If you’re a fan of comic books, superhero movies and all varieties of caped crusaders, you may be gearing up to catch Kraven the Hunter in theaters this weekend. While the newly released film has caught tons of attention with its eye-grabbing trailer, A-list cast and association with a recognizable IP, many fans may not be intimately familiar with the title character’s background and franchise home. Some have even hesitated to purchase their ticket since they cannot decipher whether Kraven the Hunter is a Marvel or DC character. If you’re among those confused about the fictional figure, this comprehensive guide to the character and franchise canon will get you in the loop. We’ll even dive into Kraven’s comic book origins, and see what we can surmise from his journey from the page to the screen.
Since Kraven the Hunter is so fresh in theaters, we’ll be sure not to spoil the film so you can feel safe reading ahead before buying your ticket. Of course, if you want to be completely blindsided by the gripping plot and cast of characters, you can bookmark this page and return after watching the film to have your questions answered. Either way, let’s press ahead, and see what we can decipher regarding Kraven’s comic book brand, movie continuity and the future of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s portrayal.
Which Cinematic Universe Does ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Take Place In?
Though this question seems fairly straightforward, it’s actually a little bit complicated to parse out. The quick answer is that Kraven the Hunter is a Marvel character, and has no affiliation with DC Comics. Still, the new film is not part of Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe, which has seen characters like Iron Man, The Hulk and Captain America cross paths over the last two decades. Instead, Kraven the Hunter will contribute to the Sony Spider-Man villain universe, which includes outings like Morbius, Madame Web and the Venom trilogy. While these films have seen some mild crossover potential with the MCU’s Spider-Man, we can confidently say that this is a standalone film that does not require audiences to watch dozens of hours of Avengers outings to understand and enjoy.
In fact, Kraven the Hunter won’t even require you to have seen any of the Sony universe outings to enjoy it, as the film provides a wholly unique origin story for the comic book villain with very few overt crossover references. This is a major plus, as audiences far and wide have grown fatigued by the expanding multiverses of comic book films in recent years, as displayed by diminishing box office returns on outings like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Who Is Kraven in the Comic Books?
In the Marvel comics, Kraven is traditionally utilized as an antagonist to Spider-Man; he rarely gets his own emotional arcs and personal journeys. The character was first created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1964 and depicted as a Russian big game hunter with a bloodlust that can only be satiated by hunting the world’s most dangerous game. At first, this means taking down grown men for sport, though Kraven eventually resolves to exclusively hunt superheroes like Spider-Man and occasionally Black Panther, recognizing their superior strength as indicators of a worthy foe.
As his comic book appearances continued, Kraven became a founding member of the Sinister Six, a gang of prominent Spider-Man villains renowned for their repeat bouts with the friendly neighborhood web-slinger. Kraven has also been regarded as one of the webhead’s most violent and dangerous opponents throughout the years. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s portrayal of Kraven the Hunter in the new Sony project marks the character’s first major appearance in a live-action film, though he was previously depicted in several animated Spider-Man stories, as well as the 2023 video game Spider-Man 2, developed by Insomniac Games.
What Does the Future Hold for Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Character?
Unfortunately, it seems as though Kraven’s live-action adventure is ending just as quickly as it began. Due to Sony’s critical and commercial difficulty with films like Morbius and Madame Web, the film studio announced that their Spider-Man Villain-verse would be rolling credits for the last time with Kraven the Hunter. This means that, even though the new film serves as an origin story, it will likely be the last time we see the character – at least in this form.
Theoretically, it’s not too late for Sony to turn things around and continue producing additional Kraven the Hunter films, especially if the newly released project performs exceptionally well with audiences. Ariana DeBose, who portrays Calypso Ezili in the movie, recently sat down with Variety to explain her hopes for Kraven moving forward. The Academy Award winner stated, “This is meant to be a standalone film and an origin story, but I do think Kraven deserves that epic showdown with Spider-Man. There’s literally a whole comic about it. Give the people what they want. I think they should do that. And if there’s space for Calypso and Kraven’s journey, then great!”
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