move past his super-hero movie past—the Industry started to notice him again (it helped that Birdman won the Best Picture Oscar and Keaton was nominated for Best Actor), the stakes seemed to be a little lower and his stature seemed a lot higher.
So, it was probably only natural that he'd be confident enough to return to the super-hero movie genre, which he did when he played the costumed villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming playing essentially two parts in one: that villain The Vulture, and his working class alter-ego, Adrian Toomes.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man/Peter Parker battles The Vulture, but doesn't capture him. So, imagine the young super-hero's shock when, arriving to pick up his date for the Homecoming Dance, that the father of the girl he's taking is the same guy he'd earlier tangled with. Spider-Man wears a full face-mask, so Dad doesn't recognize him, but Peter—already nervous about the date—finds out the guy he's already a little leery of is his arch-enemy.
On the uncomfortable ride to the date, Toomes, already curious about his daughter's date, starts to get this funny feeling he's met this kid somewhere before (something Parker doesn't want to have exposed), but gets vague answers from the kid, something his daughter is only too willing to share (she doesn't know the double lives both are living).
And when it becomes clear that the two males have already met—and fought—Keaton merges the two characters—the only too-chummy Dad and the malevolent enemy. It's a tour de force played out in a claustrophobic space, and is a highlight of the movie.
The Set-up: Peter Parker—aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland)—isn't even out of High School yet and he feels like he has the weight of the whole world on his shoulders. Tony Stark—aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)—has just recruited him for super-hero work (the Big Stuff—he just got to work with The Avengers!), but this is high-profile and it's not what he's used to. He's only a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, after all! Now, he's been investigating some thefts from Star Industries—high-end dangerous weaponry and he's traced it to a villain called The Vulture. Standard super-hero stuff. Except he's taking the girl, Liz (Laura Harrier), that he's crushing on to the homecoming dance only to find that her Dad (Michael Keaton)...is the Vulture!
Awkward.
At least "Dad" doesn't know he's Spider-Man...yet.
Action.
[Toomes is driving. Liz looks at herself through her phone camera,
wearing the corsage Peter gave her, while Peter stares out the window.]
LIZ: Mm-hmm
TOOMES: Stark?
LIZ: Seriously?
-
LIZ: Look. So cute.
PETER: It was a great party,
Words by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers
Pictures by Salvatore Totino and Jon Watts
Spider-Man: Homecoming is available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
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