Summary
Spider-Man: No Way Home was originally set to introduce an exciting villain from the comics to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Sony blocked that due to an upcoming film. Spider-Man: No Way Home was a major multiversal event that united Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men to fight villains from the past two Spider-Man film franchises. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s villains included Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Electro, Sandman, and the Lizard, but Marvel Studios was not allowed to use the Spider-Man villain it had originally planned for the film.
According to the MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book (via The Direct), Marvel was not allowed to use Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man: No Way Home due to Sony’s plans for the villain. The book reveals that Spider-Man: No Way Home writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers pitched Kraven as the villain of the film, only to hear that he “was unavailable until Sony established him in a solo movie.” One of the upcoming Marvel movies set in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is Kraven the Hunter, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the title role. Holland previously spoke about Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s original plans. Check out his full quote below:
“For a long time, there was going to be a Kraven movie that was going to be the third movie because things weren’t working out and all sorts of different stuff. Jon pitched me this Kraven movie, which actually was really cool. I don’t want to talk about it in case that movie ends up happening down the line, but it was fun.”
Holland will return for at least one more solo movie, and the setup for Spider-Man 4‘s story is perfect for Kraven the Hunter to serve as the movie’s villain. Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending left Holland’s Peter Parker at his lowest point yet in the MCU. With Green Goblin having murdered Aunt May and Doctor Strange’s spell making every one of Peter’s loved ones forget who he is, the character is utterly alone moving forward.
Peter then sewed up a new Spider-Man suit, which teases the hero going back to basics in Spider-Man 4, and with the character having little access to technology and no other heroes that know who he is to count on, Kraven could appear as a formidable foe in Spider-Man 4. The first trailer for Kraven the Hunter teased that Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven is not afraid of getting his hands bloody to get what he wants. An experienced bloodthirsty hunter would be quite the foe for Holland’s Peter in Spider-Man 4.
Kraven hunting Spider-Man all over New York could present the exact story that fans have been asking the MCU to adapt for the hero for years. That setup would allow Spider-Man 4 to have a classic Spider-Man adventure with a darker and more mature tone that fits with the out-of-high-school Peter. Despite Taylor-Johnson having played Quicksilver before in the MCU, the fact that Sony blocked Kraven from Spider-Man: No Way Home due to wanting to first establish him in a solo movie means the actor could appear through the multiverse in the MCU, building upon Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s story and ending.
Source: MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book (via The Direct)
Key Release Dates
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Blade (2025)
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Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 could use the villain. Read More