‘Kraven the Hunter’ Concept Art Teases Cut Venom Sequence

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The film starring Kraven the Hunter, which marked Sony’s Spider-Man Shared Universe (SSU), turned out to be its final nail in the coffin. It underperformed both financially and critically, failing to meet even the low expectations set by previous disappointments such as Morbius and Madame Web. The film, led by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, reimagined Kraven from a classic Spider-Man villain into an anti-hero. Rather than battling Spider-Man directly, the movie instead presented a lackluster confrontation with characters like The Rhino and The Foreigner. Interestingly, there seemed to be hints of a more engaging Kraven the Hunter project in the works, one that could have connected the shared universe with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies.

Concept artist Jules Darriulat showcased some work he did on Kraven the Hunter, depicting a sequence that would have involved symbiotes. Darriulat, who is part of Framestore’s art department team, expressed in the caption, “Here’s an environment shot for a scrapped Kraven sequence. Working on this sequence with the Framestore art department was a blast!” The image (see below) presents an alien planet with a mound of discarded symbiotes, characters not originally seen in Kraven the Hunter but are central figures in the Venom films.

In the development of “Kraven the Hunter”, it’s undetermined whether the depicted scene was initially intended as a standalone storyline for Kraven or a setup for a franchise crossover, as concept artists sometimes sketch ideas even before a script is finalized. For instance, early concept art for “Deadpool & Wolverine” included characters such as Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider and Ben Affleck’s Daredevil, as well as a dinosaur Deadpool, which did not appear in the final film, but rather served as potential ideas.

Was ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Supposed to Set Up Sony’s Big Crossover Event?

Showcasing a mound of deceased symbiotes in the artwork, spectators could surmise that Kraven’s forthcoming battle would involve repelling an alien invasion by these parasitic entities on Earth. This scenario seems to echo the 1995 comic storyline “Planet of the Symbiotes,” where a hostile takeover of Earth was attempted by this species. Although this idea undeniably sounds more thrilling than the Kraven the Hunter film that audiences ultimately received, it’s a positive sign that it probably wasn’t Sony’s original plan. Instead, it appears to be preliminary art for Klyntar, the celestial body where dwells the cosmic menace Knull, who was glimpsed in Venom: The Last Dance.

Originally, Kraven the Hunter was intended to debut on the big screen before Venom: The Last Dance. However, since Kraven the Hunter doesn’t have a post-credit scene, there was a possibility that the initial plan was to hint at Knull in this scene. Unfortunately, in April 2024, Kraven the Hunter was pushed back from its original release date to December 2024, making it come after Venom: The Last Dance. This would have made the teaser for Knull unnecessary since it had already been introduced earlier. To add to the disappointment, Sony Pictures announced in November 2024 that they were wrapping up their current series of films, which is unfortunate as the matchup between Venom and Kraven the Hunter was a promising concept that has now become another missed opportunity for the troubled franchise.

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2025-01-13 17:01