Is Kraven the Hunter the End of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?

As someone who has been following the ups and downs of the Sony Spider-Man Universe for quite some time now, I must say that it seems like we have reached a turning point. The recent string of poorly received films, including Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter, has left fans and critics alike wondering what’s next.

2024 is almost at its end, yet another superhero movie is due to grace our screens – “Kraven the Hunter,” featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the cunning Spider-Man adversary. This film marks both the final superhero release of 2024 and potentially the last installment in the series. Here’s a rundown on how Kraven the Hunter concludes, covering aspects such as post-credit scenes, hints towards a sequel, and speculations about its likelihood given Sony’s recent hesitance regarding this Spider-Man universe devoid of the titular hero himself.

How does Kraven the Hunter end?

In theaters starting today (December 13) is “Kraven the Hunter,” a full-length movie that delves into the origins of the villain by the same name, who debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man issue 15 back in 1964. This formidable hunter, known for pursuing only the most challenging prey (such as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man), is one of Spidey’s most iconic adversaries. However, in this movie directed by J.C. Chandor, Peter Parker takes a backseat, and Kraven steps into the limelight as the main character.

Only when the villainous crime boss, Aleksei Sytsevich (also known as Rhino, portrayed exceptionally well by Alessandro Nivola) abducts Dmitri to reach Nikolai, does Sergei feel compelled to act for his family’s sake. After overpowering Rhino, rescuing Dmitri, and realizing the time is right, Sergei decides it’s necessary to eliminate his detested father as well. He accomplishes this by releasing a massive bear upon him.

In an unforeseen turn of events, Kraven’s pursuit has led to some complications. Dmitri, who was once very intimate with him, is furious because Sergei concealed his true actions from him. In retaliation, Dmitri assumes their late father’s role and undergoes a transformation process similar to the one that gives Aleksei the ability to transform into a rhino-like creature. Now, Dmitri possesses shape-shifting abilities and joins the ranks of Spider-Man’s adversaries as The Chameleon. This sets the stage for conflict between the two, and Sergei faces criticisms that he is not so dissimilar from his power-hungry father, despite his claims of merely apprehending (read: extralegally executing) criminals. The movie concludes with Sergei returning to his childhood home, where he uncovers a taxidermied lion’s head tailored into a vest that resembles Kraven’s costume from the comics. As the film ends, Sergei is seen slumped in a chair, suggesting that he may be preparing to accept his destiny and pursue dangerous game as a hunter.

Isn’t it likely that the scene after the credits, a staple of nearly every comic book film, will hint at what lies ahead for Kraven?

Does Kraven the Hunter have a post-credits scene?

There are no additional scenes after the credits in this movie, so feel free to leave whenever you like without missing any Kraven action or other surprises.

Is Kraven the Hunter the End of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?

How does Kraven the Hunter set up sequels, and might they involve Spider-Man?

In the movie “Kraven the Hunter,” there are numerous hints that the portrayed character could develop into the classic Spider-Man adversary as seen in comic books over the years. As director Chandor explained to Collider, by the film’s conclusion, it should be evident that this character could exist within a universe where “Kraven’s Last Hunt” is a genuine storyline. Towards the end of the movie, Sergei ponders his role in life. While he has been depicted as a hero for the past two hours, one can easily envision a scenario where he resorts to hunting to cope with the emptiness brought on by his estrangement from Dmitri.

As a passionate cinephile, I’ve noticed an intriguing hint in the movie that might pave the way for a face-off between Kraven and our friendly neighborhood Spidey. Although Spider-Man isn’t present in “Kraven the Hunter”, there’s an abundance of spiders, which is quite peculiar given their symbolic connection to him.

As a die-hard cinema enthusiast immersed in the world of Marvel’s web-slinger, I can’t help but notice an intriguing link connecting Spidey to “Kraven the Hunter.” In the film, Aleksei mentions a New York City doctor who performed the transformation that turned him into the Rhino. Interestingly enough, Dmitri also refers to this same physician, hinting he underwent a similar procedure to become the Chameleon. Given these revelations, it’s not far-fetched to assume this doctor could be none other than Norman Osborn, AKA the Green Goblin – a longstanding adversary of Spider-Man. This subtle reference in “Kraven the Hunter” suggests that we might witness a plethora of classic Spidey supervillain shenanigans unfolding within the concrete jungle of New York City.

So, could we potentially see these plans for upcoming Kraven encounters, perhaps involving Spider-Man, coming to fruition? To be honest…

Is this the end of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?

In Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which focuses on lesser-known Spider-Man characters and only loosely ties together as a franchise, there have been six films produced so far. Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man, but due to an arrangement between Sony and Disney, Tom Holland’s version of Spider-Man is shared with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This collaboration allows for a co-parenting situation regarding the wall-crawler character. To avoid having two live-action Spider-Men appearing simultaneously, Sony has been producing standalone movies that maximize their intellectual property. The Venom trilogy, starring Tom Hardy, have been financially successful, largely due to the intense and energetic performance by Hardy. However, the third movie’s box office numbers suggest a decrease in viewer interest.

It’s generally accepted among both critics and audiences that the movies, including Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter, have all received poor reviews and have underperformed at the box office. Interestingly, these films concluded with hints for sequels. In Morbius, Michael Keaton reprised his role as Vulture from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and proposed a partnership with Jared Leto’s vampire character to capture Spider-Man, which seems questionable given that Spider-Man supposedly didn’t exist in Morbius’ universe. No sequel for Morbius, titled Morbius 2, has been announced. Similarly, Madame Web ends with the birth of Peter Parker and Dakota Johnson taking on a mentor role to three potential Spider-Women. However, they still haven’t developed their superpowers, which suggests that there won’t be a Madame Web 2. The same seems likely for Kraven Hunts Again.

Is Kraven the Hunter the End of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe?

It seems that all the movies based on the Spider-Man Intellectual Property (IP) have struggled to make it clear that what audiences really care about is Spider-Man himself, not secondary characters like Morbius or Kraven. Despite building the expected superhero world as per comic book fans’ expectations, the universe being created has remained unclear. Apart from Venom’s unexpected box office success and a few ‘so bad it’s good’ moments in other films, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe can be considered a massive disappointment. A report by The Wrap suggests that Sony might be changing their strategy, focusing more on making Spider-Man movies with the actual character instead. Whether these new films will feature Tom Holland’s Spidey in non-Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) adventures or something entirely new is still uncertain. At this point, there are no officially announced Sony Spider-Man Universe films on their calendar.

It appears likely that we won’t see any more installments of this franchise for now. Could it be possible that Aaron Taylor-Johnson could return to play Kraven in a future Spider-Man film, one not directly conflicting with the 2024 movie? Yes, but having standalone films featuring Spider-Man villains or sidekicks without the presence of Spider-Man himself feels like a pattern that may have run its course.

2024-12-13 23:08

Elden Ring Nightreign Network Test Confirmed for February

Steel Paws, an action-adventure title from Netflix and Yu Suzuki is set to launch on mobile in 2025