How ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Reimagines the Comic Book Villain’s Powers

Does Kraven the Hunter have powers? Like the ethics of hunting, the answer is complicated.

For those of you who don’t know who Kraven the Hunter is, check out this friendly neighborhood field guide detailing his villain origin story. The short answer is that he’s a big game hunter and Spider-Man villain and the subject of an upcoming spinoff film. Kraven has had many different iterations throughout Marvel Comics, and in each version his powers and their origin change slightly.

So what’s the deal? Is he just really good at shooting elephant guns like Robin Williams in Jumanji? Or is he some sort of evil Tarzan raised by lions that he later killed? Fear not! We are about to embark on a safari into the heart of darkness and uncover the secret behind this villain’s powers once and for all.

Give it to me straight, doc. Does Kraven have powers or no?

Once again, the answer is complicated. It’s impossible to give a straight answer because Kraven the Hunter’s powers are somewhat ambiguous, like the spectrum of human sexuality! In the comics, Kraven has naturally enhanced abilities that he supplements with a potion. In the movie, it’s a little murky for now.

How did Kraven get his powers?

The straightest answer I can find concerning the Kraven the Hunter movie is that while Kraven (formerly Sergei Kravinoff) was man-handling a lion, some of the lion’s blood entered an open wound, giving him animalistic physical abilities and an enhanced connection to the natural world. From what I can gather, this Kraven (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has enhanced speed, reflexes, and strength. He also has a fine-tuned array of senses, just like Spider-Man! Except instead of a spidey sense he has a lion-y sense, I guess? You’d think that a lion-y sense would be less effective, because most male lions are chubby dads that sleep all day. But I guess it’s working for Kraven?

Kraven has a similar set of abilities in the comics, but he acquired them through a different set of circumstances that are equally contrived! Before his tenure as Kraven began, Sergei Kravinoff trained as a hunter for most of his life. His travels around the world led him to cross paths with a Haitian voodoo priestess named Calypso. The pair eventually fell in love, and Calypso developed a magical potion in order to enhance Sergei’s abilities and help him succeed in his quest to become the world’s greatest hunter. After ingesting the potion and gaining power, Sergei devoted himself to becoming a hunter of the world’s most dangerous game: humans. And not just any humans—SUPER humans. Sergei has used his formidable skills to track down various Marvel heroes throughout the years, and his physical abilities allow him to rival Spider-Man in terms of sheer power.

Aside from his physical abilities, Kraven is also a master of various types of weaponry. I’m talking rifles, pistols, bows and arrows, Bowie knives, spears, and lots and lots of nets! Too many nets! He’s an expert marksman, and I’m sure his animalistic senses are a major contributor to that. He even has a special vest made out of a lion’s head that he electrified in order to incapacitate enemies. How does it not electrocute him while he’s wearing it? Don’t think about that too hard! The eyes of his vest are also able to emit poisonous gases, because why not?

Kraven’s wilderness survival skills are also greater than the greatest of Boy Scouts. He has graduated to Man Scout. He has vast knowledge of the various medicinal herbs found throughout the wilderness. He could definitely start a fire just by rubbing sticks together. And I’m sure this dude knows how to tie a shit ton of knots. Not only that, Kraven’s natural connection with the world allows him to tame the planet’s animals and get them to do his bidding. He’s basically the Aquaman of the land! The Landquaman! Or just Land Man! Why didn’t he go with that supervillain name instead?

It should be noted that there is a VARIANT of Kraven the Hunter that appeared in the Ultimate Comics. This Kraven was able to enhance his physical abilities due to genetic modification. Did the Lizard’s villain origin story from Spider-Man not teach him that this was a bad idea? Guess not. After some freaky gene-splicing, the Kraven from Ultimate Comics turned himself into a lion man that would make Mumford and Sons proud. He ain’t no little lion man either, he’s a BIG one.

(featured image: Marvel Comics)