Who is Kraven the Hunter? The universe of movies over at Sony related to Spider-Man characters – the Venom-verse, perhaps? – is set to expand this year, when Kraven the Hunter enters the arena. The fan-favourite comic book villain, and occasional anti-hero, is finally getting his moment in the big screen spotlight.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is set to play Kraven the Hunter in a new movie this year, after the character has been constantly rumoured for future Spider-Man movies ever since the Tobey Maguire era. Now, one of the best Spider-Man villains has his own room to shine, and we can’t wait to see what it has to offer – especially as director J.C. Chandor has been given the freedom of an R-rating to play with.
So before the Kraven the Hunter release date brings the formidable big-game specialist to multiplexes, let’s ask: who is Kraven the Hunter, and explore his comic book origins. By the time those cinema doors open, you’ll be as battle-ready as the man himself.
Who is Kraven the Hunter?
Kraven the Hunter is a Spider-Man villain given superhuman powers by drinking a potion made from jungle herbs.
Kraven was first introduced to the canon of the best Marvel villains way back in a 1964 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man. He’s a game hunter who has some sort of moral code around fairness and prefers using his bare hands to weaponry. He targets Spider-Man as the ultimate prey to prove himself as the world’s greatest hunter.
In the comics, Kraven frequently consumes a mysterious serum made up of herbs in order to give himself superhuman physical abilities – including enhanced senses for hunting – and slow down the ageing process.
Even without the serum, he’s an accomplished athlete and a master of manipulating painful pressure points on the human body. We wouldn’t want to knock his beer over in a pub, that’s for sure.
Kraven was a founder member of the villainous team the Sinister Six. Meanwhile, his half-brother the Chameleon (Fred Hechinger in the movie) is also a super-villain, and his movie will feature voodoo priestess Calypso as his lover, played by Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose. Kraven’s life is never dull.
So that’s what you need to know about Kraven the Hunter before he steps into the Spider-Man movie world. Elsewhere in Sony’s universe of Spidey coverage, we’ve got the information you need on the Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse 2 release date and the Venom 3 release date.
Alternatively, find out more about the best movies from the comic book world coming this year. We’ve got everything you need to know about the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 release date, The Flash release date, and The Marvels release date.