Spider-Man has one of the most famous rogue’s galleries of any superhero. Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, and Venom can all be considered major Spider-Man villains. Thanks to the movies, villains like Sandman, Vulture, Mysterio, Electro, and Lizard are mostly household names. One villain has yet to appear in a Spider-Man movie and has cast such a large shadow that fans have been waiting to see him on the big screen for years: Kraven the Hunter.
Kraven the Hunter is set to get his own live-action feature film set for release in 2023, so the character is likely to get more exposure than ever before. What is it about this man in a giant lion face vest that has comic book fans so excited, and what makes him such an iconic Spider-Man villain? This is Kraven the Hunter’s history in the comic books and his feud with Spider-Man, explained.
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The Kraven and Spider-Man Comic Book Feud
Marvel Comics
Kraven the Hunter was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 in 1964. The character is a big game hunter who hunts Spider-Man, as he deems him the most dangerous game and wishes to prove himself a worthy hunter. Kraven the Hunter has fought Spider-Man on multiple occasions and is a founding member of The Sinister Six.
Kraven is one of Spider-Man’s most formidable enemies, but the character does also possess a sense of honor and has at times been depicted as an antihero. While he has been known to use weapons, Kraven typically has a disdain for them instead opting to use his bare hands and brute physical strength. He has taken a magical serum that enhanced his abilities and slowed down his aging process. Kraven is depicted as a master planner watching his prey and waiting for the perfect time to strike his enemy and when he does is one of the most deadly fighters in the Marvel universe.
Why is Kraven Obsessed with Spider-Man?
In a universe filled with superheroes, one wonders why Kraven the Hunter zeroes in on Spider-Man in particular. What makes him the most worthy hunt as opposed to characters like The Hulk or Thor, who are certainly more powerful than Spider-Man? Just because Kraven originated in a Spider-Man comic doesn’t mean he should be a de facto Spider-Man villain. After all, Sabertooth is Wolverine’s arch enemy, and he first appeared in an Iron Fist comic, and even though Kingpin is still a Spider-Man villain, he has since been primarily associated with Daredevil.
Kraven has come into conflict with other Marvel superheroes like Black Panther but mainly returns to Spider-Man. The reason is actually simple. Spider-Man defeated Kraven’s half-brother Chameleon early on in his career, as well as Kraven himself, and Kraven’s ego cannot allow himself to be defeated. He returns to Spider-Man because the webhead continues to beat him and Kraven will not stop until he has defeated his prey. He zeroes on Spider-Man, and in his most iconic storyline finally defeats him.
Kraven’s Legacy in Spider-Man
Kraven the Hunter is most famous for his role in the 1987 storyline Kraven’s Last Hunt. The story sees Kraven supposedly kill Spider-Man, bury him, and don his costume to prove himself to be a better Spider-Man. Spider-Man recovers and confronts Kraven, but the battle is over as the character has now seen himself as the winner. Kraven quietly retreats to his study where he takes his own life. Kraven’s Last Hunt is regarded as one of the best Spider-Man stories of all time, the character of Kraven was retired and until 2009.
Kraven’s legacy would live on in Marvel Comics, through half-brother Chameleon. Kraven was revealed to have many kids who would carry on his legacy, and his sons Vladimir Kravinoff and Alyosha Kravinoff and daughter Ana Kravinoff have all taken on the mantle of Kraven the Hunter.
Kraven’s status as one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes was later solidified in the limited series Spider-Man: Blue which retold the events of The Amazing Spider-Man #40 to #48 and #63, showcasing Peter Parker’s college days as Spider-Man and his early romance with Gwen Stacy. Throughout the story, Spider-Man faces off against foes like Doctor Octopus, the Lizard, and Vulture, and it is revealed it was all orchestrated by Kraven the Hunter to study Spider-Man and figure out how to defeat him. The comic was published between 2002 and 2003 and even after being dead in the main continuity, Kraven was being positioned as the equivalent to Spider-Man what Bane was to Batman. The villain who studied his hero actually beat him and left a mark on the character for years.
Attempts at Bringing Kraven to the Big Screen
Despite having been dead in the main Marvel Comics universe since 1987, the character is one of Spider-Man’s most iconic villains and the comic Kraven’s Last Hunt made the character a true icon. Every major live-action Spider-Man franchise has at one point floated the idea of Kraven the Hunter as the villain. Sam Raimi reportedly considered Kraven for his planned Spider-Man 4. Kraven the Hunter was intended as a member of Sony’s Sinister Six film and a potential villain in The Amazing Spider-Man 3.
Tom Holland revealed that when Sony and Marvel Studios originally parted ways after Spider-Man: Far From Home, they had worked on a script featuring Kraven the Hunter before the two studios reached an agreement and went for the multiverse route. This was not even the first attempt at putting Kraven in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Black Panther director Ryan Coogler revealed that he originally wanted the character for his film but was denied due to Sony’s control over the Spider-Man supporting cast.
A Kraven Feature Film Without Spider-Man
Sony Pictures Releasing
Shortly before the release of Venom in 2018, Sony Pictures began plans to build their own cinematic universe around various Spider-Man supporting characters and villains, and Kraven the Hunter was a high priority for the studio. In 2020 Triple Frontier director J.C. Chandor was hired to direct with Art Marcum and Matt Holloway hired to pen the script, with the studio hoping that two of the writers of Iron Man could give Kraven the Hunter the same magic. In May 2021 Aaron Taylor-Johnson was cast as the title character, and the movie is set to open in theaters on October 6, 2023.
Kraven the Hunter is planned to take place in the same universe as Venom and Morbius, and it is still unclear if a Spider-Man exists in this universe. The characters are not in the MCU, as Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s post-credit scene featured Venom being transported to the MCU. Seeing as how Sony was able to take Venom, a character whose origins are linked to Spider-Man, and separate him, they could easily make Kraven the Hunter work without Spider-Man.
Yet the world’s greatest hunter will now need new worthy prey to challenge, possibly setting the stage for Kraven to battle monsters like Venom or Morbius. If and when Sony decides to bring in Spider-Man into their own interconnected universe, it is almost a certainty that they will adapt Kraven’s Last Hunt and pit the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man against Kraven the Hunter.
