Among the Marvel characters that will appear in Kraven the Hunter, the fourth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), is the titular villain’s brother, Dmitri Smerdyakov a.k.a. The Chameleon.
Kraven the Hunter is a long-time adversary of Spider-Man, but he also has a brother who shares some history with the hero.
So, who is Kraven the Hunter’s brother? Here’s what we know about Dmitri Smerdyakov/The Chameleon, Kraven the Hunter’s half-brother.
Who Is The Chameleon? Kraven the Hunter’s Brother Explained
Kraven the Hunter’s brother is the Chameleon, the first adversary of Spider-Man. His real name is Dmitri Smerdyakov. Or to be specific, his full name is Dmitri Anatoly Nikolayevich Smerdyakov.
Dmitri is the illegitimate son of Nikolai Kravinoff, which makes Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter his half-brother. Dmitri lived with the family as a servant and was treated with brutality by both Sergei and his father.
This led to him repressing his own identity and becoming a master of disguise. He had a talent for impersonation, which led to him becoming the Chameleon.
What Are The Chameleon’s Powers and Abilities?
The Chameleon is a master of disguise. In Marvel Comics, he initially used make-up and costumes to impersonate others. He also wore a multi-pocket disguise vest where he kept the materials he needed to mask himself at short notice.
He then used a holographic belt that stored the appearances of people he encountered and allowed him to take on their looks.
And later on, he obtained powers through a serum that caused changes in his skin. The Chameleon’s skin became flexible enough to allow him to take the appearance of any person at will.
He also wore clothing made of memory material that could change to match the clothes of the person he wished to impersonate.
RELATED: Is Kraven the Hunter Stronger Than Spider-Man? Exploring Comics History for Answers
What Is The Chameleon’s Goal?
Just like his brother, the Chameleon wanted to take down Spider-Man. In fact, the Chameleon is Spider-Man’s first villain and the one who led Kraven the Hunter into a path of besting and hunting down the hero.
When the Chameleon heard that Spider-Man would be visiting the Fantastic Four, he concluded that the hero was in need of money. So, he planned to use Spider-Man as his fall guy while he steals some missile defense plans.
However, Spider-Man captured the Chameleon and brought him back to the police. Spider-Man managed to expose the Chameleon as the culprit and have his name cleared.
So, the Chameleon decided to get rid of Spider-Man. He then contacted his half-brother Kraven the Hunter to take down the hero. However, Spider-Man ended up defeating both of them.
After his half-brother’s death, the Chameleon got obsessed with making Spider-Man suffer. This obsession went to the point where he built robot versions of the hero’s dead parents to get Peter Parker to tell them who Spider-Man really was.
Additionally, the Chameleon was also a member of the Sinister Twelve, a group of supervillains who bore grudges against Spider-Man.
RELATED: Where Was Kraven the Hunter Filmed?
Dmitri Smerdyakov/The Chameleon in the SSU
In Kraven the Hunter, Dmitri Smerdyakov/Chameleon is played by actor Fred Hechinger, who’s known for his role as Quinn Mossbacher in HBO’s The White Lotus.
From the trailer, it appears that Hechinger’s Dmitri holds little love for his father, just like Kraven. However, we have yet to see whether he will be working with his half-brother in taking down their father.
You can watch the trailer for Kraven the Hunter below:
Kraven the Hunter's synopsis, as provided by Sony Pictures:
Kraven the Hunter is the visceral story about how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Set before his notorious vendetta with Spider-Man, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the titular character in the R-rated film.
RELATED: Kraven the Hunter: Origin, Powers, Goal & More
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!