10 things to know before going to see Kraven the Hunter this December

Kraven the Hunter is hitting the big screen, and there are a few things to know about this character!

The Sony Spiderverse has been…let’s be charitable and say “hit and miss.” There has been the success of the Venom movies but also the disasters of Morbius and Madame Web. However, Sony is still trying to make it work, with their latest Spider-Man effort being Kraven the Hunter. It’s an intriguing character with a rich history, so here are a few things to know about the movie before it premieres this December!

He’s one of Spidey’s oldest foes

First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #15 in 1964, Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff was introduced as the world’s greatest big game hunter. Bored of taking down just about every animal there was, Sergei took on the name Kraven to hunt Spider-Man, who he saw as unique prey. He was notable for having no superpowers but was well-trained for the urban jungle of New York City. He also preferred not to use rifles but rather his bare hands and held to a code of honor. 

Kraven would be a recurring foe for Spidey and be a founding member of the Sinister Six, the team of baddies Spidey clashes with a lot. Yet, for the most part, he seemed a bit lower-tier among Spidey’s rogues gallery. 

He’s related to another famous Spidey foe

Kraven entered the Spidey mythos by being contacted by his old friend, fellow Spider-Man enemy, the Chameleon. The master of disguise enlisted Kraven’s help to trap Spidey and the pair worked together well. It eventually developed that they weren’t just friends as the Chameleon was Kraven’s half-brother. That’s a unique bond that’s come up a few times, as the Chameleon and Kraven can often team up to give Spidey headaches. 

He became bigger in death than life

After years as a second-tier foe, Kraven hit his height in the now classic 1987 storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” This tale (the first crossover between the three Spider-Man books of the time) had Kraven ambushing Spider-Man, drugging him, and then burying him alive. He then went around in his costume as a darker Spider-Man. 

After weeks buried alive, Spidey broke free to face Kraven. Thinking he’d won by beating Spider-Man, Kraven let him go and then took his own life. It was a stunning tale as Kraven’s legacy grew much larger in his death than when he was alive to be among Spidey’s more famous foes. 

He eventually returned

For a time, Kraven’s legacy lived on as his children would take turns in the role of the Hunter, from the Grim Hunter to a daughter. Eventually, the 2009-10 storylines “The Gauntlet” and “Grim Hunt” had Kraven resurrected thanks to a sacrifice by his family, although a curse drove him to hunt. 

The character has kept busy since then, working with the Sinister Six, taking on Wolverine, and a more humorous version hanging out with Squirrel Girl. His tale seemed to come to an end in 2020’s “Hunted” when Kraven set things up so his clone (named the Last Son of Kraven) would kill him to end his curse. That seemed to be the end but then Kraven cheated death before so it was possible for him to return. 

Kraven could have been in the movies before

When he was finishing Spider-Man 3 in 2007, Sam Raimi hoped to split the movie in two and have Kraven appear in Spider-Man 4. It’s unclear how it would have worked, but Raimi seemed excited about the idea of Spider-Man fighting a regular human.

Like so many other ideas for the fourth film, it never came to me with Raimi leaving and Sony rebooting the franchise. That led to plans for a Sinister Six movie but the disappointing reception to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 put that on hold. It was in 2018 that Richard Wenk finally got a screenplay that was going to kick off production. 

The movie is an origin story

Directed by J.C. Chandor, the new movie version has Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven, here portrayed more as an anti-hero protecting the animals. He has to handle his overbearing father Nikolai (Russell Crowe) with Fred Hechinger as the Chameleon. Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose plays Calypso, a recurring character from the comics, a voodoo priestess, and Kraven’s love interest. 

Another Spider-Man foe shows up

The movie’s big villain is the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott), a freelance mercenary who’s clashed with Spider-Man a few times, and various men taking on the moniker. Much bigger is Aleksei Sytsevich aka the Rhino (Alessandra Nivola), another long-time Spider-Man foe. This hulking brute is well known for his special suit, looking like a rhino, complete with a tusk, and a powerful foe for Spider-Man to defeat.

The character has shown up in several Spider-Man animated series. He was played in live-action by Paul Giamatti in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which ended with the character donning a huge suit of armor. This new movie goes for the idea of Aleksei mutating into a rhino-like creature to battle Kraven, making him a more unique threat. 

It’s a Sony Spiderverse film

Note that this is not connected to the MCU in any way. Sony maintains a separate continuity from the MCU for its stories, which was established in Spider-Man: No Way Home as being a totally different Earth. So don't expect Tom Holland to pop up in any cameo, although there is always the chance of some mention of Spider-Man.

It's Rated R for a reason

The movie is the first R-rated entry in the Sony Spider-Man series and the stars and director are promising that's for a good reason. The red-band trailer shows the brutality as Kraven takes hunting very seriously with some brutal kills. The movie won't shy away from how savage Kraven and his enemies are and should be the darkest and wildest Sony Spiderverse movie yet.

The movie has hit a few delays

The movie has seen a few delays along the way. Filming took place from March to June 2022 with a planned release date of summer 2023. Post-production work was delayed until October 6, 2023. Then, when the 2023 Hollywood strikes meant actors couldn’t promote their work, the studio set the release date as August 30, 2024. In April of 2024, Sony decided to bump the film again, now for December 13, 2024, amid rumors of some reshoots. 

So after a long and winding road, Kraven is finally set to hit the big screen, and fans are hopeful this classic Spider-Man foe will finally get his due in live action. 

Kraven the Hunter premieres in theaters Friday, Dec. 13, 2024.