Kraven the Hunter and Chameleon's Relationship, Explained

Kraven the HunterThe latest addition to Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU), will introduce two major Marvel Comics villains to live-action for the first time. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, known for playing Quicksilver in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Tom Ryder in The scapegoatplays Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter, in his eponymous solo film, which details the character’s origins before he became a supervillain. Starring alongside Taylor-Johnson is Fred Hechinger, who will play Dmitri Smerdyakov, aka The Chameleon, a supervillain who can perfectly impersonate anyone he chooses. While they’ll be joined by other supervillains, including Ariana DeBose’s Calypso, Alessandro Nivola’s Rhino, and Christopher Abbott’s Foreigner, Kraven and Chameleon will be two of the most interesting characters in the upcoming film.




Kraven the Hunter is known for being one of Spider-Man's strongest enemies. However, not everyone knows his origin in the comics, which includes a surprising connection to another supervillain. Kraven and Chameleon are related in the comics, which adds another twist to their team dynamic. It looks like the next Kraven the Hunter The film will include this relationship, as it develops both characters for potentially larger roles in future films. How exactly are Kraven and Chameleon related, and how does it affect their relationship?



Kraven the Hunter and the Chameleon are half-brothers

Curiosity

  • Kraven the Hunter made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (1964)
  • Creative team: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko and Artie Simek.

Kraven is the world's greatest hunter, but even he can't escape family drama. The name Kravinoff is synonymous with dysfunction, as even the hunter himself has been known to pit his own children against each other to gain his favor. However, the cycle of abuse dates back at least a generation, as Kraven's father, Grand Duke Nikolai Kravinoff, was not a pleasant man either. One of Duke Kravinoff's most notable character flaws was his infidelity to his wife.


A wealthy man who was not accustomed to being turned down for any request, Kravinoff was known to sleep with many of his servants, including Sonya Smerdyakov. As a result of their affair, Sonya gave birth to an illegitimate son, Dmitri, who would later become the supervillain known as The Chameleon. This revelation, which comes years after both characters' debuts, makes Kraven the Hunter and Chameleon half-brothers, as they share the same father.

The rivalry between Spider-Man and Kraven may be the most popular relationship, but Kraven also has an intense rivalry with his half-brother. Kraven was always Nikolai's favorite because he was a legitimate son who most closely resembled his father and took his likeness. The Grand Duke had nothing but contempt for Dmitri, whom he eventually sent away without acknowledging him as a legitimate son. This led Dmitri to grow up with incredible self-loathing and doubt, always looking to Kraven as the ideal he could never be.This led him to intensely hate Kraven, though he also feared him, recognizing in his half-brother the embodiment of all his self-doubts.


Kraven the Hunter and the Chameleon work together?

Kraven and Chameleon Discuss Spider-Man in Marvel Comics

Curiosity

  • The Chameleon made his first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963)
  • Creative team: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Stan Goldberg and Jon D'Agostino.

Despite their complicated relationship, Kraven the Hunter and Chameleon have teamed up at various times in the comics. Their first team-up occurs in Kraven the Hunter's original appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #15, long before it was discovered that the two were half-brothers.


In the story, Chameleon recruits Kraven to help him kill Spider-Man after he fails to do so. The two supervillains get along surprisingly well in this story despite their history, though it quickly becomes clear that Kraven is the more powerful of the two. Despite their combined strength, Kraven and Chameleon are unable to defeat Spider-Man, marking the beginning of a long rivalry between both characters and the web-slinging superhero.

Chameleon was not revealed to be Kraven's half-brother until after “Kraven's Last Hunt”, which featured the hunter's grisly end. As a result, readers do not have much interaction between the two characters after it is revealed that they are brothers. However, Chameleon does have some interactions with Kraven's sons, including in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #244, which marked the entrance of Alexei Kravinoff, who attempted to take up his father's baton.


In a different storyline, the Chameleon gives in to his own doubts to the point of believing himself to be Kraven the Hunter. Chameleon later helped Kraven's wife, Sasha, resurrect Sergei during the “Grim Hunt” storyline. Despite their complicated relationship, Chameleon seems to have a deep love for his older half-brother, although that love can quickly turn to hatred.

Will Kraven and Chameleon be friends or enemies in the film?

Kraven the Hunter (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) looks angrily at the camera in Kraven the Hunter


Upcoming Spider-Man Movies and TV Shows

Title

Franchising

Release date

Venom: The Last Dance

Sony's Spider-Man Universe

October 25, 2024

Kraven the Hunter

Sony's Spider-Man Universe

December 3, 2024

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

Marvel Cinematic Universe (alternate reality)

2024

Spider-Man Noir

Sony's Spider-Man Universe

To be defined

Untitled Quarter Spiderman movie

Marvel Cinematic Universe

To be defined

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

Spider-Verse

To be defined

Spider Women

Spider-Verse

To be defined


Sony’s Spider-Man universe is set to introduce a new version of Kraven the Hunter in his own eponymous film. The film will tell the origin story of Kraven, including how he became one of the strongest hunters in the known world. While Sony hasn’t revealed much about the upcoming R-rated film, it’s confirmed that the story will largely revolve around the Kravinoff family, including Nikolai, who will be played by Russell Crowe. Kraven the Hunter will explore Kravinoff's relationship with his illegitimate son, Dmitri Smerdyakov, who presumably becomes the Chameleon later in the film. This opens the door for the Cravene film and its potential sequels to explore the relationship between Kraven the Hunter and his half-brother.

It's unclear whether Kraven the Hunter and Chameleon will be friends or foes in the upcoming film. The dangerous Spider-Man villains have been at odds in the pastbut they usually find common ground when they face the web-slinging superhero. Kraven the Hunter can introduce rivalry between the two brothers when compete for the favor of their distant father. However, they may put aside their differences once they recognize a greater threat on the horizon.


For this version of the characters, the threat could take the form of Rhino, a Russian mercenary who serves as the film's main villain. However, if the SSU does eventually introduce Spider-Man, future films could see Kraven and the Chameleon team up to defeat the superhero.. They could even join forces with other SSU characters, including Venom (Tom Hardy), Morbius the Living Vampire (Jared Leto), and Vulture (Michael Keaton). These Spider-Man villains could be the building blocks for SSU finally introducing its own version of the Sinister Six.

Kraven the Hunter marks the live-action debut of some of Spider-Man’s most dangerous villains. However, while their rivalry with the web-slinging superhero is a fixture of Marvel Comics, these two antagonists also have a tense relationship with each other. Half-brothers who have never been able to gain their father’s support, Kraven and Chameleon have one of the most interesting relationships of all comic book villains, one that Sony would do well to adapt with care and nuance.


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