Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Delivers a Unique Take on Kraven’s Hunt

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 draws inspiration from Kraven’s Last Hunt but maintains its distinct narrative and character arcs.

Spider-Man boasts an extensive gallery of formidable villains, each with their defining moments in the comics. Kraven’s Last Hunt stands as an iconic Spidey story, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 distinguishes itself by crafting a unique tale. While the game’s story predominantly revolves around the Symbiote suit and Venom, it pays homage to various Spidey comics, TV shows, and movies without leaning heavily on Kraven’s Last Hunt.

Published in 1987, Kraven’s Last Hunt is regarded as the quintessential Kraven story. It opens with Spider-Man reflecting on his responsibilities to loved ones, pondering if he has done enough for them. Surprising Spider-Man, Kraven disrupts this introspection, rendering him unconscious with a tranquilizer rifle. In a grim turn of events, Kraven buries the Wall-Crawler in the ground and dons an identical Spidey suit.

Driven by a sense of impending mortality and a desire to prove himself as Spider-Man’s superior, Kraven takes the guise of the hero, brutalizing criminals and even ending some lives. He goes on to defeat the villain Vermin single-handedly. Upon Spider-Man’s revival, Kraven refuses to fight, believing he has achieved his ultimate victory. He releases Vermin, prompting Spider-Man to choose between pursuing the villain or Kraven himself. Kraven, finding inner peace, takes his own life.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s story maintains its uniqueness compared to Kraven’s Last Hunt, despite the source material’s darkness. The cancer element is the primary connection between the two. While Kraven seeking a rival in New York and finding it in Spider-Man can be seen as a parallel, the Symbiote’s absence and the absence of Spidey donning the black suit set the two narratives apart. The comic represents a culmination of rich Spider-Man history, whereas Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 presents the first and last encounters between Peter and Kraven.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 diverges in Kraven’s character arc too. In the game, Kraven doesn’t commit suicide like in Kraven’s Last Hunt. Instead, he willingly meets his end at the hands of Venom, viewing it as the culmination of his lifelong hunt for a true rival.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is now available on PS5.