Who is Kraven the Hunter and is he appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Sony’s Marvel Universe is continuing to grow. Spider-Man characters such as Venom and Morbius are receiving their own films, so it was only a matter of time before an official announcement was made on the continued growth of the newest cinematic universe titled the “Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters”. Sony are developing a Kraven the Hunter solo film, which will star Avengers: Age of Ultron and Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular hunter.

While Kraven has been adapted for many different Spider-Man properties, including video games and television shows, the famous hunter has never been adapted in a live action property, making this announcement exciting for many Spider-Man fans. However, there may be many fans who do not know much about the character, his abilities or why he hunts Spider-Man.

Who is Kraven?

Kraven the Hunter’s real name is Sergei Kravinoff, a man who is a big game hunter and considers himself the best hunter in the world. To prove this, Kraven decides to hunt his biggest challenge to date – Spider-Man.

While Kraven talks himself up as the greatest hunter in the world, Kravinoff has the skillset to back up his claims. He is an expert fighter at both armed and unarmed combat and uses a special potion to enhance his senses and his strength. This potion also slows his ageing, meaning the famous hunter has been around for a very long time.

The hunter is also an expert tracker, making it almost impossible for Spider-Man to fully escape from him. However, while Kraven is persistent in trying to take down Spider-Man, his honour and Spider-Man’s cunningness have resulted in him failing multiple times.

The only notable time Kraven has defeated Spider-Man was in the storyline Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt where the hunter manages to defeat Spider-Man and bury him alive. This results in Kraven donning Spider-Man’s costume and playing the part of a vigilante until Spider-Man escapes. After confronting Spider-Man again, Kraven realises that Spider-Man is more honourable than him and he commits suicide.

While there have been resurrections and other individuals who have taken up the moniker, the version that appeared in Kraven’s Last Hunt is the most iconic interpretation of the character.

Throughout his time in the Marvel Universe, Kraven has mostly been intent on taking down Spider-Man, even joining teams such as the Sinister Six to achieve this goal. However, his motivations have not always been villainous, as the character has been known to be honourable and act heroically at times. Although there have been no plot details revealed about the film, it would be likely that his solo outing will see the character take on more of an anti-hero role, much like Tom Hardy’s Venom.

Is Kraven Appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

While Kraven’s solo outing is not due to release for a number of years, many are already predicting that Kraven could appear in Tom Holland’s third solo outing. With the film featuring characters from other Spider-Man films outside the MCU, including Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 and Jamie Foxx from Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it is not beyond the realm of possibility to have Johnson’s Kraven appear.

However, while there has been no denial or confirmation of the character’s appearance in the film, it seems unlikely since the casting has only been announced in the past week and Spider-Man: No Way Home has already wrapped filming. The casting of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver in the MCU makes it unlikely that his portrayal of Kraven the Hunter will be kept in its own seperate universe. However, with the comments from Sony Pictures about Spider-Man: No Way Home being a pathway to connecting the Sony Marvel Universe to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, anything is certainly possible.

While fans should not hold their breath about Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter making an appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as it is very unlikely due to Sony probably saving his debut for the solo film, anything is possible in the Marvel multiverse.