This week we finally got a look Kraven the Hunterthe next film in Sony’s burgeoning movie universe of Spider-Man villainous movies without Spider-Man. Kravenstarring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Basic principle, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Super awesome), is the latest in what I think is the most confusing kind of franchise in Hollywood – not because it’s hard to follow, but because for the life of me I can’t figure out what anyone’s deal is, or why Sony is making it.
Kraven follows venom and the sequel too Morbius in Sony’s strange Spider-Villain universe, which exists mainly because Sony owns the movie rights to all heroes and villains with a direct connection to Spider-Man, and for some reason has decided to make anti-hero movies with Spider-Villains from the human. We also get one Mrs Web movie starring Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney in 2024.
So I have a few questions, and I assume you do too. I’m going to phrase these questions in a convenient “Q&A” format where we’re all going to pretend I’m not just arguing with myself.
So Kraven’s whole thing is he got mauled by a lion and that made him better?
Uhh… that sure seems to be a thing this Kraven’s deal is. Maybe the movie explains more? But right now, it looks like a lion has bled into young Kraven’s open wound, and now he has animal-themed superpowers.
What about the usual Kraven?
That is it?
Yes! He simply sees himself as the ultimate hunter, who will not be satisfied until he has hunted the most dangerous prey. Often that means Spider-Man. Why he’s never been that interested in, say, Wolverine or Captain America is a mystery. As one of Spidey’s first villains, it’s probably personal at this point.
Later comics introduced an extensive backstory to him, detailing his heritage as a Russian aristocrat involved in all sorts of nefarious power struggles – such as Succession, but much more confusing. At least some of this seems to be in the movie, thanks to the presence of Russell Crowe as Kraven’s father and Dmitri Smerdyakov (Fred Hechinger), Kraven’s half-brother, better known as The Chameleon.
So this is new to you too, huh?
Ayup. I am not angry. Kraven has had superhuman abilities in some stories, but they’re usually quite muted and not like that. Kraven the hunter seems to have a more gonzo, violent take on it, and like, sure, why not?
Kraven the Movie certainly seems pretty violent! How is Spider-Man going to fit in here?
Don’t know! This is the most bizarre thing about these movies; since they’re R-rated Spider-adjacent movies that Spider-Man – at least the current MCU version played by Tom Holland – can’t possible fit in. The MCU is not an R-type place (at least not until Deadpool3, which is its own weird thing). And even with the flexibility afforded by the interdimensional shenanigans of About the Spider-Verse (with a supporting character from venom!) And Spider-Man: no way home, it stays quite difficult to imagine if Sony planned to show the exact same audience that showed up for those movies here.
Hey. So what’s the endgame here?
Sony has had plans for a Sinister Six movie in one form or another for nearly a decade, though there are currently no official plans for filmmakers to give it another shot. Sony has certainly put enough bad guys on screen to pull off for that Spider-Man villain squad, and Kraven is about to introduce several more, with The Rhino (Alessandro Nivola) and Calypso (Ariana DeBose) joining Kraven and the Chameleon.
So yes, anything can happen. Maybe a new Spider-Man will be cast to exist in the R-rated Sony verse, like Spider-Man: No Way Home And Morbius both had confusing post-credits scenes that implied that MCU Spidey doesn’t exist in that world. Perhaps Sony will push even harder and have all these villains team up against someone who is not Spider-Man. Or maybe the unlikely happens and the Tom Holland Peter Parker/Spider-Man we currently know and love has the great misfortune of facing all these creepy villains at once.
But the most likely answer? Sony’s Spider villain films have found a niche that nothing else really serves right now: big-budget, violent blockbusters and lots of ridiculous comic books. Granted, this is a fraught niche. venom found success in it for a while Morbius not, and it remains to be seen how long Sony can get away with just a light Spider-Zest instead of Spider-Man. But for now, it’s the weirdest thing happening in superhero cinema, and it’s only going to get weirder.