The character Kraven The Hunter is joining the expanding list of Spider-Man villains who are getting their own movie, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson taking on the role. The former Quicksilver actor will headline the movie, but at the moment, nothing is known about the plot. However, there are many famous comic book storylines the movie could draw from.
Kraven The Hunter has been a major Spider-Man antagonist from the earliest days of Marvel Comics, giving the upcoming movie decades of material to potentially mine. While not all of the comics will make sense for his first movie, some elements could be combined as they often are in the MCU movies.
Kraven's First Hunt: Kraven and the chameleon
Kraven The Hunter first appears in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 in 1964. A big-game hunter from Russia, he's inspired by the evil actions of his half-brother, The Chameleon, to try and take down Spider-Man.
This story makes the most sense in the context of introducing Kraven on screen, but if it follows the pattern of the Sony Venom movie, Spider-Man may not be part of the story at all. Still, some aspects of the story, including The Chameleon, could be fodder for the plot of the 2023 movie.
In The Hands Of The Hunter: Kraven Teams Up With Norman Osborne
If Spider-Man is off the board, then Kraven The Hunter may set his sights on other characters. Kraven reappeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #47, "In The Hands Of The Hunter," from 1967.
Kraven gets his punches in against Spider-Man in this issue, but he also tangles with the Green Goblin. In this story by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr., Kraven appears to be in league with Norman Osborn to go after Spider-Man, but the deal sours, and the two ultimately fight it out. This could be a way to introduce the Green Goblin into the MCU and/or the Sony Spider-Verse.
Prey Of The Hunter: Kraven Vs. Daredevil
Spider-Man wasn't always the focus of Kraven The Hunter. In "Prey Of The Hunter," a storyline that ran through Daredevil #104 and #105 in 1964, Kraven goes after The Man Without Fear.
Kraven is hired by one of Daredevil's villains - left a mystery at first - to take down the hero. At the time, Daredevil is teamed up with Black Widow and the two have to contend with the relentless power of Kraven, who has superhuman strength and stamina. This would be a great way to bring Charlie Cox, the Netflix Daredevil, back to the screen.
The Deadliest Game: Conquering The Savage Land
Kraven The Hunter is all about big game hunting, so it was inevitable that he would find himself in the Savage Land hunting down prehistoric animals like dinosaurs. "The Deadliest Game" from 1970's Astonishing Tales #1 doesn't make it a simple hunt, though. Kraven encounters a mysterious alien called Gog.
He tries to use Gog to conqueror the Savage Land, but Kraven's ambitions are eventually thwarted by Ka-Zar, the defender of the Savage Land, and Peter Parker, who shows up as Spider-Man. Neither Ka-Zar nor the Savage Land has yet to make it into the movies, so this would be a perfect opportunity.
Ultimate Kraven: A Reality TV Star
In the early 2000s, Marvel Comics started a new imprint called Ultimate Comics that told classic Marvel stories in a new modern way for new readers. Kraven was one of the many Spider-Man villains who got reinterpreted.
This version was a reality TV star who hunted down Spider-Man as a major prize to goose the ratings of his popular TV show. As with many reality TV series, it's not exactly reality at all, and Spider-Man punches Kraven's lights out with one punch. Kraven would later seek superpowers to try and get revenge for his humiliation on live TV.
The Hunted: Kraven Meets The X-Men
The Hunted is a big Kraven storyline from 2018 that has him joining forces with X-Men villain Arcade to create a kind of theme park, but this one is deadly. He populates it with all kinds of heroes and villains, all of whom have animal codenames or costume themes like Wolverine, and hunts them down.
While the upcoming movie might not be able to pull in a character like Wolverine, characters like the Black-Cat, Rhino, or Spider-Woman (a character who could appear in Secret Invasion) are all possibilities and could make the movie a big launching pad for future franchises.
The Sinister Six: Kraven Helps Found The Team
Given the direction of the Spider-Man MCU movies, it seems likely Kraven The Hunter will play some role in a potential live-action MCU Sinister Six. Not only is Kraven The Hunter a founding member of the supervillain team, appearing with them in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 in 1964, he's also one of the most powerful Sinister Six members.
Kraven's movie more than other Sony Spider-Verse movies so far could start to bring all the pieces into place to put together a big-screen version of the classic team.
Tigra Tigra, Burning Bright!: Kraven Brainwashes Tigra
If the movie doesn't include Spider-Man in any real way, another Marvel superhero that could play a role in the story is Tigra. Tigra was once a member of the West Coast Avengers, one of the best Avengers rosters. Before that, she was brainwashed into becoming Kraven's pawn in "Tigra Tigra, Burning Bright!" Team-Up #67 in 1972.
Kraven uses Tigra to go after Spider-Man once again, but his plans ultimately fall apart and Tigra turns the tables on him. Though Spider-Man may not be in the movie, Tigra could potentially play a role in the story.
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl's Friend Kraven: Kraven Reforms
Depending on the tone of the Kraven The Hunter movie, it may not be all that dark. The movie could be light and funny if it chooses to take some inspiration from The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl's Friend Kraven, a recent storyline from the comics that saw Squirrel Girl actually help reform Kraven.
Kraven initially goes after some of her pet squirrels, and then Howard The Duck, but Doreen helps him see how the real game is other supervillains. Kraven walks away from the story a new man and friend of Squirrel Girl.
Kraven's Last Hunt: Spider-Man cannot be defeated
Kraven's Last Hunt is one of the best Spider-Man comic book arcs of all time. Dark and sober, this 1987 storyline from writer J.M. DeMatteis and artist Mike Zeck sees Kraven finally defeat Spider-Man once and for all. So it seems. He buries Spider-Man alive and then hunts down criminals in a copy of Spider-Man's costume.
But Peter Parker rises from his grave and Kraven sees he can never defeat his greatest foe to his great despair. This could eventually play a role in the franchise.