Kraven The Hunter Is In Trouble Thanks To Spider-Man 2
The highly-anticipated Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was released just recently for PlayStation 5, and within 24 hours of its release, it managed to shatter all the previous sales records on Sony’s gaming platform. It sold 2.5 million copies in the first 24 hours, officially securing its status as the best-selling game developed by PlayStation Studios. Much of its success (as is apparent on sites like Metacritic) is owed to the narrative and the characters appearing in the game, and some depictions can easily challenge other iterations; for example, the depiction of Kraven the Hunter in the game might put the upcoming movie in trouble.
Kraven The Hunter Is One Of Spider-Man’s Oldest Foes
For those that aren’t familiar with Kraven the Hunter, he’s one of the oldest Spider-Man villains, dating back to the 1960s. He was initially introduced as a ridiculous villain with a losing streak until Kraven’s Last Hunt series made him into a more formidable threat—no spoilers from us, but we promise that you’ll love the story.
Now, when it comes to the recently released Spider-Man 2 game, Sony made Kraven into a bigger threat than he was in the original Sinister Six video game, and the fandom loved it. However, this depiction set the bar high for the upcoming movie.
Kraven In Spider-Man 2
In this version, Kraven the Hunter is a leader of a mercenary army who seeks to hunt various superpowered individuals, such as Spider-Man, in hopes of finding someone he considers a worthy opponent to fight and be killed before he dies of cancer.
Throughout the game, players learn that Kraven even killed his own children as each of his kids took turns trying to hunt down their father and become worthy enough to be his last hunt. We won’t spoil the game for those who haven’t played it, but the hunter eventually became prey, giving Kraven the death he sought.
Spider-Man 2’s Positive Kraven Reception Could Hurt The Upcoming Movie
As stated, the sentiment towards Kraven’s character in the game seems to be positive, with players appreciating his role as a formidable villain, possibly transforming him into a character the fandom doesn’t want a different version of. Of course, we’re referring to the version from the upcoming movie starring Aaron Tyler-Johnson, whose narrative actually serves as Kraven’s origin story.
So, while the fandom has no doubt in Tyler-Johnson’s abilities to portray the Hunter—the actor charmed us with his role in Bullet Train—we can only hope that the movie does the character justice.
Spider-Man 2 Has Been Hyped For Years
Sony announced the Spider-Man 2 game, along with its sister title Marvel’s Wolverine, in September 2021, showcasing a trailer that featured not one but two well-known Spider-Man villains. Yes, one of them was Venom, whose appearance was additionally hyped up by the Venom: Let There Be Carnage post-credits scene, while the other was none other than Kraven the Hunter.
Will Kraven The Hunter Suffer The Same Fate As Morbius?
Still, the hype surrounding Kraven the Hunter hasn’t subsided, and the fact that he appears in the recently released game as a formidable villain in search of an honorable death has kept the character relevant among the audiences.
Sony might’ve planned on using the game version of the character to further drive the hype surrounding its upcoming movie Kraven the Hunter, but it would seem that they only managed to set the expectations bar higher, and now the fandom worries that the movie might not be able to deliver the Kraven the fandom wants—especially considering the bad streak Sony has with its anti-hero depictions, like Morbius.
