KRAVEN THE HUNTER: 10 Things To Know About The Character (And What We Can Expect In The Movie)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been confirmed as the lead star in Kraven the Hunter, and we're now recapping 10 things you need to know about the character and how they could affect what we see in the movie.

By JoshWilding - May 27, 2021 08:05 AM EST

Filed Under: Kraven the Hunter

The news broke last night that Avengers: Age of Ultron star Aaron Taylor-Johnson will take on the lead role in Sony's Kraven the Hunter movie. He managed to beat the likes of Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves to the role, and clearly did something that really impressed the studio.

We're excited to see what his take looks like, and thought you guys might appreciate this updated look at 10 things you need to know about the classic Spider-Man villain.

Now that we know the character is getting his own solo outing in the SPUMC (Sony Pictures' Universe of Marvel Characters), these facts about Kraven could offer some clues about where his story will go in a live-action setting. He's had an incredible, storied history in the Marvel Universe, and much of that is bound to factor into his highly anticipated big screen debut.

To take a look through this feature, all you guys need to do is click on the "Next" button down below!

10. Spider-Man Hasn't Been His Only Target

While Kraven the Hunter is definitely a Spider-Man villain, he's also targeted a number of other notable heroes in the Marvel Universe. Among them are Black Panther, Tigra, and Daredevil, and while it ultimately all comes back to the web-slinger, he did once team-up with Mister Sinister to take on the X-Men, proving that he enjoys the hunt no matter who or what the target is.

That "hunt" included an encounter with The Hulk which saw Kraven distract him with a bazooka to the face before trapping the Jade Giant in some Adamantium netting.

It didn't end well for him, but we're not anticipating him crossing paths with that character, anyway. However, given the loose ties between the MCU and SPUMC, we wouldn't be too surprised if Wakanda receives a mention at least (not doing so would be something of a missed opportunity).

9. He Was Once A Member Of "The Avengers"

This was a pretty underwhelming retcon, but a few years back, we learned that Nick Fury assembled a team of "Avengers" in 1959 made up of Kraven, Dominic Fortune, Sabretooth, Namora, and a handful of other notable names. They assembled to take down a number of former Nazis, and while Kraven wasn't exactly a hero, he did do some good before meeting Spider-Man.

The most interesting part of this series was seeing Kraven clash with Sabretooth, though that's not been addressed since (and is unlikely to be after what happened to Victor Creed in House of X).

Again, this would rely on some tentative links between the SPUMC and MCU, but it would be pretty cool to see some sort of throwaway Easter Egg revealing that Kraven once worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.!

8. A Very Different Version In The Ultimate Universe

Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley's Ultimate Spider-Man reinvented a lot of classic characters, and Kraven was among them. In this world, he was a reality TV star who had made a name for himself tracking down some of the most dangerous predators on the planet.

However, with his ratings on the decline, he came to New York City to try and take down Spider-Man.

Despite looking exactly like his 616 counterpart, this Kraven had no superpowers and ended up being taken out with a single punch by the wall-crawler. Later, he would undergo experiments to give him abilities that rivalled Spidey's, and took on something of an animalistic form. It would be pretty cool if this version of the villain went down a similar route in terms of powers.

7. Kraven Later Joined Another Team

The difference is that this team wasn't anywhere near as heroic as the one assembled by Fury!

After a series of humiliating losses against Spider-Man, Kraven was approached by Doctor Octopus and given the opportunity to join the Sinister Six. He accepted, and set a series of traps for the web-slinger in Central Park before ultimately being defeated - again - at the hands of his greatest foes.

He was pretty much done with the Sinister Six after that, and it's fair to say he's not a team player. Still, he holds the distinction of being a founding member of this formidable group, and there are already rumblings Johnson's Kraven will debut in Spider-Man: No Way Home (meaning he could be part of that interdimensional Six). Unfortunately, we're really not banking on that happening.

6. A Truly Twisted Family

The Kravinoff family is a large one, with a wife, Sasha, a daughter, Ana, and three sons (all of whom have attempted to follow in their father's footsteps at one point or another).

His half-brother is actually the Chameleon, the first foe Spider-Man faced in the comic books. They have a love/hate relationship, but are definitely united in their hatred of the web-slinger. While the Grim Hunter, Alyosha, and Nedrocci were all disappointments, Ana - the youngest - has proved herself on a number of occasions now.

She was instrumental in bringing Kraven back from the dead (we'll get to that) and proved to be every bit the formidable hunter her father was, pushing Spidey to his limit again and again.

5. He Took His Own Life...

In the classic "Kraven's Last Hunt" by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Mike Zeck, Kraven finally bested Spider-Man and proved himself the better man. After drugging and burying Peter Parker (we were, at that point, led to believe he'd shot and killed the hero), he took over the mantle of Spider-Man in a bid to prove he was the superior hero as well.

Able to defeat Vermin - a foe the real Spidey could not - Kraven finally felt content. With that, he took the rifle he'd used to defeat the web-slinger and shot himself dead.

It was a shocking, unbelievable moment which later saw Spider-Man dig himself out of the grave. However, he and Kraven were bonded mystically after this final exchange, and that would come into play many years later in the violent and equally shocking "Grim Hunt" storyline.

4. ...But Was Resurrected, Couldn't Be Killed, And Is Now A Clone

Kraven's family were desperate to bring their patriarch back from the dead, and discovered that sacrificing Spider-Man in a twisted ceremony would achieve that mission.

When Peter Parker's clone, Kaine, took his "brother's" place in that, Kraven was indeed brought back to life, but it was an "unlife" he never wanted. It turns out that he had no desire to return after taking his own life, believing his demise and defeat of Spider-Man was his "masterpiece."

Due to a pretty horrific twist, it turns out that Kraven the Hunter was unable to die unless it was at Spider-Man's hand. That's not something the web-slinger would ever do, but the villain managed to find a loophole and fooled his clone - "the Last Son of Kraven" - into strangling him to death. Now, the Marvel Universe has a new Kraven, and one without the baggage of his predecessor.

3. Sony Has Had Plans For Kraven The Hunter For Years

The Amazing Spider-Man 2's end credits revealed who Sony Pictures planned to put in their version of the Sinister Six, a team that was set to assemble either in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 or Drew Goddard's Sinister Six movie. As you can see above, Kraven was set to be among them.

That never happened, but the Sony Hack would later reveal that the studio has considered a big screen adaptation of "Kraven's Last Hunt," something that's been reported multiple times since.

Now, J.C. Chandor is hard at work on a movie featuring the character, but aside from that big Aaron Taylor-Johnson casting news, very little has been revealed. It's possible Spider-Man will show up, and we kind of hope so, especially when it's hard to imagine who else Kraven could hunt.

2. Calypso

Sasha Kravinoff is an interesting enough character, but a far more compelling love interest for Kraven over the years has been an enigmatic woman known as Calypso.

This beautiful warrior uses a combination of voodoo magic and various other mystical abilities to help Kraven in his battles against Spidey, some of which are seriously dark (for example, she specialises in necromancy, an ability to communicate with the dead).

Her hatred for the web-slinger is extremely powerful, and following her lover's demise, she used her powers to bewitch the Lizard and very nearly managed to kill Spider-Man in the process.

1. What Are Kraven's Powers Anyway?

Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff was a Russian immigrant brought to the U.S. as a child, and trained since childhood by a man called Gregor, it didn't take long until he became an expert hunter.

Preferring to get hands-on with his prey rather than use guns, he targeted Spider-Man after growing bored with his life and uses a mystical serum to enhance his strength and speed. That also drastically slows his ageing and gives him instincts that make him more than a match for Spidey.

Even without that, he's formidable thanks to the weapons at his disposal, his fighting abilities, and ties to magic that mean he's more than capable of getting inside the wall-crawler's head.

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23 Comments

Reeds2Much - 5/27/2021, 8:08 AM

(And What We Can Expect In The Movie)

The1st - 5/27/2021, 8:17 AM

@Reeds2Much - Also, not this guy.

Repian - 5/27/2021, 8:30 AM

@The1st - Wow! Why does Spider-Man seem like a sex offender? xD

The1st - 5/27/2021, 8:33 AM

@Repian - He's trying to stay hidden in the MCU. Spider's gotta do what a spider can.

UXASIS - 5/27/2021, 8:09 AM

I would have preferred Brad Pitt, but he's probably a bit too old anyway.

Can't wait to see ATJ, Hardy, and Leto on screen together, so far the casting of SUMC has been really good (except Carnage).

Who could Kraven fight in his movie?

Kman - 5/27/2021, 8:20 AM

@UXASIS - I can’t imagine Brad Pitt would want to be in this movie

bkmeijer2 - 5/27/2021, 8:12 AM

As much as Kraven is a cool character, I have no interest in this movie whatsoever. Sony really has to come up with a surprisingly good plan, because right now my expectations are very, very low.

The1st - 5/27/2021, 8:28 AM

@bkmeijer - They're literally trying to make A characters out of B ones, but only the MCU has taken lesser known properties/characters and turned water to wine.

Marvel:

Sony:

WB/DC:

Netflix:

Amazon (currently):

bkmeijer2 - 5/27/2021, 8:40 AM

@The1st - yeah that seems pretty accurate

GhostDog - 5/27/2021, 8:17 AM

Sony can’t keep getting away with it

MrDandy - 5/27/2021, 8:19 AM

Who. Cares.

The1st - 5/27/2021, 8:29 AM

@MrDandy - Unfortunately, someone always does...entirely too much.

MarvelousMarty - 5/27/2021, 9:06 AM

Still can't believe they have pick ATJ. Utter joke on multiple levels.

TheWalkingCuban - 5/27/2021, 9:13 AM

Well it’s like I always say if you can’t get Gerard Butler, you get ATJ, dang boy, errbody know dat

Matchesz - 5/27/2021, 11:30 AM

@TheWalkingCuban - Gerard is the obvious choice, but these studios always gotta go with some controversial young actor nowadays to be hip. In all comic panels Kraven is portrayed as a middle aged 40-50 yr old man since he is suppose to be an experienced hunter.

TheWalkingCuban - 5/27/2021, 12:23 PM

@Matchesz - Haz el favor de flores de que

Sorry phone was on Spanish

I suppose a part of it is they want younger actors who can play a character longer, but dang, Kraven is a beast, so hire a beast! Or get Buff Bagwell, Razor Ramon, whoever, shut em up, and let em hunt, otherwise ATJ Gon need straight up steroids to look close to accurate. Buuut I bet he has the right metabolism to eat and lift for size. Say no to drugs. Just eat and lift!

tb86 - 5/27/2021, 9:50 AM

Nothing against Aaron Taylor Johnson but he doesn’t strike me as the type to play Kraven

JFerguson - 5/27/2021, 10:29 AM

Ah yes, Sony's very own version of a "Joker" movie.

SIKE!

JustAChillDude - 5/27/2021, 11:38 AM

my expectations are low, considering the writers also wrote MIB International and Transformers TLK...

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KRAVEN THE HUNTER: 10 Things To Know About The Character (And What We Can Expect In The Movie)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been confirmed as the lead star in Kraven the Hunter, and we're now recapping 10 things you need to know about the character and how they could affect what we see in the movie.

10. Spider-Man Hasn't Been His Only Target

9. He Was Once A Member Of "The Avengers"

8. A Very Different Version In The Ultimate Universe

7. Kraven Later Joined Another Team

6. A Truly Twisted Family

5. He Took His Own Life...

4. ...But Was Resurrected, Couldn't Be Killed, And Is Now A Clone

3. Sony Has Had Plans For Kraven The Hunter For Years

2. Calypso

1. What Are Kraven's Powers Anyway?

KRAVEN THE HUNTER Star Aaron Taylor-Johnson Talks Challenge Of Marvel Roles And Those JAMES BOND Rumors

KRAVEN THE HUNTER Star Aaron Taylor-Johnson "Didn't Really Care" For AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON And KICK-ASS

KRAVEN THE HUNTER Star Aaron Taylor-Johnson Talks Challenge Of Marvel Roles And Those JAMES BOND Rumors

MADAME WEB & KRAVEN Reportedly Marketed As Standalone Because Of "Hesitation To Emphasize Interconnectedness"

Will Sony's Marvel Movies Doom The Comic Book Genre Amid Continued Claims Of "Superhero Fatigue"?

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