| Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff Kraven the Hunter | |
|---|---|
.webp) Kraven the Hunter. Textless cover toVenom #157 (November 2017). Art by Mark Bagley, John Dell, and John Rauch. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (August 1964)[1][2] |
| Created by |
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| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff |
| Species | Human mutate |
| Team affiliations | Sinister Six Kravinoff Family Avengers 1959 Army of Evil Justice Pals |
| Partnerships | Calypso Ezili Squirrel Girl |
| Notable aliases | Unhuntable Sergei Scarlet Spider Spider-Man The Hunter |
| Abilities |
|
Kraven the Hunter (Sergei Nikolaevich Kravinoff;Russian: Сергей Николаевич Кравинов) is asupervillain appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. Created by writerStan Lee and artistSteve Ditko, the characterfirst appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man #15 (August 1964) as an adversary for thesuperheroSpider-Man.[3] He has since endured as one of the web-slinger's most formidable foes, and is part of the collective of adversaries that make upSpider-Man's rogues' gallery. Kraven has also come into conflict with other heroes, such asBlack Panther andTigra. He is the half-brother of theChameleon[4] and is one of the founding members of theSinister Six.[5]
In Kraven's first appearance, he calls Spider-Man "the most dangerous game", a direct reference to the 1924short story of the same name, in which General Zaroff, a Russianbig-game hunter (and a primary inspiration for the character), hunts people for sport.[6]
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.[7] 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 anantihero and has teamed up with other heroes, including Spider-Man, theAvengers of 1959, andSquirrel Girl, inThe Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015–2019). 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 sonsAlyosha andSergei Kravinoff II, and his daughterAna Kravinoff.
Since his original introduction in comics, the character has been featured in various other Marvel-licensed products, includingvideo games,animatedtelevision series, and merchandise.Aaron Taylor-Johnson portrayed Kraven the Hunter in theSony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) live-action filmKraven the Hunter (2024).
The character first appeared inThe Amazing Spider-Man issue #15 (August 1964), and was created by writerStan Lee and artistSteve Ditko.[8] 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 byJ. M. DeMatteis,Mike Zeck, andBob 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:
As I was getting ready to work on the story, I was sitting in my office and looking through aMarvel Universe Handbook and came across the entry for Kraven the Hunter. To this day, I don't know if this was something that was established incontinuity, or if whoever was writing the Handbook entry made it up, but they mentioned that Kraven wasRussian. For me, a totalDostoyevsky fanatic, the idea that Kraven was Russian and had the same tortured, Russian soul that the great Dostoyevsky characters had, unlocked this door in my head and suddenly I had a new understanding of this character. I thought about Kraven and the forces that had driven him to be who and what he was. This was a character I had never had any interest in whatsoever. I always thought he was one of the stupidest Spider-Man villains ever, but suddenly I had this whole new take on the character.[9]
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.[9] Kraven later returns as a ghost in the graphic novelThe Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter, also by DeMatteis, Zeck, and McLeod. DeMatteis also wrote "Kraven's First Hunt" forThe Sensational Spider-Man Annual '96, a retelling ofThe Amazing Spider-Man #15 which incorporated several DeMatteisretcons, such as that Kraven wasabusive towards theChameleon.
Sergei Kravinoff (Сергей Кравинов) is a Russian immigrant, the son of anaristocrat who fled to the United States with his family in 1917 after theexecutions of Russian nobility by theFebruary Revolution and subsequent collapse of the reign of TsarNicholas II.
Kraven is a maniacalbig-game hunter who seeks to defeatSpider-Man to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.[10] Unlike other hunters, he typically disdains the use of guns orbow 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.[11] He consumes a mystical serum to give himself enhanced strength and dramatically slow theaging process. Kraven was trained as a hunter largely by a mysterious man named Gregor, a mercenary who once battledKa-Zar.[12] Kraven was, at one point, the lover of thevoodoo priestessCalypso.[13]
He is contacted by his half-brother theChameleon to defeat Spider-Man. He leads Spider-Man toCentral 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.[14]
Kraven becomes a founding member of theSinister Six when he acceptsDoctor Octopus's offer to form a team to fight Spider-Man. They captureAunt May andBetty Brant. He attacks Spider-Man inCentral Park with threetigers. 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.[15]
While in theSavage Land, Kraven the Hunter findsGog 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 visitingGwen Stacy from a camp in the Savage Land, Kraven and Gog battle the heroes Ka-Zar and Spider-Man.[16] 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.[17]
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.[18] To complete his victory, he attempts to become Spider-Man's clear superior by impersonating him in a brutal vigilante campaign and capturingVermin, the one foe Spider-Man had never been able to defeat on his own (Spider-Man's last battle with Vermin requiredCaptain America's assistance).[19][20]
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 finalconfession of his crimes against Spider-Man and then commits suicide.[21] Because of his suicide, his soul is unable to find rest until Spider-Man confronts his risen corpse on Kraven's behalf.[22]
Across "The Gauntlet" and "Grim Hunt", Kraven is resurrected by his ex-wife Sasha Kravinoff and their children with adark magic ritual using the blood of Spider-Man.[23] Thoroughly unhappy and enraged with having been bestowed an unwanted revival, Sergei is shown to now be explosivelypsychopathic 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.[24] 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 byJulia Carpenter (who has inherited the powers ofMadame Web after her death) 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 (a scenario previously glimpsed in an earlier issue). Following their defeat by Spider-Man, Kraven and his family escape to the Savage Land. While there, Kraven brutally kills Sasha (who complained that Kraven would have to hunt them to prove their place in the Kravinoff family) 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.[25]
It was later revealed that back in the 1950s, Kraven the Hunter was a member ofNick Fury'sAvengers alongsideDominic Fortune I,Dum Dum Dugan,Namora,Silver Sable,Sabretooth, andUlysses 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.[26]
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.[27]
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 theBlack Panther—currently acting as a 'local' vigilante to regain his sense of self after the destruction ofWakanda'svibranium—in return for her help finding a way for him to die. With the aid ofStorm, 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.[28]
When their identities became fractured after a temporary separation, theHulk discovers that Bruce Banner had hired Kraven to find the lost city of theSasquatches. Although the Hulk was uninterested with helping the Sasquatches deal with Kraven, he changes his mind and beats up Kraven.[29]
Kaine, in the alias of theScarlet Spider, later encountered Kraven the Hunter, who was dressed as the Scarlet Spider to torment him.[30] 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.[31]
Kraven, still claiming to be cursed, next battlesSquirrel 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 likeGiganto, playing on Kraven's obsessions by challenging him to hunt worthier prey.[32] He later returns to abductHoward the Duck,[33] but is trapped with Howard and Squirrel Girl in a manhunt as the hunted. After surviving, he vows to only "hunt the hunters".[34]
During the "Avengers: Standoff!" storyline, Kraven was an inmate of Pleasant Hill, a gated community established by S.H.I.E.L.D. who usedKobik's abilities to turn Kraven into azookeeper. He rallied some of his fellow inmates to help him find Kobik and bring her toHelmut Zemo.[35]
In the "Secret Empire" storyline, Zemo recruits Kraven into the Army of Evil.[36] He raids theDaily Bugle to uncover Spider-Man's identity, but is defeated bySpider-Woman.[37]
In "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 theHigh Evolutionary, Kraven the Hunter has 87clones of him created, trained as the Sons of Kraven, and sent out to prove themselves by being hunted by each other. Only one clone survived, and was dubbed theLast Son of Kraven. With help from theTaskmaster, theBlack Ant, andArcade, Kraven hunts various animal-themed characters, like theBeetle,Kangaroo,Owl,Puma, theSerpent Society,Squid, andWhite Rabbit.[38] Later, Kraven disguises himself as Spider-Man and tricks Last Son into killing him.[39]
By regularly ingesting the potion made from various unnamed jungle herbs, Kraven grants himself superhuman physical abilities,[40] 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,[41] 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 ofpressure 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 andtranquilizers, which he often uses during his hunts.
Due to a flaw in the ceremony that resurrected him, Kraven was given "theunlife... 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.
Kraven the Hunter had different family members and clones. He even fathered several children who have followed in his footsteps:
Vladimir Kravinoff was a son of Sergei Kravinoff, the infamous adversary ofSpider-Man known as Kraven the Hunter. Unlike his illegitimate half-brotherAlyosha Kravinoff who was raised in shame inAfrica, 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 theHobgoblin, even giving his identity ofJason 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 theScarlet Spider instead.Kaine (a clone of Spider-Man) 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.[42]
During "The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt" storyline, Sasha Kravinoff sacrificesMattie Franklin as part of a ritual that resurrects Vladimir as a humanoid lion.[43] Vladimir later assists Ana and Alyosha Kravinoff with capturingAnya Corazon as well as a second attempt to captureArachne.[23] 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.[24] After Spider-Man defeated the Kravinoff family, they escaped to theSavage Land where Sergei killed Sasha and Vladimir.[25]
Alyosha Kravinoff is amutant who is the second Kraven the Hunter 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 toNew York City to investigate the father he barely knew. Dressed as Kraven, Alyosha confronted his uncle Dmitri Smerdyakov (AKA Chameleon). 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 the Hunter. She seduced Alyosha, but afterwards he spurned her affections. Later, riding a bullelephant atopManhattan's rooftops, Alyosha attackedSpider-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.[44]
He was later hired by the city of New York to help capture theFantastic Four's enigmatic enormous canid Puppy. Next, he was hired byWhite Wolf, head of the deposedWakandan secret police, to capture Black Panther. Black Panther turned the battle around, nearly killing Alyosha.Sandman later invited Alyosha to join Sandman'sSinister Six to huntDoctor Octopus andSenator Ward (the host body for the alienZ'nox).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.[45]
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 inHollywood 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 (who was later killed by Chameleon) and left Hollywood to pursue heroics in New York City.[46]
Alyosha is one of few mutants that retained their superhuman powers after theM-Day.[volume & issue needed] He is one of the superpowered beings recruited within theBeyond! miniseries byStranger posing as theBeyonder.[47]
Alyosha Kraven later eventually becomes fully deranged from experimenting with his father's potions, and in his madness began collecting azoo of animal-themed superhumans, includingBushmaster II,Gargoyle II,Tiger Shark,Kangaroo II,Aragorn (the version that was owned by the Vatican Black Knight),Vulture,Mongoose,Man-Bull,Dragon Man,Swarm,Mandrill,Grizzly III,Frog-Man, andRhino. In the end, thePunisher (whom Kraven referred to as "Tiny Monkey") managed to sabotage this zoo. Kraven himself escapes to theSavage Land.[48]
During "The Gauntlet" storyline, Alyosha returned to New York to help his half-sister Ana and stepmother Sasha in the Grim Hunt by huntingKaine. They then witness Spider-Man's fight with theLizard.[49] He was present at the ritual where Sasha sacrificedMattie Franklin as part of a revival ritual that resurrects his half-brotherVladimir as a humanoid lion-like creature.[43] After the Kravinoff Family was defeated, Alyosha alongside the other Kravinoff Family members escaped to the Savage Land. Alyosha soon abandoned his family after Kraven killed Sasha and Vladimir. 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.[25]
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 inHouston,Texas.[50]
There was a third son namedNedrocci "Ned"Tannengarden who tried to kill Alyosha, but he was murdered by the Chameleon (who, during that time, believed himself to be the original Kraven the Hunter).[46]
It was revealed during 2009'sX-Men/Spider-Man crossover miniseries that years earlier, Kraven made a deal withMister Sinister. He and theBlob 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 fromCyclops,Marvel Girl,Iceman,Angel, andBeast. Furthermore, Sinister requested from Kraven a sample of hisDNA.[51] Mister Sinister later cut a deal withCarnage to obtain a sample of theCarnagesymbiote. After removing the sentience from the Carnage symbiote sample, Mister 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.[52] Years later after the death of Kraven, anex-Morlock who had kept his powers postM-Day named Joe Buggs was murdered by a mysteriousmutant hunter. His friend Ed (who had lost his powers) went to the X-Men for help. He claimed that the man who killed Buggs was Kraven the Hunter. 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 dispatchedColossus, but was held at bay by Spider-Man's webbing. He broke free, claiming his name isXraven. The X-Men quickly realize that Xraven has all of the powers of the original X-Men, while also sporting retractable claws, big hands and feet, fangs, and wings that have a very flexible skeletal structure enough for him to press them to the back of his torso and legs with only the slightest bulge visible under his clothing (Carnage's DNA allowed the wings to be flexible). He was able to defeat Cyclops andShadowcat, 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, andWolverine. Returning to Mister Sinister with the samples, Mister 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 Mister Sinister would breed slaves as opposed to warriors, and Xraven attacks him. Although it is clear that Mister Sinister survived his confrontation with Xraven, it is currently unknown whether Xraven survived.[53]
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.[54]
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 roommateVin Gonzales was him. She then methodically ruins Vin's life, and captures him.[55] 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 (which had eyelids for him to be able to see). At the end, it is revealed that she is Kraven's daughter by a woman called Sasha Aleksandra Nikolaevich (also the mother of the deceasedVladimir Kravinoff). She and her mother have recently set about forming an alliance of Spider-Man villains to get revenge on the wall-crawler and kidnapMadame Web. They also hiredDeadpool to keep him distracted while they kidnappedMattie Franklin.[56] Ana and Sasha later meet up with Alyosha Kravinoff, who assists them in preparing for the "Grim Hunt", where they start going after Kaine.[49]
Ana assists her half-brotherAlyosha Kravinoff into attempting to abductArachne, only to run afoul of Spider-Man, who repels them. Ana alongside Alyosha,Electro, andDiablo are present when Sasha sacrifices Mattie Franklin as part of a ritual that resurrects Vladimir Kravinoff as a humanoidlion creature.[43] Ana alongside Vladimir and Alyosha attacksAnya Corazon, only to end up fighting Spider-Man, Arachne,Kaine, andEzekiel Sims (who was really Ana's half-uncleChameleon in disguise). 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 (dressed as Spider-Man) is killed as a sacrifice as part of a ritual that revives her father Sergei Kravinoff.[23] 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.[24] When the Kravinoff Family is defeated, Ana alongside the other Kravinoffs escapes to theSavage 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.[25]
Ana later attacks Anya Corazon (who is now operating as Spider-Girl) 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.[57]
Ana later escapes incarceration and heads to Houston to hunt Kaine (the current Scarlet Spider). 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.[50]
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.[31]
Ana Kravinoff later serves as the guide to the InhumansGorgon andFlint, taking them to the Chimanimani Mountains of Mozambique, Africa, where they found the hidden Inhuman city of Utolan.[58] 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 (and for which her father tried to kill her when she told him). 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'seugenics-based practices.[59] 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 [her] nature".[60]
In a prelude to the "Hunted" storyline, Ana accompanies her father in hunting theNew Men to draw out theHigh 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.[38]
During the "Sinister War" storyline, Ana Kravinoff is discussed as a new recruit for theSinister 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 interceptOverdrive, who was carrying Spider-Man away fromForeigner's group.[61]
Kraven's wife and Ana's motherSasha 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.
TheLast Son of Kraven (one of the manySons of Kraven) was cloned from Kraven the Hunter's DNA by theHigh Evolutionary. He hunted his fellow clones and returned to Kraven the Hunter, where he proved himself by presenting him with the skulls of his fellow clones.[38] Kraven the Hunter 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.[62] The Last Son of Kraven later chased after the Black Cat. Kraven the Hunter donned the black Spider-Man suit, where he tricked the Last Son of Kraven into killing him.[39] 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 the Hunter's rifle on the wall. The letter from Kraven the Hunter 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 the Hunter, where he cuts his hair, wipes off his tiger stripes, and dons a copy of Kraven the Hunter's costume.[63]
IGN ranked Kraven the Hunter 53rd in their "Top Comic Book Villains" list.[64] David Harth ofComic 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."[65]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-5030 appears inMarvel Age Spider-Man #14.[66]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-18119 appears inTheAmazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows as a member ofRegent's Sinister Six.[67]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-9997 appears inEarth X. This version is a humanoid lion.[68]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-001 appears inSpider-Verse. He accompanies Verna and the Hounds in huntingMiles Morales before being killed by theSuperior Spider-Man.[69]
An alternate universe variant of Sergei Kravinoff from Earth-31 calledHunter Spider appears inEnd 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 onJ. Jonah Jameson's behalf. He later joins theSinister Squadron to serve as a spy within the Spider-Society amidst their fight with Shathra.[70][71]
A steampunk-themed alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-803 appears inSpider-Verse.[72][73] This version is a member of the Six Men of Sinestry.
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-312500 who was killed by Spider-Man appears inSpider-Man: Last Stand.[74]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-311 appears inMarvel 1602. This version is a butcher also known asKarnov.[75]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-90214 appears inMarvel Noir. This version is an animal trainer who is later killed by man-eating spiders.[76]
A zombified alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-2149 appears inMarvel Zombies.[volume & issue needed]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-21923 appears inOld Man Logan.[77]
Additionally, Kraven's descendant Vladvena and her unnamed brothers from Earth-807128, collectively known as theKiller Kravinoffs, appear inOld Man Hawkeye.[78]
Bushman the Hunter, an amalgamation of Kraven andBushman created by theInfinity Gems, appears inInfinity Wars.[79]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-65 appears inSpider-Gwen.[80]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-19529 appears inSpider-Man: Life Story. Due to suffering from terminal cancer, he commits suicide before theVenom symbiote possesses and resurrects him.[81][82]
An alternate universe variant of Kraven from Earth-1610 appears inUltimate Marvel. This version is aRussian Australian and the host of a reality television series where he hunts dangerous animals who intends to hunt and killSpider-Man on live television to boost his ratings.[83][84] He later undergoes genetic enhancements and gains the ability to transform into a monstrous lion hybrid.[85][86][87][88][89]
An alternate universe variant of Sergei Kravinoff from Earth-6160 appears inUltimate 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 ofWilson Fisk who controlsStaten Island on his behalf and later joins his Sinister Six to combat theGreen Goblin andSpider-Man.[90]
A funny animal-themed alternate universe variant of Kraven calledRaven the Hunter appears inWhat The--?! #3.[91]
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[Stan] Lee and [Steve] Ditko's newest villain, Kraven the Hunter, debuted in this issue.
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