WHO IS KRAVEN THE HUNTER?
Kraven the Hunter was one of Spider-Man’s original villains, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, in the pages of Marvel Comics. Sergei Kravinoff is a dedicated huntsman. He’s brought down many of the most dangerous animals on the planet. Along his travels, he took a serum that granted him enhanced strength, speed, and slowed his aging. He’s also the half-brother of the super-villain known as the Chameleon. The pair used their connection to try and defeat Spider-Man, but failed. Kraven became obsessed with proving his mettle as a hunter by someday bringing Spider-Man down.
He proved just how capable he is in the landmark J.M. DeMatteis, Mike Zeck, and Bob McLeod story, “Kraven’s Last Hunt.” One of the most critically acclaimed Spider-Man stories ever, the incredibly grim story centers on Kraven’s slipping sanity as he finally defeats Spider-Man, buries him alive, and then briefly assumes his identity in an effort to prove he’s superior to Spider-Man in every way. That story ended with Kraven killing himself. He remained dead for over two decades (which, by comics standards, is a very long time) before being resurrected by his family members.
A side-effect of the curse, however, was that he could now only ever die by Spider-Man’s hands. He spent a few years as a villain (and even became a surprising supporting character in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) before finally finding a loophole in his curse and tricking his clone/son (yeah) into killing him in 2019’s “Hunted” story arc. He’s been since replaced by the clone, who has taken the name and title of Kraven the Hunter after the fact.
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How do you hope to see Kraven fit into Spider-Man’s story while toeing the line between Sony and Marvel? Let us know in the comments below.
