Kraven the Hunter—a Marvel Comics villain from the Spider-Man Universe—is new in theaters. Is there a post-credits scene and if so, what does it tell us?
Kraven the Hunter, which was directed by J.C. Chandor, premieres in theaters around the country on Friday. Russell Crowe portrays Nikolai Kravinoff, Kraven’s father, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the title character in Kraven the Hunter.
“Kraven’s complicated relationship with his vicious father, Nikolai Kravinoff, sets him on a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, inspiring him to become not only the world’s greatest hunter but also one of its most feared,” is the logline for Kraven the Hunter.
Kraven the Hunter also stars Ariana DeBose, Fred Herchinger and Christopher Abbott. Alessandro Nivola also stars as the film’s main villain, Aleksei Sytsevich, aka Rhino.
Rated R, Kraven the Hunter marks the third film in 2024 featuring characters from Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Spider-Man Universe.
Madame Web (starring Sydney Sweeney and Dakota Johnson) and Venom: The Last Dance (the third installment in Tom Hardy’s Venom trilogy) were released by Sony through its subsidiary Columbia Pictures in February and late October, respectively.
Note: The next section contains mild spoilers about Kraven the Hunter.
Do Kraven The Hunter’s End Credits Tell Us Anything?
End credits and/or post-credits scenes typically fulfill one of two purposes. They either hint to a planned sequel or tie up loose ends from a sequence earlier in the film.
With Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has become customary to include a post-credits scene, usually to introduce the next chapter in the MCU. Following suit were superhero movies from DC and Sony Marvel, the latter of which possesses the cinematic rights to Spider-Man and other characters from his comic book universe.
Sony’s last Spider-Man Universe film, Venom: The Last Dance, included both an end credits and post-credits scene, even though the film has been widely reported as Tom Hardy’s last Venom solo film.
However, because there isn’t a post-credits sequence in the movie, Kraven the Hunter was given less attention. All of this makes sense in light of the earlier this week’s report about a complex issue involving Sony’s comic book films.
The Wrap reported on Tuesday that Sony has finished making movies featuring all the characters in the Spider-Man world except Spider-Man. In other words, Venom, Madame Web, Morbius, and Kraven will not be appearing in any additional solo movies.
The news no doubt comes at a bad time for the cast members of Kraven the Hunter—chief among them Aaron Taylor-Johnson, whose final scene in the film suggests that there’s more ahead for the character. In addition, there’s a set-up for another villain at the conclusion of Kraven the Hunter, who won’t be named here for spoiler purposes.
But there is one glimmer of hope for the characters in Kraven the Hunter. Fans might be able to see any of Spider-Man’s supporting characters in a future Spider-Man movie because of Sony Marvel’s agreement with Disney to include the webslinger in the MCU.
However, Venom, who previously made an appearance in the closing credits of the Sony-distributed MCU epic Spider-Man No Way Home, is currently the only character that appears to have a chance of showing up in a future Spider-Man movie.
True, Tom Hardy may be done playing the character in Venom solo films, but there’s nothing stopping him from being a supporting character in a future Spider-Man/MCU movie. Plus, it helps that all three films in the Venom trilogy have been hits, something that Morbius and Madame Web were not.
Given that Taylor-Johnson previously portrayed Pietro Maximoff, also known as Quick Silver, in the MCU’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, Sony and Disney face further challenges even if Kraven the Hunter proves to be a success.
Additionally, it could seem strange to introduce Taylor-Johnson into the MCU through a Spider-Man film, even if Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) twin sibling, also known as the Scarlet Witch, died in Age of Ultron.
Rated R, Kraven the Hunter opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.
