Kraven the Hunter’s spoiled villain twist makes five Marvel Comics characters candidates for the movie’s secret villain. Alessandro Nivola, who plays a currently unknown character in Kraven’s solo movie, will be one of the villains pitted against Kraven in the 2023 film. A recent interview with the actor provided a hint at who he’ll be bringing to life in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Based on what’s been revealed so far, the movie should feature four Marvel villains, including the titular character himself, who will be taking the role of an anti-hero for his live-action debut. Another is Calypso, a voodoo priestess who often clashes with Spider-Man. In this instance, however, she’s expected to be a love interest. The other two are played by Christopher Abbott and Alessandro Nivola. Abbott’s character, who will be the main villain, is heavily rumored to be the Foreigner, an assassin from Spider-Man’s 1980s comics. As for Nivola, the name of his character is still a closely-guarded secret. But while Nivola has avoided confirming his identity, he did give away one eye-catching detail. According to Nivola, his “classic villain role” will see him play a character who “transforms physically” in the “final moments of the movie”.
Assuming that Nivola is indeed playing a character from the comic books (and it’s a somewhat accurate portrayal), this one tease is enough to narrow the options for one of the movie’s mystery villains. First of all, it should be a character capable of a physical transformation. And since Kraven the Hunter is a Sony movie, chances are the villain is someone from within Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery. All things considered, four Marvel Comics characters fit that criteria.
Tarantula
Introduced in the mid-1970s as the champion of a South American dictatorship, Anton Miguel Rodriguez a.k.a. Tarantula was an extremely formidable assassin who relied on hidden weapons and his expertise in martial arts to complete his tasks. Usually, he was defeated after running afoul of Spider-Man. Shortly before his death, he was injected with a serum that transformed him into a horrific beast that made him resemble his namesake. If Kraven the Hunter were to use Tarantula as an opponent of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character, the movie’s final act could see Rodriguez succumb to a similar transformation.
One element that most Kraven stories share is the emphasis on animal-themed characters, a category that also includes Tarantula as well as so many others. Kraven specializing in surviving in the wilderness and battling threats based in nature is the very reason why Marvel typically squares him off against heroes in the vein of Spider-Man and Black Panther. With that being a fundamental part of his character in Marvel Comics, it’s important for Sony to make sure it’s properly represented in Kraven the Hunter. That’s why having an animal-themed villain feels like the right move for the film. And while characters as big as the Lizard and Rhino are unlikely to be chosen as secondary antagonists, a lesser-known character like Tarantula could be a good fit.
Gibbon
In Marvel Comics, Martin Blank is a mutant whose ape-like qualities caused him to be ostracized from society. Fed up with being treated poorly by everyone around him (including Spider-Man), Gibbon was easily manipulated by Kraven into joining forces with him in a villain team-up that ultimately failed. Gibbon, who crossed paths with both Spider-Man and Kraven on multiple occasions, was later depicted as a wannabe superhero. It was only Gibbon’s gullible nature and frustrations with people that forced him to be at odds with Spider-Man. Given his close ties to Kraven in Marvel Comics, the movie introducing Gibbon isn’t an implausible scenario. Unlike his comic counterpart, the movie’s interpretation of Gibbon could fully turn on society and become a true villain. If the movie were to take this path, Sony could draw on his origin and motivations in the comics to tell a much darker version of Gibbon’s story.
Stegron
Stegron the Dinosaur Man would be an offbeat choice for Kraven the Hunter, but if handled correctly, he could make for a menacing opponent. Introduced in Marvel Team-Up #19, Stegron is a scientist mutated into a beast with the physical characteristics of a dinosaur. As a creature associated with dinosaurs, Stegron could be considered the ultimate enemy for someone like Kraven. In the comics, his ultimate goal was to transform people into dinosaurs, but given how similar that is to what Lizard tried to do in The Amazing Spider-Man, it’s hard to imagine Sony's Kraven the Hunter leaning in the same direction. Instead, it could use Stegron to deliver an exciting final showdown between a highly skilled animal hunter and an actual monster. But based on Nivola’s comment that it happens in the film’s “final moments”, the character’s big battle with Kraven may be saved for a sequel.
Puma
With Nivola, Marvel could be offering a loose adaptation of Puma, a Native American anti-hero who has been both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. In the comic books, Puma is a human who can transform into a mountain lion-like beast. With his agility, super strength, and claws, Puma is a formidable fighter capable of fighting evenly with both Spider-Man and Kraven. He received his powers from a Native American ritual, which is one reason why he might work for Kraven the Hunter. As noted above, the movie is including Calypso, whose mystical abilities could be used to give Sony’s take on Puma his comic book transformation. For its version of Puma, the movie can use Calypso’s voodoo magic in place of Puma’s Native American origin.
In Marvel Comics, Puma has a host of physical enhancements, all of which would make him a worthwhile adversary of Kraven. As an animalistic character – even more so than Spider-Man – Puma could be the challenge that Kraven needs for his solo movie. Unfortunately, it can’t send him on a hunt against his greatest enemy, but it give him a foe that would make up for Spider-Man’s absence in the best way. With Puma’s powers and skillset, he’d be a character with whom Kraven the Hunter could make excellent use of in an intense fight with Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Sergei Kravinoff.