Is Kraven Marvel’s Greatest Hunter?

The Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter is exploding in popularity thanks to his recent appearance in Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2, as well as his upcoming live-action debut in Sony’s Kraven the Hunter spinoff film. Known for relentlessly tracking his prey, Kraven is one of the most dangerous villains to ever come against Spider-Man.

Sergei Kravinoff, a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter, is far from the only iconic hunter in Marvel Comics, however. From Kraven’s own children and clones to monster slayers like Blade and monsters like Sabretooth, the Marvel Universe is filled with characters who have an unmistakable talent for tracking, hunting, and killing with ease.

10 Shanna The She-Devil Is A Natural Hunter

First Appearance: Shanna The She-Devil #1 (1972)

Most Iconic Spider-Man Quotes, RankedShanna O’Hara, also known as the She-Devil, grew up in the jungles of Africa, gaining the incredible skills she needed to live in the wilderness. As the She-Devil, Shanna eventually became a companion of Ka-Zar, the king of the Savage Land.

With an intense aversion to guns stemming from childhood trauma, Shanna primarily uses blades to hunt quarry as deadly as massive dinosaurs. Combining her weapons skills and survival tactics, Shanna is a hugely successful hunter as well, whether she’s hunting for her own food or for her nefarious enemies.

9 Ana Kravinoff Never Lived Up To The Family Name

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #565 (2008)

Ana Kravinoff is the daughter of Sergei and Sasha Kravinoff, first introduced during “The Gauntlet” and “Grim Hunt,” two storylines that deal with the resurrection of Kraven the Hunter. Much like her father before her, Ana is bloodthirsty and prone to taking innocent lives.

As dangerous as she can be when facing an opponent, Ana Kravinoff is undisciplined and sloppy in her work. While she still often accomplishes her violent goals, she has not made much of a name for herself in the hunting world, and isn’t on her father’s and brothers’ level. As such, Ana was denied the chance to become Kraven the Hunter’s legacy. Instead, her father cloned himself to help him find a proper successor.

8 Abraham Van Helsing Is A Vampire’s Worst Nightmare

First Appearance: Tomb Of Dracula #1 (1972)

Based on the iconic figure of the same name in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Abraham Van Helsing appears as a famous monster hunter in Marvel Comics. Through his extensive study of the undead and supernatural creatures, Van Helsing eventually took it upon himself to rid the world of the many monsters hiding in plain sight.

Armed with little more than skill, knowledge, and a wooden stake, Van Helsing made a name for himself as one of the fiercest vampire hunters in Marvel history. While he’s not quite on Blade’s level, Van Helsing certainly earned his place in the hunting hall of fame for his many battles with the infamous Count Dracula.

7 Elsa Bloodstone Is An Expert Monster Hunter

First Appearance: Bloodstone #1 (2001)

The Top 10 Unassuming Monster HuntersElsa Bloodstone comes from a long line of monster hunters but has clearly established herself as the most skilled hunter in her family’s history. Waging a war on vampires and other supernatural creatures, Elsa has become one of the most feared members of the Bloodstone family.

Elsa backs up her crusade with a keen understanding of supernatural artifacts and a mastery of ranged weapons, making her a true force of terror to her many enemies. Able to track monsters far and wide, almost no supernatural being can elude elude the determined huntress on her lifelong hunt.

6 Sabretooth Is A Fierce Hunter-Tracker

First Appearance: Iron Fist #14 (1977)

Victor Creed, a.k.a. Sabretooth, is a fierce enemy of the X-Men. His powerset makes him seem a lot like the X-Men’s Wolverine and includes an animalistic instinct for tracking prey. He has used this ability against the X-Men on numerous occasions and is nearly unshakeable once he gets his quarry’s scent or a taste of their blood.

Their many similarities led to Sabretooth and Wolverine’s fierce rivalry in Marvel Comics. Although Sabretooth is far more adept at tracking and hunting than the average human or mutant, Wolverine has overshadowed and outmaneuvered him on many occasions, making the Canadian berserker the better hunter.

5 Ka-Zar Is The King Of The Jungle

First Appearance: The X-Men #10 (1965)

10 Best Spider-Man Comics Not About Peter ParkerKevin Plunder was the child of an English nobleman who was raised by Zabu, a sabretooth tiger after his mother and father were killed on an expedition to the Savage Land. Plunder eventually grew up to become Ka-Zar, the ruler and fierce protector of the Savage Land.

Ka-Zar knows how to work in nature, including hunting and tracking. Hunting for his own sustenance, Ka-Zar is more than capable of pursuing and killing prey, including dinosaurs many times his size. He has also used this ability to great effect while fighting the Savage Land’s many malignant forces, including the villainous Man-Apes native to the land.

4 The Last Son Of Kraven Fills His Father’s Shoes

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #16 (2019)

The Last Son of Kraven is one of the eighty-seven clones of Sergei Kravinoff commissioned from the High Evolutionary. After killing his brothers, the Last Son was selected to carry on the Kraven the Hunter’s legacy. After the original Kraven’s death, the Last Son took on the mantle of Kraven the Hunter in all future storylines.

This new Kraven is far more primal and far less reasonable than his predecessor, making him a more dangerous villain in many respects. However, his impulsive actions have also led to his defeat at Spider-Man’s hands as well as other heroes. While he is more ruthless than his father, he will never surpass the original Kraven.

3 Blade Is Marvel’s Premiere Vampire Hunter

First Appearance: The Tomb Of Dracula #10 (1973)

Read CBR’s Review Of Marvel’s Blade #1

Eric Brooks is one of the most iconic monster hunters in Marvel Comics. Adopting the name Blade the Vampire Slayer, Brooks takes it upon himself to rid the world of vampires. Galavanting across the globe, Blade spends his life tracking and killing the undead.

Over the years, Blade has proven to be an incredibly adept hunter, keeping careful track of his blood-sucking quarry on his crusade. His enhanced senses, which include the ability to sense supernatural creatures, make him the ideal vampire hunter. He uses these abilities in his bloody war against the monsters that plague Marvel’s world.

2 Kraven The Hunter Is A Lethal Enemy Of Spider-Man

First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #15 (1964)

Kraven the Hunter is one of the most iconic hunters in the Marvel Universe. Usually portrayed as an enemy of Spider-Man, Kraven mastered the art of hunting animals and moved on to a much more dangerous game — superhumans. After a series of losses, Kraven became obsessed with hunting and killing Spider-Man.

Throughout Kraven the Hunter’s long rivalry with Spider-Man, the villain has proven that he is incredibly skilled at what he does. Having honed his body to its peak condition, Kraven can go toe-to-toe with even superhumanly strong and fast opponents. His vast arsenal of supernatural potions also grants him increased strength and speed, as well as enhanced senses, all of which come in handy when he’s hunting his superpowered prey.

1 Wolverine Is The Marvel Universe’s Greatest Hunter

First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #181 (1974)

Few characters in the Marvel Universe could ever truly measure up to the X-Men’s Wolverine. The hero possesses many mutant abilities, including a superhuman sense of smell which allows him to track his prey across great distances.

In addition to his uncanny tracking abilities, Wolverine is also well-equipped to take down his prey, thanks in large part to his iconic adamantium claws. Even in his early days, he was able to go toe-to-toe with The Hulk, and he’s become much stronger since then. Anyone unfortunate enough to fall into Wolverine’s crosshairs has little hope of escape, no matter how far they run or how hard they fight.

 Kraven the Hunter is one of Marvel’s deadliest prey-stalking villains but some of them are even nastier than he is!  Read More