‘Kraven the Hunter’ trailer: Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads the Spider-Man villain origin story

A still from ‘Kraven the Hunter’
| Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube

Often portrayed as a member of the supervillain team the ‘Sinister Six’, Kraven is a killer predator that sets his sights on Spider-Man in the comic books.

Now, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is helping bring the notorious Marvel character to life alongside Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, Russell Crowe and Fred Hechinger. Directed by J.C. Chandor, the film is set to release on October 6, 2023.

The trailer notes, “villains aren’t born — they’re made”, which hints the film’s possible exploration of the transformation of Sergei Kravinoff from a young boy to one of Spider-Man’s greatest adversaries.

The villain’s most notable storyline is the 1987 comic book arc titled Kraven’s Last Hunt. In the book, Kraven meticulously plans and executes his ultimate hunt, capturing Spider-Man and burying him alive. Taking on Spider-Man’s identity, Kraven goes on a violent rampage, intending to prove that he is a superior Spider-Man. However, Spider-Man eventually escapes and confronts Kraven, leading to a climactic battle between the two. After defeating Kraven, Spider-Man spares his life, but Kraven takes his own life soon after, believing he had achieved his goal.

During CinemaCon 2023, Aaron informed fans that the film would be rated R because of the gore and violent sequences.