Kraven the Hunter


Kraven the Hunter is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 as an adversary for the superhero Spider-Man. He has since endured as one of the web-slinger's most formidable foes, and is part of the collective of adversaries that make up Spider-Man enemies|Spider-Man's rogues' gallery]. Kraven has also come into conflict with other heroes, such as Black Panther and Tigra. He is the half-brother of the Chameleon and is one of the founding members of the Sinister Six.
In Kraven's first appearance, he calls Spider-Man "the most dangerous game", a direct reference to the 1924 short story of the same name, in which General Zaroff, a Russian big-game hunter, hunts people for sport.
Kraven is typically portrayed as a renowned big-game hunter whose goal in life is to beat Spider-Man to prove himself as the world's greatest hunter. Though he is often overconfident in his own abilities, about which he likes to boast, he possesses a great sense of honor, and treats his adversaries as equals until proven otherwise. Because of this, Kraven has sometimes been depicted as an antihero and has teamed up with other heroes, including Spider-Man, the Avengers of 1959, and Squirrel Girl, in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. The character is widely regarded as one of Spider-Man's most formidable enemies, and has gained considerable attention from storylines such as 1987's "Kraven's Last Hunt," 2010's "Grim Hunt", 2015–2019's "The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl's Friend Kraven", and 2019's "Hunted". The mantle of Kraven the Hunter has also been assumed by Kraven's sons Alyosha and Sergei Kravinoff II, and his daughter Ana Kravinoff.
Since his original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, including video games, animated television series, and merchandise. Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrayed Kraven the Hunter in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe live-action film Kraven the Hunter, and Nick "Lanipator" Landis portrayed Kraven in the TeamFourStar live-action web series Kraven.

Publication history

The character first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man issue #15, and was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. Though he would occasionally appear in other characters' titles, he was most frequently used as a Spider-Man foe. He is killed off in the acclaimed 1987 storyline by J. M. DeMatteis, Mike Zeck, and Bob McLeod, "Kraven's Last Hunt". Although generally considered to be the definitive Kraven the Hunter story, the story originally had a completely different character in Kraven's role. Writer DeMatteis recounted:
Despite Kraven the Hunter being one of Spider-Man's most long-standing arch-enemies, DeMatteis claims that none of Marvel's editorial staff objected to the proposal to have him killed in the story. Kraven later returns as a ghost in the graphic novel The Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter, also by DeMatteis, Zeck, and McLeod. DeMatteis also wrote "Kraven's First Hunt" for The Sensational Spider-Man Annual '96, a retelling of The Amazing Spider-Man #15 which incorporated several DeMatteis retcons, such as that Kraven was abusive towards the Chameleon.

Fictional character biography

Sergei Kravinoff is a Russian immigrant, the son of the aristocrat Nikolai Kravinoff who fled to the United States with his family in 1917 after the executions of Russian nobility by the February Revolution and subsequent collapse of the reign of Tsar Nicholas II.
Kraven is a maniacal big-game hunter who seeks to defeat Spider-Man to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world. Unlike other hunters, he typically disdains the use of guns or bow and arrows, preferring to take down large dangerous animals with his bare hands. He also lives by a code of honour of sorts, choosing to hunt his game fairly. He consumes a mystical serum to give himself enhanced strength and dramatically slow the aging process. Kraven was trained as a hunter largely by a mysterious man named Gregor, a mercenary who once battled Ka-Zar. Kraven was, at one point, the lover of the voodoo priestess Calypso.
He is contacted by his half-brother the Chameleon to defeat Spider-Man. He leads Spider-Man to Central Park with the help of the Chameleon, who disguises himself as Kraven to use himself as a decoy while the real Kraven ambushes the hero. However, despite Kraven having weakened Spider-Man with a poisonous dart, Spider-Man prevails in the end. Spider-Man proves a frustrating quarry because Kraven continually underestimates the superhero's resourcefulness.
Kraven becomes a founding member of the Sinister Six when he accepts Doctor Octopus's offer to form a team to fight Spider-Man. They capture Aunt May and Betty Brant. He attacks Spider-Man in Central Park with three tigers. Spider-Man fights off the attackers and secures the next clue to where Aunt May and Betty Brant are being held. After Aunt May and Betty Brant are rescued, Kraven the Hunter and the rest of the Sinister Six are arrested by the police.
While in the Savage Land, Kraven the Hunter finds Gog in a spaceship that he stumbles upon. Realizing how useful Gog can be, Kraven the Hunter decides to use him in a plot to conquer the Savage Land. After kidnapping the visiting Gwen Stacy from a camp in the Savage Land, Kraven and Gog battle the heroes Ka-Zar and Spider-Man. While Ka-Zar deals with Kraven, Spider-Man defeats Gog by luring him into a patch of quicksand, which he sinks to the bottom of.

''Kraven's Last Hunt''

Determined to end his life as he becomes older, frustrated with his failing health and continuing failure to defeat Spider-Man, Kraven sets out a final hunt for Spider-Man. After capturing Spider-Man, he shoots him with a coma-inducing drug and buries him alive on his estate. To complete his victory, he attempts to become Spider-Man's clear superior by impersonating him in a brutal vigilante campaign and capturing Vermin, the one foe Spider-Man had never been able to defeat on his own.
After Spider-Man emerges from his grave two weeks later, Kraven explains his actions to him and sets Vermin free. Spider-Man goes after Vermin to prevent his killing again. Kraven leaves a final confession of his crimes against Spider-Man and then commits suicide. Because of his suicide, his soul is unable to find rest until Spider-Man confronts his risen corpse on Kraven's behalf.

''The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt''

Across "The Gauntlet" and "Grim Hunt", Kraven is resurrected by his ex-wife Sasha Kravinoff and their children with a dark magic ritual using the blood of Spider-Man. Thoroughly unhappy and enraged with having been bestowed an unwanted revival, Sergei is shown to now be explosively psychopathic and cold towards his family, beating his son [|Vladimir] and daughter Ana and expressing little attention towards his wife. After being stabbed by his daughter Ana, Sergei recovers, stating that Sasha restored him with corrupted blood which he calls "unlife". They pull off the mask of the corpse of Spider-Man hung in their mantel and discover that Kaine had impersonated Peter in Spider-Man's costume. Kaine's nature as a clone indicates his unnatural existence has muddied the properties of the ritual. Spider-Man, in his black costume, confronts Kraven and the rest of the Kravinoff Family. Spider-Man is tempted to kill Kraven, who eagerly and desperately attempts to goad him into it. Beating him brutally, Spider-Man takes Kraven's spear in hand and prepares to grant his enemy his wish but he refuses to do so when he is reminded by Julia Carpenter that committing murder is not in his moral code, and furthermore, by going through with it, damns himself to a future where from that point he takes on a more brutal approach to crime-fighting, including killing suspects, which will lead him to die in a standoff against the police. Following their defeat by Spider-Man, Kraven and his family escape to the Savage Land. While there, Kraven brutally kills Sasha and euthanizes Vladimir. Alyosha flees in disgust of what his dad did to his stepmom and half-brother afterwards. Kraven and Ana discuss rebuilding the Kravinoff family, which leads to Ana running off to hunt Alyosha to prove herself worthy to Kraven and rebuild the Kravinoff family.
It was later revealed that back in the 1950s, Kraven the Hunter was a member of Nick Fury's Avengers alongside Dominic Fortune I, Dum Dum Dugan, Namora, Silver Sable, Sabretooth, and Ulysses Bloodstone, tracking a stolen version of the Super-Soldier Serum combined with the Infinity Formula that had been stolen by a group of Nazis attempting to create their own Captain America.
While he is in the Savage Land, Agent Venom lands in the area on an unrelated mission from the federal government. Mistaking him to be Spider-Man, Kraven attacks him and gains the upper hand before Venom escapes.
At one point, Kraven is contacted by a doctor who once treated him when a past hunt went wrong, the doctor requesting that Kraven track down a recent patient of hers—who had been used as a test subject to duplicate another man's electrical abilities—as well as asking that he capture the Black Panther—currently acting as a 'local' vigilante to regain his sense of self after the destruction of Wakanda's vibranium—in return for her help finding a way for him to die. With the aid of Storm, T'Challa is able to stay ahead of Kraven long enough to convince him that the doctor had lied about being able to kill him, Kraven agreeing to leave T'Challa alone and take the doctor's mutated animal subjects back with him into the wild.
When their identities became fractured after a temporary separation, the Hulk discovers that Bruce Banner had hired Kraven to find the lost city of the Sasquatches. Although the Hulk was uninterested with helping the Sasquatches deal with Kraven, he changes his mind and beats up Kraven.
Kaine, in the alias of the Scarlet Spider, later encountered Kraven the Hunter, who was dressed as the Scarlet Spider to torment him. With the help of Ana, Kraven kidnapped Kaine's friends to motivate the Scarlet Spider to fight him. In the end, Kaine delivered Kraven a fatal blow in the chest, which paralyzed his heart. But using the same attack, Kaine brought him back to life supposedly still breaking the curse. Following the fight, both Kravens disappeared.

''The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl''

Kraven, still claiming to be cursed, next battles Squirrel Girl at Empire State University, having earned her ire by lashing out at the local squirrels, including Tippy-Toe. Kraven departs when Squirrel Girl informs him of the existence of sea monsters like Giganto, playing on Kraven's obsessions by challenging him to hunt worthier prey. He later returns to abduct Howard the Duck, but is trapped with Howard and Squirrel Girl in a manhunt as the hunted. After surviving, he vows to only "hunt the hunters".
During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Kraven appears as an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D., who used Kobik's abilities to turn Kraven into a zookeeper. He rallied some of his fellow inmates to help him find Kobik and bring her to Helmut Zemo.
During the "Opening Salvo" part of the "Secret Empire" storyline, Kraven is recruited by Baron Helmut Zemo to join the Army of Evil. When Manhattan was surrounded by a Darkforce dome, Kraven raided the Daily Bugle to find information to the identity of Spider-Man. Knowing that J. Jonah Jameson would be in danger, Phil Sheldon's daughter Jennie headed to J. Jonah Jameson's house to warn him. After Kraven attacked J. Jonah Jameson, Jennie Sheldon fired a signal flare into the sky. This attracted the attention of Spider-Woman, who defeated Kraven. Jennie Sheldon even took pictures of the fight.
When Venom encounters some Dinosaur People in the sewers, Kraven the Hunter follows Venom and kills an Ankylosaurus-type Dinosaur Person before engaging Venom in battle. He was fended off by Venom, who vowed to fight Kraven again. After the Dinosaur People's existence is made public, Mayor Wilson Fisk and NYPD Commissioner Chris Rafferty appointed Kraven to lead a SWAT team into the sewers and eliminate them. Venom deactivated each trap and confronted Kraven. Venom was caught off-guard when Kraven revealed his secret ally Shriek, who used her attacks on Venom and then collapsed the ceiling over him. Shriek then tells Kraven that she can have Eddie Brock's head after the mission is done. As the Dinosaur People feed on the rats that enter their lair, Kraven sneaks up on some Dinosaur People and kills them. Venom catches up to Kraven and fights him and Shriek. With help from Tana, Venom stated that the Dinosaur People were not killing anybody and that they are only surviving underground. Kraven and Shriek are arrested by the NYPD, as the captain stated that he never liked Kraven anyway.
Kraven the Hunter is hired by the evil organization Rampart to lure Captain America to them. After a brief struggle with Kraven, Captain America is frozen by Rampart's freeze cannon.
Squirrel Girl has helped Kraven reform, teaming up with him to fight other villains, even establishing a friendship with him. She helps Kraven realize that Spider-Man is not even close to being the most dangerous prey in the Marvel Universe.

''Hunted''

In a prelude to "Hunted", Kraven the Hunter reminisces about how Sasha, Vladimir, and Alyosha were killed by him and Ana for not living up to his legacy. After cutting a deal with the High Evolutionary, Kraven has 87 clones of him created, trained as the Sons of Kraven, and sent out to prove themselves by being hunted by each other. This motif caused Ana to leave him. The one who hunted and killed the other Sons of Kraven was labeled as the Last Son of Kraven. With help from the Taskmaster, the Black Ant, and Arcade, Kraven starts hunting various animal-themed characters, like Beetle, Kangaroo, Owl, Puma, the Serpent Society, Squid, and White Rabbit. King Cobra, Rhino, Scorpion, Stegron, Tarantula, and Vulture are captured and grouped together as the Savage Six. While making the final preparations for the "Great Hunt," Kraven reflects on his immortality; it is revealed that the Kraven who was stabbed by the Scarlet Spider was a clone. Kraven sends the Last Son of Kraven to capture Spider-Man for the Great Hunt. After Arcade's Hunter-Bot is tested and kills Iguana, Kraven and Arcade begin the Great Hunt and Central Park is surrounded by a dome. It is revealed that the Hunter-Bots are connected to their pilots, which will kill them if the robots are destroyed. Kraven had planned this effect from the beginning to punish the hunters for killing animals for sport. Kraven has Arcade tell the Vulture that there is a chance to break the force field by killing more Hunter-Bots. During a fight between the Hunter-Bots and the animal-themed characters, Kraven's secret motive is to force Spider-Man into killing him again so that he can be free from his curse of immortality. He does this by trapping Curt Connors when he tries to rescue his son Billy. Spider-Man was forced to "kill" Curt by tearing out the implant chip that prevented Curt hurting humans as the Lizard, despite the risk that taking out the chip would kill Curt. After Spider-Man finds the bodies of the guards who were killed when the Lizard escaped, he is confronted by Kraven. Spider-Man figures out that Kraven was the one who killed the guards to frame the Lizard, as the wounds are too precise for the Lizard's claws. To guilt Spider-Man into becoming a hunter, Kraven attempts to force Spider-Man to watch the Lizard save Billy and the Black Cat from the Last Son of Kraven, but Spider-Man rejects the idea that this can only be accomplished through violence. Upon realizing that he was the beast that he was wanting to kill all along, Kraven releases all the surviving animal-themed characters and sends Spider-Man to protect Mary Jane. Kraven dons a copy of Spider-Man's black costume to act like him once more. When the Last Son of Kraven is conned into strangling Kraven to death, he soon realizes that he was fooled when he sees Spider-Man swinging away. His funeral is attended by the Last Son of Kraven. The Chameleon is revealed to be one of the attendees as he is pleased that Kraven spared him from the Great Hunt. As he walks away, the Chameleon tells his dead half-brother to sleep well: "You needn't worry. The world is no longer your burden. Besides, there won't be much of it left soon...not by the time I've finished."
Sometime later, Kraven is pulled through time from moments before his death by Galactus to help their shared friend Squirrel Girl defeat Melissa Morbeck and her coterie of time-displaced supervillains and former villains. After reuniting with Doreen and thanking her for all she had done for him, Kraven bids Doreen a final goodbye before being returned to his death.

Powers and abilities

By regularly ingesting the potion made from various unnamed jungle herbs, Kraven grants himself superhuman physical abilities, making him a physical threat to Spider-Man, although these powers are not as developed as those possessed by Spider-Man. Kraven's body is also more durable, and more resistant to certain forms of injury than the body of a normal human. He can withstand great impact forces, such as falling from several stories or being repeatedly struck by a superhumanly strong opponent, that would severely injure or kill a normal human, with little to no injury to himself. The effects of the potion have dramatically altered Kraven's aging process to the point that he has aged little, if at all, over several decades. Despite being over 70 years of age, he has the physical appearance of a 30-year-old man.
The potion enhances Kraven's sight, hearing, and smell to superhuman levels, adding to his already impressive tracking skills. He can see farther, and with much greater clarity, than a normal human. His hearing is similarly enhanced, enabling him to detect sounds which an ordinary human cannot, or sounds that a normal human could detect, but at much greater distances. Kraven can use his sense of smell to track a target by scent, much as some animals do, even if the scent has been somewhat eroded by natural factors.
Even without his superhuman powers, Kraven is an Olympic-level athlete, and a gifted tactician, hunter, and hand-to-hand combatant. He also has great knowledge of pressure points, both in the anatomy of humans and in many animals. He can strike at these nerve clusters with pinpoint accuracy, allowing him to incapacitate more powerful opponents or animals. He is familiar with many exotic poisons and tranquilizers, which he often uses during his hunts.
Due to a flaw in the ceremony that resurrected him, Kraven was given "the unlife... the eternal curse", as he discovered when his daughter stabbed him through the heart. According to Kraven, he can now only die by Spider-Man's hand. However, this curse was apparently broken when Kaine temporarily killed Kraven by stopping his heart and then restarting it with the same move.

Family

Kraven the Hunter had different family members and clones. He even fathered several children who have followed in his footsteps:

Chameleon

As mentioned above, Chameleon is Kraven the Hunter's half-brother

Grim Hunter

[|Vladimir Kravinoff] was a son of Sergei Kravinoff, the infamous adversary of Spider-Man known as Kraven the Hunter. Unlike his illegitimate half-brother Alyosha Kravinoff who was raised in shame in Africa, Vladimir grew up in Russia benefiting from his father's wealth and luxuries. However, their father often neglected both sons while he pursued his various international quarries. Unaware of his siblings, Vladimir was raised by Sergei's servant Gregor who acted as a surrogate father teaching him Sergei's hunting techniques. When Vlad was still a boy, Sergei put his son through a rite of passage, hunting Vladimir while disguised as the fabled "Grim Hunter." Impressed by his son's abilities learned under Gregor, Sergei began to train Vlad personally. Vladimir Kravinoff took up the name "Grim Hunter" and decided to hunt down Spider-Man and several of his foes. He only had one battle with Spider-Man, and his methods were nearly the same as his father's. He was briefly involved with the Hobgoblin, even giving his identity of Jason Macendale his father's super-strength formula which reacted to the anomalies in his bloodstream which gave him greater power. This is perhaps the reason why Vladimir became more powerful than his father when he took the treatment. When he got out of jail, he decided to track Spider-Man down again only to fight the Scarlet Spider instead. Kaine arrived and after a confrontation, Vladimir was killed by the insane duplicate. On death's door, he staggered to Gregor falling in his arms and died shortly after that.
During "The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt" storyline, Sasha Kravinoff sacrifices Mattie Franklin as part of a revival ritual that resurrects Vladimir as a humanoid lion creature. Vladimir being revived as a humanoid lion was the result of Mattie not being a "pure spider". Vladimir later assists Ana Kravinoff and Alyosha Kravinoff with capturing Anya Corazon as well as a second attempt to capture Arachne. Following Kraven the Hunter's resurrection, Vladimir was shown attempting to attack Arachne and Araña while they are bound. Sergei fends off Vladimir rather brutally. Sasha mentioned to Sergei that Vladimir's sub-human state was the result of a test resurrection to see if she can revive Sergei. After Spider-Man defeated the Kravinoff family, they escaped to the Savage Land where Sergei killed Sasha and euthanizes Vladimir.

Alyosha Kravinoff

Alyosha Kravinoff is a mutant who is the second Kraven the Hunter through an unnamed female mutant some time after the death of Vladimir.
Unlike Vladimir, Alyosha was separated from his family and raised in an African jungle. After Kraven's suicide, Alyosha came to New York City to investigate the father he barely knew. Dressed as Kraven, Alyosha confronted his uncle Dmitri Smerdyakov. Believing his abusive half-brother had returned from the dead, Chameleon revealed to Alyosha much about the dysfunctional Kravinoff family. Kraven's former lover Calypso Ezili did actually return from the dead and she mistook Alyosha for Kraven. She seduced Alyosha, but afterwards he spurned her affections. Later, riding a bull elephant atop Manhattan's rooftops, Alyosha attacked Spider-Man. He poisoned him with a hallucinogenic dart, but then set him free. While at the Kravinoff estate, Alyosha was learning about his father from Spider-Man when Calypso returned with Kraven's tribesmen. She set the home ablaze and killed all but Gulyadkin the Lion. Calypso poisoned Alyosha and Spider-Man and used her hypnotic powers to force the two to fight to the death. Spider-Man resisted and injured Calypso, while Alyosha subdued her with his lion. Despite asking for her forgiveness, Alyosha savagely killed Calypso and all the tribesmen with her.
He was later hired by the city of New York to help capture the Fantastic Four's enigmatic enormous canid Puppy. Next, he was hired by White Wolf, head of the deposed Wakandan secret police, to capture Black Panther. Black Panther turned the battle around, nearly killing Alyosha. Sandman later invited Alyosha to join Sandman's Sinister Six to hunt Doctor Octopus and Senator Ward. Venom, slighted at his rejection by the Six, hunted each of the team members. Refusing to be "the hunted", Alyosha trapped Venom with fire, but Venom seriously injured him and escaped.
Alyosha then adopted a more relaxed, suave, and charismatic personality. As "Al," he began dating Timber Hughes, an aspiring actress who worked as a waitress at an all-villain bar. Al sought to help Timber's career in Hollywood by becoming a director. Despite celebrity connections, Al's efforts were stonewalled by arrogance, greed, and corruption within the Hollywood elite. Forced out of Hollywood by the powerful Rothstein brothers, Al is beaten while Timber was brutally raped. Both Al and Timber exacted vengeance which involved defeating another half-brother Ned Tannengarden and left Hollywood to pursue heroics in New York City.
Alyosha is one of few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after the M-Day. He is one of the superpowered beings recruited within the Beyond! miniseries by Stranger posing as the Beyonder.
Alyosha Kraven later eventually becomes fully deranged from experimenting with his father's potions, and in his madness began collecting a zoo of animal-themed superhumans, including Bushmaster, Gargoyle, Tiger Shark, Kangaroo, Aragorn, Vulture, Mongoose, Man-Bull, Dragon Man, Swarm, Mandrill, Grizzly, Frog-Man, and Rhino. In the end, the Punisher managed to sabotage this zoo. Kraven himself escapes to the Savage Land.
During "The Gauntlet" storyline, Alyosha returned to New York to help his half-sister Ana and stepmother Sasha in the Grim Hunt by hunting Kaine. They then witness Spider-Man's fight with the Lizard. He was present at the ritual where Sasha sacrificed Mattie Franklin as part of a revival ritual that resurrects his half-brother Vladimir as a humanoid lion-like creature. After the Kravinoff Family was defeated, Alyosha alongside the other Kravinoff Family members escaped to the Savage Land where Kraven plans to hunt them to in order to prove that they can earn a spot in the Kravinoff Family. Alyosha soon abandoned his family after Kraven killed Sasha and Vladimir telling him to do his sick game on his own. In an attempt to impress Kraven, Ana pursued Alyosha with the intent of killing him in exchange that he trains her to rebuild the Kravinoff Family.
Alyosha was later confirmed to have been killed in the Savage Land by his sister Ana when she and their father returned from the Savage Land to hunt down Kaine in Houston, Texas.

Nedrocci Tannengarden

There was a third son named Nedrocci "Ned" Tannengarden who tried to kill Alyosha, but he was murdered by the Chameleon.

Xraven

It was revealed during 2009's X-Men/Spider-Man crossover miniseries that years earlier, Kraven made a deal with Mister Sinister. He and the Blob tracked down the X-Men, and they fought the united forces of Spider-Man and the original X-Men. Kraven fled after a short battle, but not before wounding each member of the X-Men. Kraven returned to Sinister, with genetic samples from Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, Angel, and Beast. Furthermore, Sinister requested from Kraven a sample of his DNA. Sinister later cut a deal with Cletus Kasady to obtain a sample of the Carnage symbiote. After removing the sentience from the Carnage symbiote sample, Sinister combined it with the DNA of the original X-Men and Kraven the Hunter, where he would use this creation at a later date. Years later after the death of Kraven, an ex-Morlock who had kept his powers post M-Day named Joe Buggs was murdered by a mysterious mutant hunter. His friend Ed went to the X-Men for help. He claimed that the man who killed Buggs was Kraven. Although they were skeptical about Kraven's apparent resurrection, the X-Men called on the help of Spider-Man, who had battled Kraven many times over the years. After discussing the battle that they had with Kraven years ago and the fact that he had given samples of the X-Men's DNA to Sinister for cloning, the lights went out on the wing where they were located. The hunter attacked and quickly dispatched Colossus, but was held at bay by Spider-Man's webbing. He broke free, claiming his name is Xraven. The X-Men quickly realize that Xraven has all of the powers of the original X-Men as well as retractable claws. He was able to defeat Cyclops and Shadowcat, holding her hostage, giving the ultimatum that he would kill her if they did not surrender. Spider-Man insulted Xraven, claiming that Kraven would never threaten a helpless girl. Xraven was momentarily fazed by his comment, but attacked again, claiming that he is the "favored one". Cyclops realizes Xraven's weakness and tells him that Mister Sinister sees him as nothing but a pawn. He tells Xraven to read his mind, in order for him to see the kind of a man Sinister really is. After Xraven sees Cyclops's memories, he flees, but the X-Men become aware of the fact that he was able to get DNA samples from Shadowcat, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolverine. Returning to Sinister with the samples, Sinister tells him that he planned to clone a new generation of mutants, and that he would unite all mutantkind. After seeing what Sinister's real intentions were in Cyclops's memories, Xraven destroys the samples, claiming that Sinister would breed slaves as opposed to warriors, and Xraven attacks him. Although it is clear that Sinister survived his confrontation with Xraven, it is unknown whether Xraven survived.
Upon researching Xraven, Captain America does not consider him evil. He states that Xraven must be brought in, partly because of the murder he committed and partly to prevent the Kravinoff family from obtaining him.

Ana Kravinoff

The daughter of Kraven the Hunter, Ana Kravinoff becomes the first female to take on the name of Kraven the Hunter. She first appears tracking Spider-Man to his apartment, but mistakenly believes Peter Parker's roommate Vin Gonzales was him. She then methodically ruins Vin's life, and captures him. Despite Vin's claims that he was not Spider-Man, Kraven prepared to hunt him, but was stopped by the real Spider-Man, who was wearing Daredevil's costume. At the end, it is revealed that she is Kraven's daughter by a woman called Sasha Aleksandra Nikolaevich. She and her mother have recently set about forming an alliance of Spider-Man villains to get revenge on the wall-crawler and kidnap Madame Web. They also hired Deadpool to keep him distracted while they kidnapped Mattie Franklin.
Ana and Sasha later meet up with Alyosha Kravinoff, who assists them in preparing for the "Grim Hunt", where they start going after Kaine.
Ana assists her half-brother Alyosha Kravinoff into attempting to abduct Arachne, only to run afoul of Spider-Man, who repels them. Ana alongside Alyosha, Electro, and Diablo are present when Sasha sacrifices Mattie Franklin as part of a ritual that resurrects Vladimir Kravinoff as a humanoid lion creature. Ana alongside Vladimir and Alyosha attacks Anya Corazon, only to end up fighting Spider-Man, Arachne, Kaine, and Ezekiel Sims. The Kravinoffs manage to overpower them and make off with Anya and Arachne. After Chameleon sheds his disguise and Spider-Man partially succumbs to the drugs the Kravinoffs have given him, Ana is present when Kaine is killed as a sacrifice as part of a ritual that revives her father Sergei Kravinoff. Following the resurrection, Sergei gets acquainted with his family. When Kraven returns after preventing Vladimir from attacking the captives, he is shown to lack a sense of control, attacking Ana until he is stabbed in the heart by Ana in self-defense. Sergei recovers, stating that Sasha restored him with corrupted blood or the "unlife" as he puts it. When the Kravinoff Family is defeated, Ana alongside the other Kravinoffs escapes to the Savage Land. After Sasha and Vladimir are killed by Kraven and Alyosha flees, she runs off to hunt Alyosha to prove herself to Kraven. She tells Kraven that if she can take down Alyosha, Kraven should train her and help rebuild the Kravinoff family. Otherwise, he will forget about family.
Ana later attacks Anya Corazon in an attempt to finish the hunt she started during The Grim Hunt. Although obviously the stronger fighter, Ana is eventually defeated thanks to Spider-Girl's experience at fighting in New York City. She is thereafter incarcerated.
Ana later escapes incarceration and heads to Houston to hunt Kaine. Ana and her brother Alyosha deliver the killing blows to Kaine that lead to his blood resurrecting her father Kraven the Hunter. However, since Kaine himself was resurrected shortly afterwards so that there could be balance between Hunters and Spiders, it remains to be seen what other motives Ana has for Kaine as there are visions of a dark future ahead for the Scarlet Spider.
With the help of Ana, Kraven kidnaps Kaine's friends to motivate the Scarlet Spider to fight him. In the end, Kaine delivers a fatal blow to Kraven, which paralyzes his heart. But using the same attack, Kaine brings him back to life, supposedly breaking the curse. Following the fight, both Kravens disappear.
Ana Kravinoff later serves as the guide to the Inhumans Gorgon and Flint, taking them to the Chimanimani Mountains of Mozambique, Africa, where they found the hidden Inhuman city of Utolan. During this time, Ana reveals that she has Inhuman ancestry on her mother's side, something she discovered while hunting down her mother's family members. She came to Utolan looking for a cure, but was sedated by order of the councilwoman Sanara, who took some of her genetic material for use in the city's eugenics-based practices. Ana managed to escape and hunted down Sanara. She was exposed to Terrigen Mist during her hunt, which awakened her Inhuman genes. As she prepares to kill Sanara, Ana notes that it is time to "embrace nature".
In a prelude to the "Hunted" storyline, Ana accompanies her father in hunting the New Men to draw out the High Evolutionary. When Ana learned that her father had the High Evolutionary make 87 clones of himself, Ana considers this a disgrace to the Kravinoff family and declares herself a "Kravinoff no more" which Kraven shrugs off.
During the "Sinister War" storyline, Ana Kravinoff is discussed as a new recruit for the Sinister Syndicate. Kindred's giant centipedes bring the Sinister Syndicate and Ana to Kindred where Foreigner's group and the Superior Foes are, as Kindred holds a contest for someone to take down Spider-Man so that he can be punished for his sins. Ana is with the Sinister Syndicate when they intercept Overdrive, who was carrying Spider-Man away from Foreigner's group.

Sasha Kravinoff

Kraven's wife and Ana and Vladimir's mother Sasha Kravinoff was part of a Gauntlet on Spider-Man's life, causing chaos and weakening Spider-Man prior to the events that led to resurrecting Kraven from the grave.

Last Son of Kraven

The Last Son of Kraven was cloned from Kraven's DNA by the High Evolutionary. He hunted his fellow clones and returned to Kraven, where he proved himself by presenting him with the skulls of his fellow clones. Kraven sent the Last Son of Kraven to subdue and capture Spider-Man for the upcoming Great Hunt that is sponsored by Arcade's company, Arcade Industries. The Last Son of Kraven later chased after the Black Cat. Kraven donned the black Spider-Man suit, where he tricked the Last Son of Kraven into killing him. After attending his funeral of his "father", the Last Son of Kraven went to the Kravinoff estate, ripped off his clothes, and trashed it out of frustration. After calming down and drinking some wine, the Last Son of Kraven found a letter written to him by his "father" behind Kraven's rifle on the wall. The letter from Kraven stated that the Last Son of Kraven was to finally inherit his legacy not as Kraven's son, but as the man himself, since he was cloned from his DNA. The Last Son of Kraven read in the letter "You were forged in fire, born in blood. My spirit made flesh. More than my child—you are me, and I am you. One and the same now." This led to the Last Son of Kraven taking on the aliases of both Sergei Kravinoff and Kraven. He cuts his hair, wipes off his tiger stripes, and dons a copy of Kraven's costume.
Doctor Octopus and Electro find Kraven in the Savage Land hunting a dinosaur. Electro shocks the dinosaur and Doctor Octopus recruits Kraven into the Sinister Six by promising him to hunt down the Lizard. Kraven joins the Sinister Six into fighting the Savage Six at the time when the Savage Six were attacking the debut of the movie that Mysterio was involved in.
During the "Devil's Reign" storyline, Kraven appears as a member of Wilson Fisk's incarnation of the Thunderbolts at the time when Fisk passes a law that forbids superhero activities. Kraven pursues Elektra, only to be defeated by her.
During the "A.X.E.: Judgment Day" storyline, Kraven attacks Krakoa after decapitating Deadpool and accessing a Krakoan gate. Once on Krakoa, he starts desecrating the mutant eggs and killing various mutants. Kraven is thwarted by Wolverine and attacked by a Tyrannosaurus. Sometime after the Progenitor is defeated, Kraven finds its remains occupied by the Avengers and claims that he will return to Krakoa and butcher the mutants when its end is near.
Kraven and Queen Goblin a ritual that drains the sins of Norman Osborn into his spear. When Kraven attempts to stab Osborn, Spider-Man takes the attack and is infected with Osborn's sins instead. Spider-Man confronts Kraven at the Kravinoff estate and injects him with a substance containing pheromones, which attracts Vermin and his clones. Kraven defeats many of the clones before being knocked out. Spider-Man fights off the remaining Vermin clones before burying Kraven alive.
Kraven is later freed by Osborn, who collaborates with him to remove Osborn's sins from Spider-Man. Kraven states that he will bind the spear in a ceremony and bury it underground.

Reception

IGN ranked Kraven the Hunter 53rd in their "Top Comic Book Villains" list. David Harth of Comic Book Resources described Kraven the Hunter as a "cool villain", praising the design of the character, and described him as "more than a match for Spider-Man."

Other versions

Age of Revelation

A possible future version of the Last Son of Kraven appears in the storyline "Age of Revelation". He is among those who are recruited to star in Mojo's TV series Longshots. Kraven and Rhino disappear after grabbing Bishop's arm, which Rhino has taken to replace his lost horn. The two later resurface and go on to star in several of Mojo's projects.

''Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows''

An alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-18119 appears in The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows as a member of Regent's Sinister Six.

Earth X

An alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-9997 appears in Earth X. This version is a humanoid lion.

Earth-001

An alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-001 appears in Spider-Verse. He accompanies Verna and the Hounds in hunting Miles Morales before being killed by the Superior Spider-Man.

Earth-31

An alternate universe version of Sergei Kravinoff from Earth-31 called Hunter Spider appears in End of the Spider-Verse. While fighting and killing a giant spider that killed a lion he was hunting, he was bitten by it and acquired arachnid physiology and abilities. Months later, he took to hunting animal-themed supervillains on J. Jonah Jameson's behalf. He later joins the Sinister Squadron to serve as a spy within the Spider-Society amidst their fight with Shathra.
Hunter Spider was seen with the Spider-Society when they are attacked by the Sinister Squadron. When Spider-Man 2099 of Earth-2099 was seen being tortured by Halloween Jack of Earth-2099 by the time the remaining Spider-Society members arrive, Spider-Man 2099 breaks free and restrains Halloween Jack while stating that Hunter Spider became their spy. Grabbing Lady Araña, Hunter Spider states "the best spiders know when to hunt alone and when to bring their pack". The rest of the Sinister Squadron arrive.

Earth-803

A steampunk-themed alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-803 appears in Spider-Verse. This version is a member of the Six Men of Sinestry.

Earth-312500

An alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-312500 who was killed by Spider-Man appears in Spider-Man: Last Stand.

''Marvel 1602''

An alternate universe version of Kraven, also known as Karnov, from Earth-311 appears in Marvel 1602. This version is a butcher.

''Marvel Age Spider-Man'' (2004-05)

An alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-5030 appears in Marvel Age Spider-Man #14.

Marvel Noir

In Marvel Noir, Kraven is depicted as a former animal trainer in a circus that was taken by Norman Osborn, a mob boss known as "the Goblin", as one of his hitmen and collectors. He was killed when a mass of man-eating spiders covered his body and started eating him during Spider-Man's fight with Osborn. His final act was to kill Osborn when his mangled spider-ridden corpse lands on him, thus spreading the miniature man-eaters.

''Marvel Zombies''

A zombified alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-2149 appears in Marvel Zombies.

''Old Man Logan''

In the series Old Man Logan, which takes place on Earth-21923, Kraven the Hunter was among the villains who took part in the elimination of the superheroes. During the fight in Manhattan, Kraven ambushes and kills the Punisher.
In the series Old Man Hawkeye, Kraven's granddaughter Vladlena and her brothers form a hunting group called the Killer Kravinoffs, seeking to live up to Kraven's legacy. The Killer Kravinoffs catch up to Marshal Bullseye, who manages to kill them.

''Secret Warps''

In Warp World, where the universe was folded in half during the "Infinity Wars" storyline, Kraven was fused with Bushman. He is a villain of the superhero Arachknight and he is seen fighting the Ghost Panther |Black Panther] and Ghost Rider.

''Spider-Gwen''

An alternate universe version of Kraven from Earth-65 appears in [Spider-Gwen. He was hired by Police Captain Frank Castle to catch Spider-Woman.

''Spider-Man: Life Story''

In the Earth-19529 setting of Spider-Man: Life Story where characters naturally aged after Peter Parker became Spider-Man in 1962, an aged Kraven hunts down Spider-Man as he dismisses the events of the Cold War. When Kraven tries burying Peter alive, the Venom symbiote that was bonded to Spider-Man helps him escape the grave and nearly causes him to kill Kraven before Mary Jane helped separate it from him. After that, Kraven feels he had accomplished his goal and gets ready to commit suicide as he's also suffering from cancer. However, the symbiote bonds with Kraven before the hunter commits suicide with his rifle.
In 2019, the Venom-possessed Kraven attacks Peter and Miles Morales in Doctor Doom's space station as the two heroes attempt to shut down Doom's technology across the planet. When he attempts to let the symbiote possess Miles, he discovers that Otto Octavius is possessing Miles's body, allowing Peter the chance to attack him with a sonic blast from his suit. When the symbiote separates from him, he is nothing more than a skeleton.

Ultimate Marvel

In the Ultimate Marvel series, Sergei Kravinoff is a Russian Australian and the host of his own TV reality show. In the TV show, he hunts down dangerous animals and intends to hunt and kill Spider-Man on live television to boost his ratings. He is arrested after being knocked out with a single punch by the superhero and his show is cancelled.
In the Ultimate Six story arc, Kraven the Hunter was interviewed on a talk show where its host questioned him about the "enhancements" he took, with him denying any knowledge of it. While exiting the TV studio, Kraven is confronted by the Ultimates for tampering with his genetic structure despite his lawyer's attempt to defuse the situation as Wasp disables the camera that was filming them. He flees before being taken down by Hawkeye. When being taken to his cell by Sharon Carter, Kraven briefly assumes an animalistic form before being subdued by his inhibitor collar. Kraven eventually escapes from the Triskelion with Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Electro, and Sandman. They capture Spider-Man, tie him up, unmask him, humiliate him, and blackmail him into joining their group as its sixth member. Kraven blames Spider-Man for the cancellation of his show, his arrest, his deportation, and his wife leaving him.
Alongside the rest of the Ultimate Six, Kraven plays a role in "The Death of Spider-Man" storyline. Norman Osborn breaks him and the rest of the Ultimate Six out of the Triskelion, with Vulture replacing Spider-Man.

Ultimate Universe

An alternate universe version of Sergei Kravinoff from Earth-6160 appears in Ultimate Spider-Man. This version is a billionaire oligarch whose family was exiled from Russia during the "Rasputin Purge". Stated to be from a long line of hunters, he always hunts prey in pairs; killing one and preserving the other. Additionally, he is a lieutenant of Wilson Fisk who controls Staten Island on his behalf and later joins his Sinister Six to combat the Green Goblin and Spider-Man. In pursuit of this goal, Kravinoff abducts and hunts the pair before Spider-Man beats him into submission. Mysterio subsequently advises Spider-Man to leave New York before killing Kravinoff and faking the Goblin's death.

''What The--?!''

A funny animal-themed alternate universe version of Kraven called Raven the Hunter appears in What The--?! #3.

In other media

Television

  • Kraven the Hunter appears in The Marvel Super Heroes "Iron Man" segment episode "Cliffs of Doom", voiced by Chris Wiggins.
  • Kraven was intended to appear in Spider-Man, but the producers were unable to use him due to his appearance in The Marvel Super Heroes. As such, original character Harley Clivendon appears in his place.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in the Spider-Man episode "The Hunter and the Hunted", voiced by Jack DeLeon.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in the Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends episode "The Crime of All Centuries", voiced by Robert Ridgely.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, voiced by Gregg Berger. This version is not portrayed as a villain; only coming into conflict with Spider-Man after the former was driven insane. Additionally, Kraven was originally a big-game hunter who got wounded while saving his fiancée Mariah Crawford. To save his life, Crawford administered a serum that healed him and strengthened his senses and physical abilities, though it also caused him to become increasingly bestial and paranoid until Spider-Man assists in curing him. In later appearances, he would join forces with Crawford and the Punisher to cure Spider-Man after he mutates into the Man-Spider and work with Spider-Man and Black Cat to cure Crawford of her own feral transformation before leaving with her for the wilderness.
  • A Counter-Earth incarnation of Kraven the Hunter simply called the Hunter appears in the Spider-Man Unlimited episode "Enter the Hunter!", voiced by Paul Dobson. This version is an African-American mercenary who works for the High Evolutionary and the rebels opposing him depending on who can pay his fee. Additionally, he is one of few humans that live in the upper sections of the High Evolutionary's city and utilizes a toxic serum that gives him the traits of certain animals when mixed with their pheromones, but shortens his lifespan.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in the Spider-Man: The New Animated Series episode "Mind Games", voiced by Michael Dorn. This version previously fought Spider-Man prior to the series and poisoned the Gaines twins' parents, which led to the twins acquiring hypnotic powers.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in The Spectacular Spider-Man, voiced by Eric Vesbit. This version was originally a renowned hunter who could take down large animals with only his natural abilities. He later enlists Miles Warren to transform him into a humanoid black-maned leonine creature with leopard and cheetah-like traits and joins the Sinister Six.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in Ultimate Spider-Man, voiced by Diedrich Bader. This version is a member of the Sinister Six who wields high-tech versions of traditional hunting weapons and mystical artifacts he collected from his journeys. Additionally, he killed Hector Ayala / White Tiger and gained an arch-enemy in the latter's daughter and successor Ava Ayala.
  • An amalgamated incarnation of Kraven the Hunter appears in Spider-Man, voiced by Troy Baker. Similarly to his Ultimate Marvel counterpart, this version is the host of a TV show called Kraven's Amazing Hunt who possesses Alyosha Kravinoff's long hair and eye paint, a cataract in one eye, and a cybernetic right arm.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in the Avengers Assemble episode "T'Challa Royale", voiced again by Troy Baker. This version has the same appearance as the one in Spider-Man, but lacks a cataract and sports a beard.

    Film

  • Marc Webb confirmed that Kraven the Hunter's spear appears in the end credits of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with the intention being that Kraven would have appeared in future films The Sinister Six and in The Amazing Spider-Man 3 before the franchise was cancelled.
  • Director Ryan Coogler revealed that he originally planned to include Kraven the Hunter in Black Panther.
  • Director Jon Watts stated he was interested in including Kraven in Spider-Man: No Way Home. This would later become a backup plan in case their original intentions for the film to include the concept of the multiverse did not pan out.
  • Two alternate universe-displaced variants of Kraven the Hunter make non-speaking cameo appearances in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as prisoners of the Spider-Society.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in a self-titled film, portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson as an adult and Levi Miller as a young adult. This version was attacked by a lion before he was saved by Calypso, who gave him a potion that granted him the abilities of nature's greatest predators. Ever since, Kraven uses his newfound powers to hunt criminals.

    Video games

  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six. This version is a member of the eponymous team.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in the Xbox port of Spider-Man, voiced by Peter Lurie.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in Spider-Man 3, voiced by Neil Kaplan.
  • * In the Treyarch version, he is partnered with Calypso, who provides him with various magic spells that give him the powers of a bear, a crow, and a black panther. After Calypso transforms the Lizard into a giant monster, she and Kraven leave Spider-Man to fight the Lizard himself.
  • * In the Vicarious Visions version, Kraven leads a group of hunters and only uses one potion that grants him super-speed. He is defeated by Spider-Man shortly before the Lizard mutates himself into a giant monster.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in the PS2 and PSP versions of Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, voiced by Dwight Schultz.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Jim Cummings. Kraven kidnaps Spider-Man, brings him to a jungle temple to hunt him on the former's terms with help from his students, and forces him to cooperate by revealing that he has a fragment of the Tablet of Order and Chaos. After Spider-Man evades his traps, humiliates him in front of his students, and defeats him in a cage match, Kraven uses the fragment to enhance himself, gaining superhuman speed and strength. However, he is defeated by Spider-Man, who claims his tablet fragment.
  • Kraven the Hunter serves as inspiration for one of Mike Haggar's costumes in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in Marvel Avengers Alliance as a member of the Sinister Six.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a playable character in Lego Marvel Super Heroes, voiced by JB Blanc.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in Spider-Man 2 |The Amazing Spider-Man 2] film tie-in game, voiced by Steve Blum in the console version and Nolan North in the mobile version.
  • * In the console version, Kraven is a renowned hunter. After being hired by Wilson Fisk to eliminate the latter's rivals and hunt down Oscorp's failed cross-species experiments, Kraven manipulates Spider-Man into helping him by engaging in vigilantism and serving as a mentor to him until Spider-Man discovers the truth and defeats him.
  • * In the mobile version, Kraven is the leader of the Russian Mob and a rival of Hammerhead.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in Marvel Heroes.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a playable character in Marvel: Future Fight. This version is a member of the Sinister Six.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a playable character and boss in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, voiced by Ronan Summers.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears as a boss in Spider-Man 2, voiced by Jim Pirri. This version is the leader of a group of private mercenaries called the "Hunters" who seeks to hunt various superpowered individuals in the hopes of finding someone he considers a worthy opponent to fight and kill him in battle before he dies of terminal cancer. Additionally, he killed his family and several supervillains off-screen as part of his quest. After nearly killing Spider-Man, Kraven fights Harry Osborn / Venom, who overpowers and kills him.

    Miscellaneous

  • Kraven the Hunter appears in The Amazing Spider-Man.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, portrayed by Christopher Tierney. In some productions, this version was an Oscorp scientist who was experimented on by the Green Goblin while in others, he was the comics' portrayal of Kraven. In all productions, he becomes a member of the Sinister Six.
  • A future incarnation of Kraven appears in Marvel's Wastelanders: Old Man Star-Lord, voiced by Patrick Page.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in a 1966 Aurora plastic model kit.
  • Kraven the Hunter appears in the 2024 TeamFourStar web series Kraven, played by Nick "Lanipator" Landis. Based on the Ultimate Marvel and self-titled film iterations of the character and the Liver King, this version is an unstable reality television star and conspiracy theorist who comes to New York to hunt and kill Spider-Man while promoting a film about his early life and his new reality show Kamp Kraven.