Kraven the Hunter is hitting theaters on October 6th and while he’s commonly known as ‘Spider-Man’s Number One Rival’, how much of a villain is he, really? Is he a hero or a villain in disguise?
Is Kraven the Hunter Canonically Good or Bad?
Sergei Nikolaievich Kravinoff, otherwise known as Kraven the Hunter, has always been rooted in becoming one of Spider-Man’s most formidable foes.
In the Marvel Comics, Sergei had developed an obsession with hunting Spider-Man, which is close to how Kraven the Hunter’s official trailer depicted a teaser on how Kraven’s experience with spiders will eventually emerge into taking part of his life.
Sergei was the son of a Russian nobleman who trained under fellow hunters and poachers, which undoubtedly led to his life in becoming one of the greatest hunters in the world.
Now, does this necessarily make him a villain? No. But it doesn’t exactly make him a hero, either. At most, he is considered an ‘anti-hero.’
The main storyline that confirms Kraven the Hunter’s identity as an ‘anti-hero’ is that at one point, he was able to achieve his greatest goal of capturing Spider-Man and burying him so that he could take Spidey’s identity for himself for a while.
While this didn’t last long, considering Spider-Man broke free from the coffin, Kraven felt no need to hunt him down, seeing as he had already surpassed the webslinger previously.
To be fair, Kraven and Spidey have worked plenty of times side-by-side, and
Kraven the Hunter had always been depicted in antagonistic roles, even in video games such as Spider-Man: Shattered Dimension, plus being rumored to become the main antagonist in The Amazing Spider-Man 3.
Essentially, Kraven the Hunter feeds onto his ego in beating out every prey he aims to pursue and hunt down.
His grown obsession over Spider-Man stemmed from forever hunting down the mere members of the animal kingdom, realizing that the friendly neighborhood web slinger had more to offer in their fights than any other species could.
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Does Kraven the Hunter Like Animals?
A hunter would only know how to properly take over its prey if it knows when he should pounce or attack.
While it may not look like it, Kraven the Hunter is a lover of animals and all wildlife species. This is even made evident when the film star Aaron Taylor-Johnson described his character as an “animal lover” and a “protector of the natural world” (via Variety).
In the 2018 arc titled ‘Hunted’ under the Amazing Spider-Man series by Nick Spencer, Kraven the Hunter may have learned how to hunt the animal kingdom, but he actually has the utmost respect for the wildlife.
He does not find it interesting or applaudable for people to kill animals for fun, and though this remains an ongoing debatable point for the antagonist, Kraven’s respect for the power and status of every member of the animal kingdom is merely a form of admiration towards their species, especially since he would find himself honoring the animals more than human life.
In Sony’s official trailer for Kraven the Hunter, he gains his powers of heightened smell, speed, and strength from the drop of blood from the lion he managed to kill on a hunting trip with his father.
While we have yet to discover more of his relationship with animals, he can potentially communicate and use the animals’ abilities to his own accord, specifically when requiring surveillance that would guarantee his safety in the path he’s about to tread.
Is Kraven the Hunter A Hero or A Villain in Sony’s Spider-Man Spin-off?
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is bringing Kraven the Hunter to life on the big screens, as promised by The Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Marc Webb.
Webb took interest in securing Kraven the Hunter his own movie, instead of simply getting played off as a main villain in the next Sony’s Spider-Man film.
Now, as for whether Sony and Marvel plan on depicting Kraven the Hunter as a hero or villain in his own solo film, we can take some of the hints and easter eggs from the trailer alone.
The main highlight of Kraven the Hunter’s official trailer was set upon his childhood, when his father would often go hunting, training his sons to become ‘predators’ in a dog-eat-dog world.
Sergei was taught at a very young age that his main purpose was to become a ‘predator’ that would not let any type of ‘prey’ beat him out.
Unfortunately, in the trailer, once he does get bested by the lion he was set to hunt, his father abandoned him, which led to Kraven developing newfound abilities and powers to become one of the greatest hunters we’re bound to get introduced to once he makes his theatrical debut.
Considering that the film is set to be Kraven’s solo spin-off film, we’ll be seeing a more in-depth portrayal of the story behind his childhood and how it will affect his eventual relationship with Spider-Man.
READ MORE: Kraven the Hunter: Origin, Powers, Goals & More
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