Mysterio may have been the main villain for Spider-Man: Far From Home, but it appears that the original choice for the villain was Kraven the Hunter. Spider-Man: Far From Home pitted Peter Parker against Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio, one of the character's most iconic villains, who was previously set to have a cameo in Sam Raimi's unmade Spider-Man 4, played by Bruce Campbell. Mysterio's impact on Spider-Man in the MCU has been massive, as he revealed his identity to the public, kicking off the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
While the story of Spider-Man: No Way Home will involve the multiverse and various villains from the past Spider-Man films coming into the MCU, that wasn't always the case. Tom Holland revealed that at one point, the third MCU Spider-Man film would have included Kraven the Hunter, likely going after Spider-Man after his identity was revealed to the public. Kraven was held off, but it appears this was not the first time that Kraven the Hunter was considered for the MCU.
In an interview with Variety, Spider-Man: Far From Home screenwriters, Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, spoke about their time working on the Spider-Man film series, which started with being brought on to rewrite Spider-Man: No Way Home. While breaking down why Mysterio was chosen for the film's antagonist, it is revealed that at one point, Kraven the Hunter was the first villain for the project. No reason was given as to why Kraven was dropped in favor of Mysterio.
Kraven the Hunter appears to be a high priority for Sony Pictures, as he was considered to be the sole villain in two of their MCU Spider-Man films. Before then, it was heavily rumored he would appear in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 or Sinister Six film. Now, he is set to lead his own film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson attached to play Kraven and a release date set for January 2023. Ryan Coogler originally wanted to include the character in Black Panther but was vetoed due to the rights issue surrounding him.
A relic of Kraven's involvement in Spider-Man: Far From Home may be left in the form of the character Dimitri Smerdyakov (Numan Acar), who, in the comics, is the villain Chameleon and the half-brother of Kraven. Kraven may have taken on a similar role to Mysterio, as a villain disguised as a mentor figure to Peter Parker or he could have been hunting Spider-Man after the events of Avengers: Endgame with no Iron Man to protect him. While Kraven the Hunter is a fan favorite to many, it is hard to argue that Mysterio wasn't the right choice for the film, given Gyllenhall's performance, the design of his costume, and the impact his character had on Spider-Man and the MCU moving forward.
Source: Variety
