Kraven's Last Hunt
Kraven's Last Hunt is a comic book story arc that appeared first in Web of Spider-Man #31Edit
There was a time when the world marveled at his physical prowess. A period when his courage inspired awe and his exploits drew envy. An interval when he truly was the world's greatest hunter. That was before the environmentalists deserted him, and the animal rights activists condemned him. It was before he met Spider-Man. Before he knew failure and humiliation. Sergei Kravinov was aware that death was coming. He could sense its stealthy approach ad could almost see in grinning in the shadows. But Kraven wasn't ready to die. He couldn't rest until he had reclaimed his honor and dignity. Until he had satiated his pride and proven his superiority. Until he had defeated Spider-Man. And so, gathering his strength, Kraven went out on one last hunt...
Fading powers
Kraven was still faster than a panther and stronger that a great ape, but he knew that he was no longer in his prime. Yet he believed that he would never know peace unless he humbled Spider-Man. Formulating a daring plan, he sought to immerse himself in Spider-Man's essence by burying his body within a veritable mountain of spiders and by using jungle herbs and potions to expand his consciousness.
The capture
Having recently returned home from his honeymoon, Spider-Man was out web-swinging one night when he was suddenly attacked , drugged and captured by Kraven. As the hunter advanced on his prey, Spider-Man was unconcerned. Until, that is, he saw the rifle and the look in Kraven's eyes. Aiming the rifle at Spider-Man, Kraven shot the wall-crawler right between the eyes.
Masquerade
Kraven took the wall-crawler's body back to his estate, placed him in a coffin, and buried him on the grounds. But it wasn't enough for Kraven to merely slay Spider-Man. The hunter had to prove his superiority. He had to become his enemy. So, dressing up in a duplicate costume, Kraven assumed Spider-Man's identity.
New Justice
Kraven began to patrol the city, dispensing his own vicious brand of justice. He even rescued Mary Jane from muggers, but she immediately saw through the disguise.Unlike Spider-Man, Kraven actually killed some of the criminals he came across.
The Battle
While Kraven focused on Spider-Man, a ratlike monster stalked the streets of Manhattan. He was called Vermin, and he possessed superhuman strength, speed, and stamina. Kraven used his skills to track the monster through the sewers. Dressed like Spider-Man, Kraven confronted Vermin, beat him unconscious, and took him prisoner.
Resurrection
As Kraven claimed victory over Vermin, the real Spider-Man stirred...he had only been drugged by Kraven. Buried deep in the ground, Peter Parker opened his eyes. Desperate to be united with Mary Jane, he broke his way out of the coffin and began to crawl upward, clawing his way to the surface. Two weeks had passed since Kraven had buried him alive. After a brief visit to assure his wife that he was still alive, Spider-Man began to hunt the hunter.
Compassion not vengeance
Through sheer brutality, Kraven had battered Vermin into submission. He took the monster into custody because he wanted to see if Spider-Man was powerful enough could do the same. But the web-swinger had nothing to prove. He didn't care what the hunter thought and no desire to inflict pain.
Blood and thunder
Filled with fury, Spider-Man attacked Kraven, who didn't bother to resist. The hunter merely smiled... he had won. He had allowed Spider-Man to live when he could have easily killed him. Kraven had finally proven himself superior to Spider-Man. When the wall-crawler refused Kraven's challenge to fight Vermin, The monster attacked him. Kraven immediately acted to save his old enemy, but released Vermin. Having achieved what he set out to do, Kraven allowed Spider-Man to pursue Vermin. The hunter then committed suicide.
Associated Issues
Edit
Ned Leeds died not too long before this story, and Peter and MJ married right before it. Two major milestones in Peter Parker's life. This story depicts the third. Way back, since Amazing Spider-Man #15 (vol.1), Kraven the Hunter entered the list of Spider-Man's enemies. Since then, he suffered numerous defeats, and after each one he became more obssessed in catching his ultimate prey. Spidey never considered him much of a danger, cause he was always defeated mostly without any effort.
In this story, however, Kraven succeds in killing Spider-Man, buries him and takes his place, beating a foe Spidey could barely beat with Captain America's help.
By the way, this is a story where Pete still uses the black costume.
Plot
A naked Kraven is training with his embalmed trophies, throwing a panther and beheading a gorilla. Meanwhile, in his garden, a servant digs a grave. Inside the Mansion, Kraven reminisces... he recalls his coming to America and the downfall of his homeland as he enters the Mansion's chapel. He realizes that no matter how good the elixirs he took are, he's an old man. And his spirit is also dying. He surrends to the inevitable: he'll die soon. He approaches an open coffin and with tears in his eyes, he picks up a Spider-Man costume inside the coffin: "But not yet", he thinks.
The rain is pouring down, and the thunders echo in the night. Jimmy's Corner, a bar who usually doesn't welcome honest people, today isn't welcoming anyone. It's closed, and the only people inside are grieving. "Joey Face is dead", thinks Spider-Man. He was one of the innumerous guys who was either sent to jail by the wall-crawler, or was source of information. Why should Peter care with the death of guys like this, he asks himself.
The owner of the bar talks about Joey. No money, no family, those thugs and himself were everyone he had, and the best they could do was this. This and a collection for "a decent box an' a piece of ground", in an ashtray near the body. He sees Spider-Man hanging from the ceiling, but he can't say his name. Instead, they all run for the door. Spidey webs the door, and tells them not to run as he "just came to say goodbye". Putting on a costume doesn't change the man underneath, he thinks. "I'm just... Peter Parker. And I guess I do care." Spidey pulls out some money and drops it in the ashtray: "A decent box and a piece of ground", he says, and leaps away.
Meanwhile, Kraven's servant keeps digging...
Peter swings home, and thinks about death: Ned, Gwen, Cap. Stacy, Uncle Ben, Joey Face, they're all dead. Someday it'll be MJ's turn. Or Aunt May's. Or Pete's. He realizes he's going to die, "but not yet", he thinks as he goes to sleep.
In a room full of spiders, at his Mansion, Kraven is eating and squashing them. Peter awakes from a nightmare with spiders, and goes for a swing to cool down, while Kraven repeats "Tonight".
Spider-Man is swinging, and Kraven drops from a helicopter in a rooftop somewhere else: the hunt begins. And the servant's still digging. Spider-sense warns but Pete reacts too slowly and is hit by a dart. He raises his head to see... Joey Face. He understands it's Kraven, but he sight alternates between the two. Knowing he's been drugged, he attacks Kraven only to be struck down by Kraven's staff and caught in a net. Currently lacking the strenght to escape, he thinks that he'll recover while Kraven takes him to "some secret hideout" and brags. His mistake. Kraven points a rifle at him, saying "Honor will be restored", and watching Spider-Man pleading him to stop... "BLAM"! Meanwhile, the servant finishes the grave.
A huge thunder is heard, as Kraven and two of his men stand by Spider-Man's coffin. The coffin is lowered to the grave, and Kraven throws in the first dirt. Then his sad face is replaced by a huge grin, and he and his men leave, while the servant covers the hole.
Ned Leeds died not too long before this story, and Peter and MJ married right before it. Two major milestones in Peter Parker's life. This story depicts the third. Way back, since Amazing Spider-Man #15 (vol.1), Kraven the Hunter entered the list of Spider-Man's enemies. Since then, he suffered numerous defeats, and after each one he became more obssessed in catching his ultimate prey. Spidey never considered him much of a danger, cause he was always defeated mostly without any effort.
In this story, however, Kraven succeds in killing Spider-Man, buries him and takes his place, beating a foe Spidey could barely beat with Captain America's help.
By the way, this is a story where Pete still uses the black costume.
Plot
Kraven visits Spider-Man's grave, dressed as his nemesis. He pulls the mask off and laughs.
Meanwhile, a woman who's running from the rain is pulled into the sewers by Vermin, who was looking for food. Seems like he found it.
MJ's at home waiting for Peter, who's hours late. She freaks out because the thought that he may be dead crosses her mind and she can't shake it away. Kraven is patrolling the rooftops dressed as Spider-Man, decided to become Spider-Man and prove himself superior to the original. He returns to the Mansion, having second thoughts, but his subconscious loses the fight and he drinks a potion, diving into an allucination, where he tries to fight a lots of spiders, who join to form a huge spider, and he succumbs to fear.
In the sewers, Vermin has finished his dinner and finds a newspaper. He sees a photo of Spider-Man and crawls back in fear, remembering when he and Captain America hurt him. He remembers he's hiding because of them. He decides to go to the surface, to show them he's not afraid, but as he peeks outside, he sees a spider and panics. Cowering in a corner, he hears footsteps above. The footsteps are MJ's, who's out looking for Spider-Man. A couple of guys try to hit on her, but she tells them to "get stuffed", and they don't seem very happy with it.
At the Mansion, Kraven faces his fears, and attacks the giant spider, only to be submerged by spiders. Realizing that to become Spider-Man, he must absorb its essence, he surrends to it. In the sewers, Vermin hears a calling, and understands it's time for revenge. He's out for Spider-Man.
On the street, MJ is being chased by those guys, when Spider-Kraven drops in. He beats the assailants until Mary Jane tells him to stop. Then he leaves, while MJ realizes that he wasn't Peter. Vermin exits the sewers nearby and goes looking for food.
Ned Leeds died not too long before this story, and Peter and MJ married right before it. Two major milestones in Peter Parker's life. This story depicts the third. Way back, since Amazing Spider-Man #15 (vol.1), Kraven the Hunter entered the list of Spider-Man's enemies. Since then, he suffered numerous defeats, and after each one he became more obssessed in catching his ultimate prey. Spidey never considered him much of a danger, cause he was always defeated mostly without any effort.
In this story, however, Kraven succeds in killing Spider-Man, buries him and takes his place, beating a foe Spidey could barely beat with Captain America's help.
By the way, this is a story where Pete still uses the black costume.
Plot
Spider-Kraven barges through a window of a warehouse where it's being held a heroin transaction. Kraven takes them all effortlessly, and leaves when the cops arrive. They say he's been "a little out of control" for a couple of weeks, and that he has already sent 15 men to the hospital. Then they find one of the drug dealers dead. Kraven gloats on the rooftops.
Vermin catches another victim, and then attacks a police car, remembering that they harmed him "before", when he was something else, something he doesn't remember. He throws one of the cops out of the car to a sewer drain, from where it leaves a huge ammount of rats, who cover the cop. The other cop leaves the car and shoots him on the side. She tells him to call off the rats and he does. Then Vermin disarms her and licks her face, cause she reminds him of his mother, fleeing and leaving her in shock.
MJ goes to Robbie's, but she realizes she can't tell him anything and leaves, while Kraven prepares to hunt Vermin. By succeding, he proves himself a superior Spider-Man, by doing what the original couldn't. Vermin's asleep in the sewers while Spider-Kraven approaches. They duke it out. Kraven wins, and leaves the sewers carrying Vermin in his arms. Meanwhile, a hand bursts out of Spider-Man's grave.
Ned Leeds died not too long before this story, and Peter and MJ married right before it. Two major milestones in Peter Parker's life. This story depicts the third. Way back, since Amazing Spider-Man #15 (vol.1), Kraven the Hunter entered the list of Spider-Man's enemies. Since then, he suffered numerous defeats, and after each one he became more obssessed in catching his ultimate prey. Spidey never considered him much of a danger, cause he was always defeated mostly without any effort.
In this story, however, Kraven succeds in killing Spider-Man, buries him and takes his place, beating a foe Spidey could barely beat with Captain America's help.
By the way, this is a story where Pete still uses the black costume.
Plot
Peter's allucinating. He sees Ned Leeds, and since Ned's dead he believes he's dead as well. He shuts himself out, just to be left alone, and turns into a spider. Dark creatures kill the spider, but he crawls from inside the spider's guts, and claims he's Peter Parker, and he's going to be free. He overcomes his fear and surfaces, thinking in how much he loves Mary Jane.
He's very weak when he comes out of the grave. He staggers to the Mansion, and finds newspapers on the floor, which brief him of what's been going on: he's been buried for two weeks, and Kraven's been out donning his costume and abusing in his name. He knows that Kraven didn't shoot him with bullets, so he supposes he used a potion, or a root, or something like that. He goes crazy for being buried alive two weeks and starts to wreck Kraven's embalmed animals. The two guys who were with Kraven at his funeral show up and he grabs them and asks where Kraven is. They're too afraid to speak, so he drops them and leaves.
Kraven knows he's coming, and he's waiting, with Vermin trapped on an electrified cage.
Peter goes home, and he reunites with MJ. Later, he wakes up, and despite her will, he goes out for Kraven. While he swings, his spider-sense directs him to a house where he finds Kraven.
Ned Leeds died not too long before this story, and Peter and MJ married right before it. Two major milestones in Peter Parker's life. This story depicts the third. Way back, since Amazing Spider-Man #15 (vol.1), Kraven the Hunter entered the list of Spider-Man's enemies. Since then, he suffered numerous defeats, and after each one he became more obssessed in catching his ultimate prey. Spidey never considered him much of a danger, cause he was always defeated mostly without any effort.
In this story, however, Kraven succeds in killing Spider-Man, buries him and takes his place, beating a foe Spidey could barely beat with Captain America's help.
By the way, this is a story where Pete still uses the black costume.
Plot
Kraven visits Spider-Man's grave, dressed as his nemesis. He pulls the mask off and laughs.
Meanwhile, a woman who's running from the rain is pulled into the sewers by Vermin, who was looking for food. Seems like he found it.
MJ's at home waiting for Peter, who's hours late. She freaks out because the thought that he may be dead crosses her mind and she can't shake it away. Kraven is patrolling the rooftops dressed as Spider-Man, decided to become Spider-Man and prove himself superior to the original. He returns to the Mansion, having second thoughts, but his subconscious loses the fight and he drinks a potion, diving into an allucination, where he tries to fight a lots of spiders, who join to form a huge spider, and he succumbs to fear.
In the sewers, Vermin has finished his dinner and finds a newspaper. He sees a photo of Spider-Man and crawls back in fear, remembering when he and Captain America hurt him. He remembers he's hiding because of them. He decides to go to the surface, to show them he's not afraid, but as he peeks outside, he sees a spider and panics. Cowering in a corner, he hears footsteps above. The footsteps are MJ's, who's out looking for Spider-Man. A couple of guys try to hit on her, but she tells them to "get stuffed", and they don't seem very happy with it.
At the Mansion, Kraven faces his fears, and attacks the giant spider, only to be submerged by spiders. Realizing that to become Spider-Man, he must absorb its essence, he surrends to it. In the sewers, Vermin hears a calling, and understands it's time for revenge. He's out for Spider-Man.
On the street, MJ is being chased by those guys, when Spider-Kraven drops in. He beats the assailants until Mary Jane tells him to stop. Then he leaves, while MJ realizes that he wasn't Peter. Vermin exits the sewers nearby and goes looking for food.
Ned Leeds died not too long before this story, and Peter and MJ married right before it. Two major milestones in Peter Parker's life. This story depicts the third. Way back, since Amazing Spider-Man #15 (vol.1), Kraven the Hunter entered the list of Spider-Man's enemies. Since then, he suffered numerous defeats, and after each one he became more obssessed in catching his ultimate prey. Spidey never considered him much of a danger, cause he was always defeated mostly without any effort.
In this story, however, Kraven succeds in killing Spider-Man, buries him and takes his place, beating a foe Spidey could barely beat with Captain America's help.
By the way, this is a story where Pete still uses the black costume.
Plot
Spider-Man is crawling through the sewers, searching for Vermin, and fighting with a recently acquired claustrophobia. Meanwhile, Kraven's servant is digging a new grave. A swarm of rats attack Peter, but he shakes them off.
At Kraven's townhouse, the police arrive after an anonymous call. They find Kraven's body, and a file with his confession of the crimes he commited under the guise of Spider-Man the last couple of weeks.
Spidey finds Vermin (or is it the other way around) and they fight. He defeats his fears and Vermin, but once again he holds himself and Vermin cuts loose from the webbing. Spidey runs away and leaves the sewers, with Vermin in pursuit. Outside, it's daytime already, and Vermin ends up in the middle of a road with heavy traffic. Spidey pulls him out at the last second. He ties him in webbing and turns him over to the authorities (meanwhile, the servant finishes the new grave). The cops are amazed how he was able to go looking for Vermin after what Kraven's done. Spidey hears them as he swings away and asks himself how did they find what happened. On the newstand, the Bugle's features the headline "Kraven's Confession", but Pete doesn't notice it. He feels that Kraven was serious when he promised to never hunt again. He will find out what's going on when he returns to Kraven's townhouse, but first we wants to go home, to Mary Jane.
At the Mansion, it is held Kraven's funeral, attended only by his faithful servants. Marvel says goodbye to a classic character, in a classic storyline. The character Sergei Kravinoff is most definitely dead, as it is hard to imagine Marvel ressurecting him. Although there are always people willing to destroy what was nicely created. The Hunter, however, has returned twice. The first was his legitimate son, Vladimir Kravinoff, the Grim Hunter. He was beaten without problems by both Peter Parker and Ben Reilly, and died by Kaine a few issues later. He was basically a wimp. The second was Aliosha Kravinoff, illegitimate son, almost identical to his father in aspect, he was first depicted as a demented, impredictable and very dangerous individual, but ended up being turned into a copy of his father persona. Well, with Jenkins and Straczynski on the helm, I hope they give him a new direction.
| Storyarc Name: | Kraven's Last Hunt |
| 1st Appearance: | Web of Spider-Man #31 |
| Appears in: | 6 issues |
| Publisher: |
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