The Haunting Story of Kraven’s Last Hunt

The Story of Kraven’s Last Hunt

When it comes to the world of comic books, there is no shortage of horrifying and spine-tingling stories. Personally, I tend to avoid the horror genre like the plague if I don’t think I can handle it. However, October and Halloween are the one time of the year where I choose to embrace the scary and macabre for all they’re worth. And considering how it is has been a while since I have covered any stories from Marvel, I want to tell you about one of the scariest stories ever told about it’s most beloved hero, Spider-Man. Gather ’round the screens, True Believers, and I shall tell you the haunting tale of Kraven’s Last Hunt.

Kraven Locks the F In

Sergei Kravinoff, AKA Kraven the Hunter, one of Spider-Man’s oldest and most persistent enemies. Once renowned as a big game hunter, Kraven was convinced that he could best any prey he sought, until he came into conflict with the wallcrawler. Time and again, he would attempt to kill Spider-Man in battle; time and again, he was bested. It went without saying, but both in-universe and in real life, people didn’t take Kraven seriously. They saw him as this campy, c-list villain that was out of his depth. In other words, he was a joke. But then came the 1987 story known as Kraven’s Last Hunt. And after that, no one considered Kraven a joke anymore.

At this point, Kraven was no longer in his prime, and he knew it. He could feel his strength starting to wane, and with it, any chance of slaying Spider-Man. In his unstable mind, Spider-Man was not a man, but the ultimate beast that he had to kill to prove himself. And so, Kraven decided to stop messing around and locked. The heck. In.

It was a dark and stormy night when it happened. Spider-Man had just come back from his honeymoon with Mary Jane (this was before their marriage was wiped), and was contemplating his mortality after a friend of his had died. That was when Kraven struck. Attacking with some darts coated in a sedative, the hero was stunned long enough to be trapped underneath a giant net. Spider-Man was unconcerned, though, thinking that he would bust out like he always did. That was, though, until he saw the look in Kraven’s eyes and the gun in his hands. Kraven never used guns! Before Spider-Man could even process what was about to happen, Kraven shot him right between the eyes.

The hunter then took Spider-Man back to his mansion where he and his servants buried him on the grounds. This wasn’t the end, though. It was only the beginning.

Spyder Spyder, Burning Bright!

It was no longer enough for Kraven to kill Spider-Man. At this point, he convinced himself that the only way to beat his nemesis was by proving himself his superior. This led him to don a copy of Spider-Man’s black suit and run around New York dressed as the hero. Since he lacked any of the compassion and mercy that drives Peter Parker to be Spider-Man, though, he didn’t pull his punches, as he hurt and even killed some of the thugs he came across. Everyone began thinking that Spider-Man had finally snapped. The only person who knew that this was an imposter was MJ, whom Kraven had saved from being assaulted. She knew it wasn’t her husband.

Kraven’s crowning achievement came when he faced Vermin, a former scientist who was forcibly fused with the DNA of a rat, turning him into cannibalistic supervillain. Spider-Man had faced him before, and only succeeded thanks to the aid of Captain America. With his hunting skills, though, Kraven was able to best the rat-man. Just as he was boasting about his victory, though, something stirred in Spider-Man’s grave.

The End of the Hunter

In truth, Kraven had never killed Spider-Man. He had simply drugged him and knocked him out long enough to bury him alive. After two weeks of slumber, he awoke, broke out of his coffin, and climbed his way out of the grave, alive, severely shaken, and incredibly po’d. He stopped by to let MJ know he was alright, but after that, he locked in. He was going to make Kraven face justice.

Kraven had other ideas, though, as the hero returned to the hunter’s lair. Instead of taking the chance to kill Spidey for real, Kraven just let his old foe beat him up. In his crazed mind, he had already won. He then took it a step further by releasing Vermin who, mistaking Spider-Man for his attacker, tried to kill him. Spider-Man fought back, but he was still exhausted from his ordeal. What happened next seems like an act of mercy, but feels like Kraven driving his supposed superiority home: he saved Spider-Man’s life even as Vermin fled. Spidey made it clear that this changed nothing, and as he left to catch Vermin, he told Kraven that he’d be back for him. In response, Kraven told Spider-Man that after that night, he would never hunt again. Had the webhead been in a clearer state of mind, he might have seen this for the red flag it was.

Kraven was left alone with his thoughts, and for the first time in his life, he felt at peace. The kind of peace that one gets when they think they’ve fulfilled their ultimate goal in life. Now, he truly had nothing left to live for. But he would not allow time or illness to claim him; he would go out on his terms. After sending photographic proof of what he’d done as well as a confession to the police, Kraven then committed suicide. By the time Spider-Man had caught Vermin, everyone in the city knew the truth, clearing his good name. As for Kraven, his servants would bury him on the grounds of his mansion.

The Hunt Never Ends

The events that took place would leave a deep impact on Spider-Man. In a lesser-known sequel, it’s shown that Spider-Man was still dealing with the lingering trauma of what Kraven had to do as well as feeling guilty over not stopping his suicide. After some time has passed, Kraven’s ghost would appear before Peter asking for his help. Because he killed himself, Kraven’s soul was unable to move on, forever stuck in a state of limbo. It was only once Spider-Man chose to forgive his old foe that the hunter was able to move on to the afterlife, bringing his story to an end.

Until 2009, when his family decided to bring back using a human sacrifice, that is. Having found peace, though, Kraven was understandably ungrateful. Even moreso since the botched ritual made it so that only Spider-Man could unalive him, which the hero would never do. Eventually, though, he found a workaround and got to return to the afterlife once more. Hopefully for good this time!

One of the Darkest Spider-Man Stories Ever!

I first read about Kraven’s Last Hunt in that big essential guide to Spider-Man I had as a kid, and man, was it dark! The 1980s were the time when comics started becoming darker and more mature, but this? This was one of the darkest stories in Spider-Man’s mythology ever. The whole thing plays out like a psychological horror as we see Spider-Man and Kraven grapple with their sanity and mortality, each being a reflection of the other. Whereas Peter Parker was able to overcome his trauma and continue being the hero he is, Kraven would delude himself into thinking he won against his inner demons, only for them to bring about his end. If you’re looking for a darker kind of Spider-Man story, then I recommend you read Kraven’s Last Hunt.

Or just watch this fan-made motion comic for it!