There's no denying that Marvel Studios dropped the ball on Aaron Taylor-Johnson after his brief involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Many believe that the actor, who played Pietro Maximoff in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron could have been a major player in the franchise alongside his twin Wanda Maximoff played by Elizabeth Olsen but the studio bafflingly pulled the plug on him way too soon.
Now, ATJ is set to make his triumphant return to the Marvel film franchise but this time around, he is playing one of Spider-Man's fiercest foes in Kraven the Hunter over at Sony Pictures. However, the actor's previous comments about the character became a major concern within the fandom and a lot of people are under the impression that his version of the character will take away one quality that made Kraven an iconic villain.
Last month, the former Quicksilver actor confirmed that Sergei Kravinov will be an "animal lover and protector of the natural world" in the Spidey spinoff film, leading many to believe that the character will undergo massive changes.
After his comments raised a number of eyebrows in the comic book fandom, Aaron is backpedaling regarding Kraven's characteristics, saying that his statement was taken out of context.
Speaking with ComicBook, he explains: "I can't confirm any details or anything. And also, I guess that was probably a little taken out of context and then run. I mean, I think you know what I meant what really stated was that he was a protector of the natural world I said and he's a conservationist, which is probably more accurate, and then should have stopped there, full stop, shouldn't have gone on beyond that because, yeah I think you know you really got to understand, yeah, he is a hunter and from that world of hunting and there's so many aspects. What I love about that character is that what is he humanizing is that he has flaws, right? Kraven is a beautiful character. Sergei Kravinov is a beautiful character because it's someone who's really understanding themselves and has flaws. This is a character that was built ages ago and it's in a new time and era, but yeah, is he going to be the hunter that we all want to see? Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely."
Also Read: Kraven the Hunter: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Confirms Massive Change to the Character
Well, at least it appears that Sony has no plans of giving the character a 180 turn. You see, Kraven's comic book counterpart is known to display cruelty towards animals and it's one of the reasons why he's despised by many. Taking that characteristic away from him will soften the villain.
Sony's Kraven the Hunter will hit theaters on January 13, 2023.