STACK #245 March 2025

MOVIE FEATURE

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GENRE: Action sci-fi RUN TIME: 2h 7m

BORN TO HUNT After a long wait, Kraven the Hunter is finally here! The brutal new action flick from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe. Words Gill Pringle

• Kraven the Hunter is out Mar 19

ROGUES GALLERY Top 5 Spidey villains

K raven the Hunter - aka Sergei Kravinoff - is one of Spider-Man’s most intense and unique foes. Unlike most villains, he doesn’t want wealth or power. Instead, he’s driven by a primal obsession: to be the best hunter in the world, and that includes taking down Spider-Man as his ultimate prize.

world, but also one of its most feared. According to sources, Sony had previously approached Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, John David Washington, and Adam Driver for the role, but quickly decided upon Taylor-Johnson after seeing early footage of his performance in Bullet Train . One of the things that sets Kraven apart is his code of

1

Green Goblin (Norman Osborn)

Kraven is a master tracker, hand-to-hand fighter, and survivalist. With enhanced physical abilities

honour. He’s not a typical villain; he doesn’t even see himself as a bad guy. To him, hunting Spider Man isn’t about malice, it’s about proving his strength and skill. In his mind, he’s

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- thanks to a special serum that gives him the strength, speed, and endurance of a superhuman - he sees himself as a predator at the top of the food chain. Intended as the sixth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), the R-rated [U.S. rating] action film stars Aaron Taylor Johnson in the title role with our own Russell Crowe portraying Kraven’s estranged father, Nikolai Kravinoff, a ruthless crime lord. Father and son share a complex relationship and the way Kraven/Sergei

adhering to a personal standard of warrior nobility, which means he doesn’t use guns or high-tech gadgets. He prefers old-school, close quarters combat with his bare hands or basic weapons. This sense of honour sometimes even earns him a strange sort of respect from other heroes, and it also makes him unpredictable - he’ll sometimes team up with Spider-Man if it

DYK?

Ironically, there Spider Man does not appear in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. There are, however, references to his existence, most notably the birth of Peter Parker in the post-credit sequence of Madame Web .

Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius)

3

Venom (Eddie Brock)

fits his agenda. One of the most famous stories featuring Kraven is the comic Kraven’s Last Hunt , a dark tale where he actually defeats Spider-Man and temporarily takes on his identity. It’s one of the few stories that show a villain actually achieving their goal, which is rare in superhero comics. In the end, Kraven realises that he’s proven all he needs to and lets Spider-Man live, but the victory leaves him feeling empty. This moment cements Kraven as more than just a villain - he’s a complex character haunted by his obsession. His blend of honour, obsession, and tragedy makes him one of the most memorable foes in Spider-Man’s world.

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was treated as a child, sets him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the

The Vulture (Adrian Toomes)

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Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Russell Crowe

Sandman (Flint Marko)

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Venom trilogy, Madame Web, Morbius

10 MARCH 2025

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