Summary
The officialKraven the Huntertrailer finally breaks a frustratingSpider-Mantrend that has long plagued Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the classic Spider-Man villain, Kraven is the latest foe to receive a live-action movie alongside Venom and Morbius. However, previous Sony trailers have always felt the need to over-promise when it comes to the movie’s actual content.
InKraven the Hunter’snew trailer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Sergei Kravinoff is a lethal hunter whose targets are always found and eliminated, the son of an equally brutal father (Russell Crowe) who runs a large criminal empire. It looks as though the movie will see Kraven systematically working his way through his father’s empire to prove himself as the world’s greatest hunter, and this mission will also feature a confrontation betweenKraven and a brand-new Rhino(played by Alessandro Nivola). That said,theKraventrailer thankfully avoids any mention or tease of Spider-Man, something that’s been a real problem with past Sony SSU trailers.
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Sony Often Uses Spider-Man To Promote Their SSU Movies
But It Always Backfires
There are plenty of examples where Sony has used Spider-Man to promote their spin-off films. However, the SSU has yet to confirm in any of their movies which Spider-Man this Webslinger is; whether it’s a previously seen Spider-Man like Andrew Garfield or a brand-new Spider-Man altother. However, that hasn’t stopped Sony from teasing Peter Parker in their trailers to build up hype and speculation, even though those teases have largely gone unfulfilled in the movies themselves once they were released.
Morbius The Living Vampireis one of the worst examples, having featured a poster of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in its trailer with graffiti on top labeling him as a murderer, seemingly a reference to Tom Holland’s MCU Spider-Man who was framed for Mysterio’s death inSpider-Man: Far From Home. Even if the Spider-Man on the poster had been visually correct, the tease would still have been confusing given that the SSU is meant to be a separate universe from the MCU (not to mention the poster wasn’t even in the actual movie). However,Sony still got what they wanted: building hype and engagement by using Spider-Man.
Morbiusinfamously featured Michael Keaton’s Vulture from the MCU in trailers as well. This effectively spoiled the movie’s post-credits scene (another common Sony issue), while being an appearance that similarly didn’t make any sense followingSpider-Man:No Way Home.Before that, the trailer forVenom: Let There Be Carnagesaw Cletus Kasady talking about heroes while squishing a spider.
Trailers forMadame Webkept a figure in black and red just barely off-screen which led to Spider-Man hopes. However, the movie itself revealed a Peruvian spider-tribe whose warrior dress merely resembled the future Webslinger.Madame Web’strailers also featured Adam Scott as a young Ben Parker, something that had naturally generated excitement that the clairvoyant Madame Web would perhaps bear witness to the future where the SSU’s Spider-Man was active. However,these fake Spider-Man teases have always backfired, building hype but ultimately leading to disappointment once the movies release.
Kraven’s Trailer Is Refreshing Because It Doesn’t Tease Spider-Man
If There Is A Connection To Spider-Man, Let It Be A Surprise
Thankfully, there’s not a spider to be seen inKraven the Hunter’snew trailer, one that’s been released following a series of reshoots. This is quite refreshing, allowing for a Sony SSU trailer that’s solely about the rise of one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains, rather than taking focus away by pretending to tease a future Spider-Man appearance that’s more than likely not happening when the movie releases this December. That said, there’s still likely a second trailer and more promotional spots on the way where Sony could certainly fall back into old habits.
If there is some kind of Spider-Man connection to be found inKraven the Hunter, it should be kept hidden and away from audiences until the movie actually releases. Then, word of mouth can do a much better job of building what little excitement can still be drawn up for this next story to join the SSU, a collection of Marvel movies that have not done very well outside ofTom Hardy’sVenomfranchise. At this point, it’s certainly nice to see a lack of a Spider-Man tease inKraven the Hunter’snew trailer. Even if there was one, there wouldn’t be any kind of trust in it.
Kraven the Hunter
Cast
Kraven the Hunter explores the origin story of Sergei Kravinoff, known as Kraven, as he navigates his tumultuous relationship with his father, Nikolai. This path of vengeance sets Kraven on a journey to become a formidable hunter with a reputation for fearsome brutality.
