Sam Raimi Wanted to Use Kraven The Hunter in His Spider-Man 4
Director Sam Raimi wanted to use Kraven the Hunter as a villain in Spider-Man 4. Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is often seen as a high mark in the superhero film genre, although after the disappointing reaction to Spider-Man 3, the director wanted to go out on a high note and redeem his series with Spider-Man 4, which was set to open in theaters on May 6, 2011. Despite working on a script, the director eventually parted ways with the project and Sony opted to reboot the series with The Amazing Spider-Man instead.
Raimi's films had Spider-Man facing off against many of his iconic enemies, although one who never made it to the screen was Kraven the Hunter. Introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 in August of 1964, Kraven is a big game hunter who goes to New York to hunt the greatest prey, Spider-Man. The character is a classic member of the hero's rogues gallery and is finally set to appear in theaters in his own solo film starring Aaron Taylor Johnson, set for release on January 14, 2023.
However, Kraven the Hunter almost appeared first in Spider-Man 4. In an interview with Rolling Stone, when talking about what he had planned for Spider-Man 4, Raimi said how he was planning on incorporating Kraven the Hunter into the film. The director revealed he always wanted to see Kraven fight Spider-Man because of the contrast between the two characters' abilities. See his comment below:
"I missed Kraven the Hunter. We were going to work that character into the next Spider-Man; I always wanted to see Kraven fight Spider-Man on the big screen. I thought that would be really unique. He's the ultimate hunter, and Spider-Man is like the most agile trickster of the skies."
The idea of Kraven the Hunter being the antagonist in Spider-Man 4 is one in a long line of potential Spider-Man movies the villain almost appeared in. He was considered for The Sinister Six lineup in The Amazing Spider-Man film series, and Kraven the Hunter was considered as the villain for Spider-Man: Far From Home before Mysterio. The MCU's Spider-Man: No Way Home was almost a Spider-Man vs. Kraven the Hunter movie before the multiverse angle was settled on. Considering all that, it appears Sony has long had an interest in the character and it makes sense why they wanted to give him a solo film.
It is not surprising that Raimi wanted to use Kraven the Hunter in Spider-Man 4, given the director's fondness for the classic rogues gallery created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko like Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and Sandman. It is unclear how he would have factored into Spider-Man 4's script as it was reported that Vulture would be the main villain, with Anne Hathaway playing Felicia Hardy in a secondary antagonist role. The film's opening scene would have seen Spider-Man fighting many low-level villains like Shocker, Prowler, and Mysterio, so Kraven the Hunter possibly could have fit in that sequence but with the way Raimi talks about him, he may have been considered as the main villain of Spider-Man 4 before Vulture.
Source: Rolling Stone