One of the oldest, most sinister of the villains in the Spider-Man universe is Adrian Toomes, AKA the Vulture. An engineer from Staten Island, Toomes turns to a life of crime after discovering his business partner had been embezzling funds from their joint enterprise—clearly the logical decision in such an event.
While not an actual bird, Vulture utilizes a special anti-gravitational harness to fly and a green-feathered suit to enhance his avian appearance. Toomes, a maniacal madman with little to no remorse, gives Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, quite a lot of trouble over the years.
Sinister Start
Toomes grows up as an orphan on Staten Island, where his older brother, Marcus, raises him. As an adult, he becomes a petty criminal and spends time on the run with his lover, Cheryl. After an alleged run-in with legendary crime lord Tristram Silver, Toomes turns straight and goes into business with entrepreneur Gregory Bestman, founding B&T Electronics. Their business thrives as Toomes designs products, and Bestman handles the finances.
One day, Toomes has a breakthrough on an electromagnetic flying harness and excitedly bursts into Bestman’s office to show his partner the device. Finding the office empty, Toomes discovers his supposed friend had been stealing funds from the company. He confronts Bestman and, having no legal recourse ends up fired.