Marvel's Spider-Man 2 was officially announced during Sony's Playstation Showcase and one of Spider-Man's most notorious foes, Kraven the Hunter, seems eager to challenge everyone's favorite web-slingers. Though he doesn't appear on screen like Spidey's arch-nemesis Venom, fans quickly identified Kraven the Hunter through his voice-over in the first trailer of Insomniac Games' upcoming sequel. Kraven the Hunter, aka Sergei Kravinoff, made his debut back in 1964 and he's the preeminent big-game hunter that grew bored of hunting the world's deadliest animals and instead focused on scouring the earth for any adversary that could defeat him.
As he states in the trailer, Kraven's hunt for an equal has been fruitless but he seems to believe that Peter Parker or Miles Morales might just be the formidable opponents he has been searching for. Yet despite being one of Spider-Man's most popular villains, Kraven is likely unknown to the general public. Here's everything you should know about the deadly hunter before picking up the sticks and taking him on in Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
7 Kraven's Skills and Abilities
Kraven's greatest asset may just be his ability to out-plan his prey. Kraven is one of the great strategists in the Marvel Universe and he has a knack for quickly detecting his opponent's weaknesses. Kraven also has a deep understanding of various fighting styles which makes him a fearsome opponent in hand-to-hand combat and he is known for his masterful usage of melee weapons such as knives and spears.
As if that weren't enough, Kraven gained superhuman abilities after ingesting a potion that drastically enhanced his strength, speed, and stamina while simultaneously slowing his aging. In fact, Kraven is even said to be stronger and faster than Captain America. Kraven was already an unrivaled tracker but the potion went on to further improve the gifted hunter's skills by augmenting his hearing and sense of smell. Lastly, Kraven can train just about any animal to fight, so don't be surprised if you have to take down a tiger in the middle of Queens.
6 Kraven's Cinematic Bad Luck
Kraven the Hunter has yet to make a mainstream splash, at least in part, because he's narrowly missed out on being featured in several Marvel films. Beginning with the canceled The Amazing Spider-Man 3, director Marc Webb expressed immense interest in bringing the hunter to the silver screen before the project was axed. Kraven's spears can even be seen in the end credits of The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Fast-forward to 2018 and Black Panther's director Ryan Coogler noted that he initially planned to include Kraven in his film but the idea was turned down by the Marvel higher-ups.
As unlucky as Kraven has been thus far, the tides seem to be turning for the supervillain as he's not only included in Marvel's Spider-Man 2, but Sony has also officially confirmed that Aaron Taylor-Johnson is slated to portray Kraven in an upcoming solo film scheduled to release in 2023.
5 Inaugural Member of The Sinister Six
United by Doctor Octopus in 1964's The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, the first incarnation of The Sinister Six featured Kraven the Hunter, Doc Ock, Electro, Mysterio, Sandman, and Vulture. Marvel's Spider-Man already featured an altered version of The Sinister Six that included Doc Ock, Mister Negative, Electro, Vulture, Rhino, and Scorpion. Varying members of The Sinister Six are not at all uncommon and all of the mentioned villains, minus Mister Negative, have been included in iterations of the dastardly team at least once before.
With Kraven, Mysterio, and Sandman yet to be seen in the Insomniac Spider-verse, don't be surprised if you encounter a battle where the ruthless Kraven fights alongside some of his evil peers.
4 Kraven Has Hunted Other Heroes
Kraven is inarguably a Spider-Man villain, but that hasn't stopped the savage hunter from testing his skills against other major heroes in the Marvel Universe. Kraven has battled against Black Panther on various occasions, most recently in the animated television series, Avengers Assemble, where Kraven was voiced by The Last of Us star Troy Baker.
In addition to Black Panther, Kraven has tangled with the likes of the Hulk, the Punisher, Iron Man, and others. Though Kraven comes up short in most of these bouts, his ability to hold his own against these other heroes shows how cunning and versatile of an opponent he truly is.
3 Kraven is Chameleon's Half-Brother
Kraven is notably Chameleon's half-brother and they've often paired up to take on the quippy web-head. Chameleon is another villain in Spidey's rogues' gallery that has yet to be included in the Insomniac Spider-verse, and he could emerge as one of the many evil-doers you'll have to take out as Peter or Miles. In fact, in The Amazing Spider-Man #15, Chameleon contacted Kraven and encouraged him to hunt down Spider-Man, which led to Kraven's first appearance.
Chameleon also happens to be the very first supervillain to ever take on Spider-Man and with that lineage, it is unlikely that Insomniac Games would choose to exclude the villain from all of their games. Chameleon is a master of disguise and uses his exceptional acting skills to impersonate anyone he chooses. In Marvel's Spider-Man 2, be wary of your allies as they may just be Kraven's half-brother in disguise waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
2 Kraven Has "Killed" Spider-Man
In what could be troubling news for Yuri Lowenthal's Peter Parker, Kraven has previously defeated the web-slinger in one of the most beloved Spider-Man stories of all time, Kraven's Last Hunt. Kraven shot the web-slinger and believing he was dead, buried him alive before wearing his own Spider-Man suit. Kraven then briefly takes on the role of the not-so-friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and proceeds to brutally beat criminals, including the supervillain and humanoid rat, Vermin.
But after two weeks the effects of Kraven's tranquilizer dart fades, Peter rises from the grave, and the true Spider-Man returns to confront the hunter. But Kraven refuses to fight back, feeling as though his life mission has been accomplished after besting his rival. Kraven vows to never hunt again and later dies of suicide. With Insomniac Games confirming that their sequel will be single-player, they may be adapting Kraven's Last Hunt which could leave gamers protecting New York as Miles in Peter's short-term absence.
1 Kraven is Very Familiar with the Symbiote
Both Venom and Kraven will undoubtedly play large roles in Spider-Man 2, and Kraven is no stranger to the symbiote as he has previously merged with the liquid-like alien. In Spider-Man: Life Story, the symbiote seemed to prevent Kraven from dying of suicide as he did in Kraven's Last Hunt. But after facing off with both Peter and Miles, the symbiote separates and it is revealed that Kraven was dead and the symbiote was actually manipulating Kraven's skeleton. In the Insomniac Spider-verse, Harry Osborne has been teased as Venom in post-credit scenes, so this scenario taking place in-game is incredibly unlikely.
However, it's noteworthy that Kraven has hunted Eddie Brock's Venom in Venom #157. While likely just a result of strategic editing, it's still worth pointing out that in the trailer Kraven asks, "will one of you finally give me what I desire"? Referring to his search for a worthy adversary. A shadowy Venom (voiced by Tony Todd) goes on to reply, "Yes. We will". This may be framing an unexpected matchup between the two iconic villains, especially if Peter and Miles are unable to pack enough of a punch to satiate the bloodthirsty hunter.