As a superhero is only as strong as his rogues’ gallery, it’s no wonder that Spider-Man – arguably one of the most popular superheroes of all time – has a deep cast of interesting villains to overcome. Insomniac Games packed in a ton of these villains in Marvel’s Spider-Man back in 2018, and even more for its short sequel, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales. This included the likes of Doctor Octopus, Kingpin, Mr. Negative, Silver Sable, Tombstone, The Prowler, and more. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 looks no different, with a handful of evildoers already revealed, and perhaps the least mainstream of these – but no less dangerous – is Kraven the Hunter. Here’s what you need to know about who Kraven the Hunter is in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and the comics.
Who Is Kraven the Hunter in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2?
Kraven, full name Sergei Kravinoff, is a big-game hunter of dangerous beasts and people that, from the Introducing Kraven the Hunter trailer, leaves the jungle to find more challenging prey: both Spider-Men and several villains, including Black Cat, Wraith, Tombstone, the Lizard, Taskmaster, Shocker, and the Kingpin.
Insomniac hasn’t shown much of Kraven’s abilities in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, but typically he has enough super strength, agility, and other beast-like powers that allow him to stand toe-to-toe with Spider-Man, along with hunting senses that make him one of the best trackers in the world. In the game, he does come with a highly equipped army to hunt his prey, which includes gunships and jet skis. That’s a change to his preference for hunting alone in many of his comic book adaptations. This army will serve as some of the general bad guys both Spider-Men have to take down throughout New York.
In the gameplay reveal, Kraven seeks out the Lizard while both Peter Parker and Miles Morales try to stop him, because the latter is actually Curt Connors, a renowned scientist and the only one capable of curing Peter’s best friend, Harry Osborn. Expect Kraven, at some point, to set his sights on Peter Parker’s Spider-Man instead, as the two have a long and storied history in the comics.
Related: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Should Be Scarier, Not Just Darker
Kraven’s History in the Marvel Comics
Born in Russia, Kraven had an extremely troubled childhood after his noble family was ousted from the country after a revolution. He eventually finds himself in Africa, where he discovers a penchant for hunting. Before long, he becomes a famous big-game hunter and actually spends some time as part of an early version of the Avengers. Kraven then gains enhanced abilities from the Voodoo witch Calypso, who makes him powerful potions that enhance his senses and slow his aging process.
Kraven is typically shown as having superhuman sight, smell, and other tracking skills, along with being able to withstand superhuman blows that would otherwise kill a normal man. He is an expert of hand-to-hand combat and bests Spider-Man and other prey by outsmarting them while on the hunt – an impressive feat, given Spider-Man’s Spider-sense.
Disillusioned with hunting big-game after decades of success, Kraven finds new purpose in life in the pursuit of Spider-Man, whom he sees as the greatest prey of all time. Typically, he hunts Spider-Man alone, but he has teamed up with other villains, including the Sinister Six, to hunt the web-slinging hero. Kraven has also captured Spider-Man and buried him alive before, usually through luring Spider-Man into a trap through his loved ones. Believe it or not, Spider-Man survived.
Later storylines featuring Kraven saw him commit suicide after besting Spider-Man, only to be resurrected by his troubled family. In more recent comics, Kraven has appeared as an antagonist and eventual friend of Squirrel Girl, not Spider-Man. However, don’t expect Squirrel Girl to make an appearance in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 when it releases on October 20, as awesome as that would be.
If you’re looking for more on the villains of the upcoming game, check out what you need to know about Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
