Credit: Inside the MagicThe new trailer for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’ Kraven the Hunter dropped last weekend, and those expecting a cinematic adaptation of the fur-clad fiend of the concrete jungle seen in Marvel Comics might be disappointed with the upcoming origin story. This clearly isn’t the Spider-Man villain fans know, but it might be more than a conflict of visions.
No matter which side of the Marvel/Sony adaptations fans sit on, there is definitely an overall different flavor between the characters seen in Disney’s MCU and Sony’s adaptations like Venom and Morbius. Many believe that there’s a general tonal dissonance between the two points in the Marvel Multiverse, and that’s perhaps no better represented than with Kraven the Hunter.
Has Marvel Doomed Kraven From the Start?
Although this is just the first official trailer, it’s never a good sign for a movie when their ad is mishmashed at best and confusing at worst. Up until Aaron Taylor Johnson puts on the lion fur, viewers would have no idea that this is connected to Spider-Man or any other point in the Marvel canon, and it only gets weirder when Rhino is hinted.
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The biggest flaw many, particularly this writer, might catch in the trailer is how far from the source material the movie seems to be spinning things. It seems they keep Kraven’s origin story semi-intact by depicting his power-hungry and potentially-abusive father (played by Russell Crowe), and the themes of game hunting, but when his blood mixes with the lion’s is where things get completely off the rails.
Speaking as a massive comic book enthusiast, there’s something uncomfortably familiar with the way Sony is portraying Kraven and the way Warner Bros. did Catwoman in 2004. Suffering a near-fatal accident, getting the powers of a predatory animal, and going on a revenge quest is something most will likely be all too familiar with, and that’s where the film starts to crumble.
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Based on what we know about the movie now, it’s having a major identity crisis that’s bound to bite it in the butt by the time the movie premiers. The departure from canon, confusing tone, predictable storyline, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s bone-dry delivery is bound to have more than a few Marvel fans groaning before the credits roll.
Has Sony de-clawed Marvel’s hunter? Tell Inside the Magic what you think in the comments below!