Spider-Man has one of themost robust and iconic rogues' galleriesin the history of superhero comics. Whether he’s faced the threat of the Green Goblin or Venom, the various incarnations ofthe Sinister Six, or new foes like the vampiric Inheritors, Spidey’s struggles have captivated readers' imaginations for over sixty years. It only makes sense that most of those villains would eventually make it to the big screen, and the latest to receive the big film treatment isKraven the Hunter. The Russian mercenary will take center stage in his own film later this year, butthe first trailerhas fans scratching their heads. Kraven appears to gain superhuman strength and speed after being bitten by a lion (yes, really) and perhaps more surprisingly, he’s been changed from a ruthless Russian soldier of fortune to an American who protects animals from poachers. Not only does this feel like a total 180 from what makes the character compelling, it also begs the question: can a movie based on a Spider-Man villain work if Spider-Man himself isn’t in the film? In the case of Kraven, all signs are pointing to “no.”
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Turning Kraven the Hunter Into an Antihero Misses the Entire Point
Kraven’s background is simple, yet engaging. Born Sergei Kravinoff, he was a big game hunter who felt stagnant after hunting nearly every dangerous predator on the planet. Learning about Spider-Man, Kraven decides to hunt the web-slinger and prove himself to be the superior predator. To even the odds, he drinks a potion that grants him superhuman strength and speed as well as the razor-sharp senses needed to track his prey. All of this could have made for a very compelling film…and yet the character is wholly different from what’s on the pages of a comic. Granted, many comic book films will update or change origins as necessary, but this feels completely out of left field. Even worse, it misses the entire point of the character. Kraven is a hunter first and foremost; he stalks his prey, then waits to deliver the final blow. Making him a protector of wildlife goes against what makes the character compelling.
It’s a problem that’s been a recurring element in most of Sony’s Spider-Man adjacent films — especially last year’sMorbius. Not only did it make the mistake of thinking thatJared Letowould be a box office draw, but it also attempted to make its titular vampire into an antihero. Needless to say, this didn’t work, asMorbiusended up flopping at the box office (and flopping again whenSony tried to re-release it in theaters). Sony apparently thought that taking the antihero approach would result in interesting movies, but forgot that not every villain is as layered as Magneto. Sometimes it’s fine for a bad guy to be a bad guy. In fact, the one character that this could only work with already received a pair of movies —and that’s Venom. A large part of that is due toTom Hardy’s dual performance as Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote, but also the fact that Venom has a long history of becoming an antihero in the comics. Kraven is no Venom.
The Two Biggest Kraven the Hunter Storylines Feature Spider-Man — The Movie Doesn’t
Perhaps the most prominent storyline that Kraven has ever featured in is the eponymousKraven’s Last HuntbyJ.M. DeMatteisandMike Zeck. With the weight of his years bearing down on him, Kraven decides to embark on one last hunt — wounding Spider-Man and burying him alive, then donning his costume. Spidey eventually breaks free and confronts Kraven, but the Hunter assures him that he has proven himself to be Spidey’s superior. Kraven then puts a rifle in his mouth and commits suicide.Kraven’s Last Huntremains one of the most beloved Spider-Man stories of all time, spawning a sequel inGrim Hunt, which pitted Spidey against Kraven’s extended family, andSpider-Man: The Lost Hunt, a spiritual sequel that focused on Kraven’s ally Gregor seeking revenge upon Peter Parker.
Kraven would influence another major storyline withSpider-Man: Torment. Written and illustrated byTodd McFarlane, the storyline found Kraven’s lover Calypso using her dark magics to ensnare the mind of Curt Connors and revert him back to the Lizard. She then sets the reptilian beast after Spider-Man, intending to kill him. While under the influence of Calypso’s chemicals, Spidey hallucinates Kraven’s decaying corpse taunting him.Tormenttakes a similarly dark approach to the Spider-Man mythos, while also proving to be a stepping stone on the road to McFarlane co-founding Image Comics. Spider-Man (and Venom, whom McFarlane helped co-create) also played a role in the creation of McFarlane’shellish antihero Spawn.
By removing Spider-Man from the equation,Kraven the Huntermisses the mark. Yes, the red-band trailer hints that the film will feature the gore and dark themes that permeated both of those stories. Yes,Ariana DeBosewill be portraying Calypso. Yes, one of the scenes from the trailer is a scene- by-scene recreation of a moment inKraven’s Last Huntwhere Kraven is surrounded by spiders. But there’s more to these stories than gore and violence; they were deep dives into Kraven’s psyche. The best villains are often a reflection of their hero, and it’s no different with Spidey; in Kraven’s case, he is a dark and twisted reflection of Spider-Man’s will to keep going no matter the odds. Peter Parker fights to protect his loved ones — the most iconic moment fromKraven’s Last Huntfeatures him digging his way out of the grave to see his wife Mary Jane. Kraven’s obsession with cementing his legacy leads him to madness as well as death. By taking Spidey out of the picture, the deeper meaning of the text is lost.
WhileKraven the Hunterhasn’t been released yet, the film is showing that it might make all ofthe same mistakes that doomedMorbius. Hopefully Johnson and his fellow artists can either prove that the film is better than expected, or that Sony would be wise to explore other avenues within the Spider-Verse.
Kraven the Hunterwill be released to theaters on October 6.Read up on everything we know so farabout the fourth film in Sony’s Spider-Man universe.
