Sony has had a hard time getting its “Spider-Man Villains” franchise on track. Not only is it difficult to market an entire cinematic universe based almost exclusively on villains, but picking some of the more obscure ones (besides Venom) hasn’t really helped Sony’s Spider-Man Universe reach the same heights as the MCU or even the DCU.
I’ll be the first to admit that knowing the next character to join the SSU would be Kraven the Hunter didn’t exactly raise my hopes for this cinematic universe. That said, there’s nothing that can’t be worse than Madame Web, so maybe I should keep an open mind, right? That’s what I thought before Sony released the first eight minutes of Kraven the Hunter on YouTube this past Monday. If I used to be cautiously optimistic before, consider me a full-blown Kraven fan now.
Kraven the Hunter Or Kraven the Gangster?
One thing that immediately caught my attention with that sneak peek is how much Sony is willing to bend Kraven’s character to make him more “appealing.” Aaron Taylor-Johnson is great when he works in high-octane action flicks, so now Kraven plays more like a spy thriller than your average superhero film.
The whole intro had this distinct Fargo vibe that elevated the presentation a notch above what Venom has ever delivered. Kraven‘s cinematography is also a noticeable improvement over most comic book movies released in recent years. Ben Davis (The Banshees of Inisherin, The King’s Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy) outdid himself with this one, delivering a movie that looks like an intense spy thriller.
Some outlets are dubbing Kraven a “gangster movie,” which might seem odd to comic book fans familiar with Kraven as the fur-clad poacher obsessed with hunting Spider-Man. However, the approach fits Taylor-Johnson’s take on the character perfectly – exactly the kind of role to showcase his potential as a contender for the coveted 007 codename.
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A Worthy Rival at Last
Something that always bothered me about Sony’s attempts at kickstarting a Spider-Man cinematic universe is that none of the characters introduced in it so far – besides Venom – would be a good match for Tom Holland’s Spidey. Just imagine Jared Leto’s Morbius pairing up with a guy who faced off against Thanos. It’s just not the same playfield anymore.
If Sony intended to make a cinematic universe centered around iconic Spidey villains, why not kick things off with fresh takes on Doc Ock or Rhino? Better yet, they could have brought back Michael Mando to finally play Scorpion. But no, we’re stuck with movies following villains like Morbius – and at this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if they announced a film centered on Gibbon next.
Kraven seemed like a terrible pick for a leading man at first. I mean, he’s hardly one of Spidey’s most interesting villains. That said, what Sony has shown so far already proves the film is in good hands, which is something most fans wouldn’t have expected given their track record with standalone villain projects. If the execution matches the teaser’s promise, Kraven might just redefine how we see Spider-Man’s rogues in solo projects.
It’s great to see that Kraven has seemingly turned things around with fans after that teaser. Almost every comment on YouTube agrees that the movie’s looking quite good – at least, it’s a clear improvement over Morbius or the dreaded Madame Web. On December 13th, we’ll see if Kraven delivers on its promise or if it will share Morbius‘ status as a meme icon. For me, however, it’s Kraven time.
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