The Birth: A long, long time ago, when Spidey was still coming to terms with what he had become, an old man, engineering genius; Adrian Toomes caught his partner Gregory Bestman cheating him from his rightful share of the profits from their company, Bestman & Toomes. Instead of blowing the whistle on him, Toomes confronted him physically. Using this as an excuse, Bestman threw him out of his own company. But Toomes had learned something vital - because of the radiation from the electromagnetic flying harness he was working on, he had somehow gained extraordianary strength for a man his age.
Blind with rage and revenge, Toomes used his flying harness to rob the company the very next day. Intoxicated with his newfound power and the ease with which he comitted his crime, the Vulture went on a wild crime spree, daring the police to catch him. That when he came across an impudent youg pup by the name of Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #2.

The Legend: Adrian Toomes made himself a green suit and went by the name of The Vulture. He enhaced his strength from the radiation of his harness, an act that later gave him an incurable cancer.
There was a time when Toomes was arrested and undergoing medical treatment when he was befriended by Nathan Lubensky, the fiancé of May Parker. Toomes seemed to value his friendship since at that time no-one else seemed to care for an old haggard has-been like Toomes. Nathan also convinced Toomes that he was only as old as he felt; this seemed to do wonders to Toomes and he took up the mantle of the Vulture again. In a later issue, while Toomes was gunning for May Parker, he accidently killed Nathan Lubensky.
Vulchy had first teamed up with the origianl Sinister Six for a short time. He currently is affiliated to the Sinister Seven; a reorganized version of the Sinister Six. He has also once partnered the Owl to try to poison all their enemies.
When Toomes was serving hard time, many imitations popped up on the scene. The first was Dr. Clifton Shallot who while experimenting with Toomes' flying harness decided to become the Vulture. The second was Toomes' cellmate Blackie Drago who thought he'd do better as the Vulture. The next were a bunch of kids who ripped of his idea 'bout the harness and called themselves the "Vulturians". Of course, when Toomes escaped, he dealt with these imposters.

More recently, his desparation to find a cure fir himself made him team up with the Chameleon. In the process he was able to suck out Peter Parker's youth from his body which rejuvenated Vulchy and consequently got him rid off his cancer.
Vulchy later got mixed up with a kid by the name of D.K. who was able to decay Vulchy returning him back to the old man he was. It is still unclear whether he got back the cancer.

Amazing Spider-Man #2