Kraven the Huntermight have marked the end of Sony’s Universe of Spider-Man Characters, but it’s found new life on Netflix. TheAaron Taylor-Johnson-led antihero movie is stillholding strong on Netflix’s Top 10 charts, even beating out Netflix’s latest blockbuster,The Electric State. With its intense, bloody action sequences and a star-studded cast that includes Taylor-Johnson,Ariana DeBose,andRussell Crowe, it’s not hard to see why the film’s a draw for Netflix users, even with its dismal 15% Rotten Tomatoes score. Clearly, there’s an interest in Kraven, and there’s one storyline that could bring the character back: the 1987 classicKraven’s Last HuntbyJ.M. DeMatteisandMike Zeck.
‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ Is One of the Most Iconic Spider-Man Storylines
Taking place acrossWeb of Spider-Man#31–32,The Amazing Spider-Man#293–294, andPeter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man#131–132,Kraven’s Last Huntfound Kraven attempting to come to terms with his mortality, and resolving to finally end his feud with Spider-Man. He finally winds upshooting Spidey and burying him alive, then taking his place.Kraven’s Last Huntis often regarded as one of the best Spider-Man stories due to DeMatteis' layered writing, combined with Zeck’s simple but striking imagery. One of those images features Spidey clawing his way out of the grave, and it’s become one of the web-slinger’s most iconic comic moments.Kraven’s Last Huntalso contains one of the most shocking moments in Marvel comic history; after proving his “superiority” over Spider-Man, Kraven commits suicide via shotgun.
Kraven’s Last Huntserved as a major influence on theKraven the Hunterfilm, particularly with how it attempted to depict Kraven as a more nuanced character. DirectorJ.C. Chandoreven revealed that hewanted to adapt the storyline for a sequel:
“Certainly for Aaron [Taylor-Johnson] and I, Kraven’s Last Hunt was our North Star, basically. So the character that we created, you know, if everyone comes out and supports the film and we get to keep telling this story, that is where we were heading towards.”
Due toKraven the Hunter’s less-than-stellar reception at the box office, Sony is attempting to refocus on more Spider-Man projectsthat actually feature Spider-Man. But there’s a way thatKraven’s Last Huntcould make it to the big screen, and it involves an upcoming superhero movie.
Could ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ Bring Kraven the Hunter Into the MCU?
Kraven’s second chance might lie in the aftermath ofAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars, which will draw the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga to a close.Avengers: Doomsdayis bringing backcharacters from 20th Century Fox’s X-Men films, which means that nothing’s off the table. Perhaps the same courtesy could be extended to Sony’s Universe of Spider-Man Characters; it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Kraven orTom Hardy’s Venompopping up for a brief scene or two.
That’s not even getting into the fact thatAvengers: Secret Warscouldpotentially lead to a reboot for the MCU; if it follows in the same vein asJonathan HickmanandEsad Ribic’s universe-shattering maxiseries, characters from other pre-MCU movies could show up. Kraven could be one of them, giving Aaron Taylor-Johnson a chance to do a proper adaptation ofKraven’s Last Hunt.
There Have Been Several Attempts to Have Kraven Appear in a ‘Spider-Man’ Sequel – a ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ Movie Could Pull It Off
Though Aaron Taylor-Johnson finally brought Kraven the Hunter to life,other filmmakers have wanted to bring the character to the silver screen for years. Sam Raimirevealed that if he had made a fourthSpider-Manfilm,Kraven would have been an antagonist. ASinister Sixmovie helmed byDrew Goddardwould have featured Kraven as part of its roster, but the combination ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2’s critical reception and theinfamous Sony leakwould eventually lead to Sony making a deal with Marvel Studios to co-produce a new series of Spider-Man films. Even the MCU wanted to use Kraven in some capacity;Jon Wattspitched a Spidey VS Kraven moviethat eventually morphed intoSpider-Man: No Way Home, whileRyan Cooglersaidhe wanted to use Kraven inBlack Pantherbefore learning Sony had the rights to the character.
If the MCU does or doesn’t reboot, Sony and Marvel Studios have laid a potential roadmap for Kraven to appear, beginning withSpider-Man: Brand New Day. Since this is the beginning of “a fresh start” forTom Holland’s Peter Parker, it’ll introduce new villains and characters into his orbit — but it couldalso lead to Kraven hunting Spider-Man. After all, Peter’s identity has been wiped clean from the world, and he’s probably still referred to as a “threat and menace” by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons). That’s the perfect angle for Kraven to conduct his hunt, whether it’s his last or his first.
Kraven the Hunteris available to stream on Netflix.
Kraven the Hunter
