The origin story of one of the most beloved villains of the Spider-Verse is coming to theaters on December 11: Kraven, the hunter who has always given Spider-Man a hard time since his birth in the 60s
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| Image Credit: Sony Pictures |
Attention, attention. After the series Echo, the acclaimed Deadpool & Wolverine the upcoming Blade with Mahershala Ali, and the miniseries Marvel Zombies, a spin-off of the themed episode of What If?, there is another example in the Marvel universe preferably suitable for a more mature audience. It is Kraven – The Hunter, the origin story of a historic villain of Spider-Man belonging to the Sony branch of the Spider-Verse. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, the character appeared for the first time in 1964 in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 as an adversary of Spider-Man. Since then, he has become one of his most fearsome enemies and has joined the squad of supervillains hostile to the superhero in the arachnid costume.
Kraven, born Sergei because he is Russian and the son of the crime oligarch Nikolai Kravinoff, from whom he inherited his compulsive passion for hunting, also has a half-brother, the Chameleon, and is one of the founding members of the Sinister Six. In his first appearance, Kraven calls Spider-Man "the most dangerous game", making his intentions clear from the start, this is a direct reference to the homonymous story by Richard Connell from 1924, in which Count Zaroff, also a Russian hunter, after having preyed on any animal on the face of the Earth, practiced manhunting for sport. Similarly, Kraven, after having collected every type of prey, identified Spider-Man as the only specimen worth hunting for.
Since this is an origin story, it is not known, at the time of writing this article, if and how Spider-Man will make his appearance, although in a moment of the trailer (which is also very enjoyable given the amount of hemoglobin spilled and various virtuoso killings reviewed), Kraven, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train; Avengers: Age of Ultron; Nosferatu), sees dozens of spiders descending from the trees of a forest unrolling their webs. Could this be a premonition of what is to come later? What is certain is that part of the film's story has to do with the conflictual relationship between the protagonist and his father (played by Russell Crowe), towards whom he pours out his thirst for revenge that will make him become the greatest and most feared hunter in the world.
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| Image Credit: Sony Pictures |
The other part will be dedicated to the fratricidal war against his half-brother Chameleon (Dmitri Smerdyakov) and against other fearsome enemies such as Rhino (Alessandro Nivola) and the Stranger (Christopher Abbott). After starring in Kick-Ass, then in Godzilla, and again in Avengers, Taylor-Johnson thought he was done with this type of film. "I wasn't very interested in them" he declared a year ago when it seemed that the film would be released in 2023, but for various reasons, not least the famous strike that mobilized the Hollywood industry, it has slipped until today. "At that point, I just wanted to be with my children. I didn't want to be separated from them. I probably wasn't ready to be in that position, it was too early and all in all, I also didn't care a bit.
You can't go into a role like this, with a "let's see how it goes" attitude. You have to be mentally prepared for what could happen. And since I think I’m safe in my life now, I’m happy to be able to tackle it.” He also saw something special in Kraven, something unique and concrete: “I wouldn’t have signed on if I hadn’t felt there was something to bring to life with this character. He’s an apex predator, at the top of the food chain. Kraven is a hunter, not a poacher. Like any hunter, he knows that sometimes you have to take down the pack to maintain order. Of course, when he starts applying that to humans, the story gets pretty dark.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone International, Aaron Taylor-Johnson explained that one of the factors that drew him to the role was the main source of inspiration in terms of comics, even though he is not a regular comic book reader, namely the story entitled Kraven’s Last Hunt, in which his character gets the better of Spider-Man and then commits suicide almost out of spite. “You just think: ‘What the fuck did I just read?’ Is this the kind of character I’m playing?” Although it is clear that, since Sony wants to launch a series of films with Kraven, it is very likely that the film will not end in the same way.
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| Image Credit: Sony Pictures |
Kraven: The Hunter is not directed by one of the many craftsmen at the service of the studios, but by an esteemed author like J.C. Rowling. Chandor, whose debut in 2011 is still fondly remembered with Margin Call (a tight economic thriller set in the 24 hours preceding the financial crash of 2008) and who then continued his career with a few but careful films in which he confirmed his talent (the nautical survival with Robert Redford All Is Lost and the crime 1981: Imagine a New York with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain). Chandor himself warns that Kraven – The Hunter will not be a comic book movie like all the others: «Probably Sony does not want me to be a trailblazer, but the story is a tragedy. When the credits roll, if you have been paying attention, you will have the feeling that it did not end in the best way. Apart from that, we have built some set pieces and action that I am super proud of… it is not just about Kraven. We have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Marvel characters».
Among these, the one that is certainly highly anticipated is Rhino, the rhinoceros-man. Alessandro Nivola plays him, who in this way returns to work with Chandor after 1981: Imagine a New York. Here is his point of view on Kraven: «These films all follow a certain formula, but J.C. said he wanted to shoot everything from real life. Even the physical ability of the characters is more tied to reality. No people are flying or anything. J.C. described my character as the most incredible Olympic athlete ever seen. Also, the role was a real acting opportunity for me. You will see it. It is a great part full of introspection, and I did not have to use CGI. No green screen. I physically transform only in the final moments of the film, so it is a classic villain role. His psychology and his personal history were very interesting, and complex, and because there is a time jump in the film, my character changes a lot compared to how you see him at the beginning of the film».
Whether and how Kraven the Hunter will pave the way for a franchise interconnected with Spider-Man, only time will tell. Taylor-Johnson’s enthusiasm is promising, even if there are challenges: “Tackling a Sony/Marvel film is a different challenge than usual. Yes, there is the story, the character, the role, and that’s one thing. But then you enter a world where you are dealing with a studio and a franchise – or possible franchises. So, in a way, it’s like they are rolling the dice on me. It’s a beautiful thing, but you have to please the studio, and the audience, and then do what is dignified for you as an actor. I find all of that very challenging.”
HUNTERS AND PREY. KRAVEN CHARACTERS FROM COMICS TO FILM
Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven: played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson called him «an environmentalist», a «protector of the natural world» and an «animal lover». He is a big game hunter.
- Sergei Kravinoff (young): played by Levi Miller.
- Nikolai Kravinoff: Sergei's father, from whom he has distanced himself, but also a ruthless crime lord. He is played by Russell Crowe.
- Dmitri Smerdyakov aka The Chameleon: Sergei's half-brother and master of disguise. He is played by Fred Hechinger.
- Calypso Ezili: voodoo priestess and Kraven's love interest. Ariana DeBose plays her.
- Aleksei Sytsevich aka Rhino: a Russian mercenary who can transform into a hybrid between a human and a rhinoceros. The role went to Alessandro Nivola.
- The Stranger: Behind the identity of this lethal mercenary and assassin is Christopher Abbott.
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| Image Credit: Sony Pictures |
KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT
Of all the Spider-Man comics that feature Kraven, there is one in particular that served as the Bible for the film. It is Kraven's Last Hunt and revolves around the final battle between Kraven and Spider-Man. Written by J. M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck and published in 1987, it is considered one of the best Spider-Man stories ever. The premise is that Kraven intends to kill Spider-Man, take his place, and prove that he can be a better Spider-Man than he is. After luring him into a trap and burying him alive, what he becomes once he puts on his mask is not Spider-Man, but what he perceives as such.
The substantial difference is that Peter Parker does not become Spider-Man just because he wears a mask. Whatever he does and whatever costume he wears, Peter Parker remains a good and brave man regardless. When Kraven realizes this, he prefers to take his own life, still satisfied for having succeeded, even if only temporarily, in defeating Spider-Man. Kraven's Last Hunt is a 6-part saga originally published in the series Web of Spider-Man #31-32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293-294 and Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132, and then collected in a trade paperback and reprinted in that form numerous times since then. [MC]
ZAROFF AND HIS HOUNDS
Among the most obvious and declared sources of inspiration for Kraven - The Hunter (both film and comic book character) there is a short cult story written by Richard Connell a century ago entitled The Most Dangerous Game, later republished also as The Hounds of Zaroff. It first appeared in Collier's on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. It is the story of a New York hunter who, while sailing to Brazil for a jaguar hunt, loses his balance and falls from the boat. He saves himself by swimming to the private island of the Russian general Zaroff who, is also obsessed with hunting, after having hunted any animal species, has started to have fun with man, whom he defines as "the most dangerous prey" because he is equipped with reasoning, in a series of jokes where the one who manages to survive without being captured for three days wins.
This story was first adapted for the big screen in a film that saw the light in 1932 and today is considered not only a masterpiece but the pioneer of the "manhunt" subgenre: The Most Dangerous Game by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel. Since then, there have been countless remakes of this film and faithful adaptations freely based on the original story: from The Naked Prey (Cornel Wilde, 1966) to Turkey Shoot (Brian Trenchard Smith, 1982) from Without Respite (John Woo, 1993) to The Eliminator (Ken Barbet, 2004), up to The Hunt (Craig Zobel, 2020) and The Most Dangerous Game (Justin Lee, 2022). In Italy, Connell's story appeared in 1933 in the Mondadori "I Libri Gialli" series, in the appendix to Il pericolo senza nome, with the title literally translated: La partita più pericolo.
In the following years, in Italy, it was republished in other editions with alternative titles such as The Most Dangerous Game (1959, in 25 Tales of Terror [banned from TV], “The Thrill and the Adventure”, Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore, and in 1970 in the same anthology republished by Garzanti in the “I Garzanti” series), The Most Dangerous Sport (1965, in Frankenstein & Company, Sugar), The Dangerous Prey (1980, in I Maghi del Brivido, “Rizzoli Junior”, Rizzoli) and The Human Prey (1989, in Blackout. In the Darkness of Terror, Ex Libris 3, Edizioni E. Elle). In 2023 it was republished by Nuova Editrice Berti with the title The Most Dangerous Game while the graphic novel inspired by the original story created by Paul Izzo and Nicolò Tofanelli and published by Kleiner Flug dates back to 2019.
Kraven – The Hunter, we recall, will arrive in theaters on December 11th.
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