Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Edge of Spider-Verse #5Existing as the most brutal Spider-Verse hero yet, the new hybrid between Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man is an incredibly dark anti-hero. Known as the Hunter-Spider, this alternate version of Sergei Kravinoff from Earth-31 receives a truly disturbing origin story in the latest issue of Marvel’s Edge of the Spider-Verse. However, it makes him the perfect recruit for the upcoming war in the upcoming End of the Spider-Verse crossover event.
As seen in the short story “Predator or Prey” by Dan Slott, J.M. DeMatteis, and Bob McLeod, Sergei Kravinoff intended to hunt a lion he’d been tracking for quite some time. However, he discovers that the apex predator had been killed by something much larger and far more deadly. Coming face to face with a massive spider-monster of myth and legend, Kraven gets infected with its venom. However, the impressive hunter decides to literally bite back, defeating the creature and gaining spider-powers of his own.
Due to his new powers in Edge of the Spider-Verse #5, the only worthy prey for the new Hunter-Spider is the classic animal-themed villains of New York such as the Rhino, Vulture, Lizard and more. However, he doesn’t bring them to justice like the normal Spider-Man would. Instead, this alternate version of Kraven does something much worse, guaranteeing that he’s one of the darkest variants in the entire Spider-Verse (certainly darker than the new Disney Princess Spider-hero).
Why The Hunter-Spider Doesn’t Have Many Enemies
Having no other worthy prey, Kraven has killed the majority of his rogues’ gallery, stuffed them, and mounted them in his trophy room. Featuring almost every Spider-Man villain themed after an animal, the Hunter-Spider is well aware that that his disturbing den would be met with revulsion by those he keeps safe. However, it does mean that the Hunter-Spider is primed for a whole new kind of hunt, battling an army of wasps sent by Wasp god Shathra who wants to corrupt every Spider in the Great Web of Life and Destiny.
While the majority of these stories in Edge of Spider-Verse typically end with the starring Spider getting recruited by Madame Web and her allies for the upcoming Spider-Verse War, Kraven’s desire to hunt uniquely brings him to them, ready to enlist and hunt Shathra as his newest target. While it’s good that this version of Kraven and Spider-Man is an ally, there’s no doubt that he’s one of the darkest variants in the entire Spider-Verse yet. Edge of Spider-Verse #5 is on sale now.
