Kraven the Hunter

A famous big game hunter, who became a mercenary and later, developed an intense obsession with restoring honor to his name. Kraven has been known as a major threat for Spider-Man.

The young life of Sergei Kravinoff was very difficult as the son of Russian Aristocrats in Volgograd and St. Petersburg, Russia. With Dimitri becoming the illegitimate son of Sergei’s father, Sergei would torment his talented half-brother in response from the beatings he received from his own alcoholic father.

As a young adult, Sergei would finally relocate himself in Africa where he found a natural talent for hunting. Changing his name to Kraven, Sergei pursued his talents as he increased his hunting and survival skills throughout the safari. As years passed, Kraven became notorious and extremely wealthy as big game hunter.

Kraven is a very skilled and experienced hunter. With his developed and taught abilities, Kraven’s hunting skills were world- renowned. He was possibly the worlds greatest hunter. Kraven studied his prey to find any possible weakness before making an attack; because of this, Kraven could individually hunt the most dangerous and challenging animals with success. Even though Kraven had gained his experience within the environment of the African safari, he could easily analyze and study any type of environment and use it as an advantage over his prey. Even within urban areas such as New York City and San Francisco, to nearly undiscovered lands like the Savage Land.

Kraven had also developed a self-taught fighting style that strictly focused on capturing and gaining an advantage over an opponent. Most likely developed from his experience with taming animals, Kraven was very well known for his nerve punch attack that could even paralyze super powered opponents. Aside from his experience in hand-to-hand combat, Kraven was very proficient with all forms of hunting and animal taming equipment. Even though Kraven was seen using tribal-like weaponry and equipment such as spears, shields, and axes, he had been seen using conventional forms of hunting equipment such as rifles and bows despite the fact that he prefers more antiquated weaponry.

Kraven was also a very experienced animal tamer and a manipulator for any type of super powered individual who displays any animalistic features or traits. Mostly through methods of physical restraint, usage of mind-altering herbs, and manipulation, Kraven was experienced in having any form of animal bend to his will through means of dominance, even if they are extra terrestrial.

Aside from his knowledge and experience with hunting and animal taming, Kraven was also very experienced with foreign and exotic jungle herbs and creating and designing a variety of potions with them. After digesting the special herb potion that he found from a local witch doctor, Kraven's body became faster, stronger, and more agile than a normal man at his highest peak. Kraven could lift approximately 2 tons and run in short sprints approximately at 60 mph, and he can do a standing broad jump up to 20 feet long, as well jump or land from great heights. Even Kraven's senses became slightly enhanced to where his sight, hearing, and smell increased. Kraven's physiology also increased to where his body could endure a slightly greater amount of fatigue and pain tolerance before tiring. Another result of the potion managed to halt Kraven's age. However, the increased powers and abilities were temporary, which forced Kraven to digest another potion periodically as a way to retain his powers and halt his aging.

After being fully revived, Kraven has found himself becoming immortal through mystical means that are connected to Spider-Man himself. Capable of healing from fatal injuries and not needing the use of the potion, Kraven still retained his abilities and possibly found them slightly increasing. However the full nature of Kraven's new display of powers and immortality isn’t fully explained besides the claim that Kraven can only die by Spiderman’s own hand. So far we have seen Kraven recover from a stab to the chest from his daughter, Ana, and appear fine when stabbed in the shoulder by Venom.

Kraven has carried and owned a massive collection of weapons, tools, and equipment that are mostly used for hunting. Because of his fanaticism with “hunting out of honor”, Kraven has deduced his collection down to spears, knives, and mostly other tribal used weaponry and equipment. Among his arsenal of weaponry that Kraven used was Bantu war clubs, javelins, spears, bolos, hunting nets, axes, machetes, tribal swords, whips, bowie knives, blowguns, and a custom made gauntlet that’s made from animal claws.

Even though Kraven shuns himself from using conventional weaponry, he has used hunting rifles, gas grenades, garottes, and other scientific equipment like electromagnetic collars and magnetic iron manacles.

Kraven's Lion's Head Vest

One of Kraven’s former well-known trademark weapons that he naturally used was his vest, another form of weaponry that Kraven shunned himself from because of its nature. The vest is custom made and also made from leather that’s lined with real lion’s fur that covers the shoulder and back portion of the vest. The interior of the vest is lined with silk and has two secret compartments that holds two elbow pumps which emits various forms of attacks that could stun, tranquilize, and a double ray electro-burst or ultra-sonic blaster. The right elbow pump acts as the main pump which discharges the attack through plastic tubing that’s also lined within the vest and emitted through the eye’s on the outer chest portion of the vest. The main pump also features a safety valve and a valve for the airflow mixture. The left elbow pump is the safety release, which is pumped twice through plastic tubing that’s connected to the main pump.

Even though Kraven has made attempts on avoiding the usage of poisons, he naturally carries a vast array of poisons that specifically slows down his enemies. When using these poisons, Kraven adds the poison onto the tips of darts, spears, or other weaponry he uses in fighting. Aside from poisons, Kraven also carries certain chemicals and potions that could alter his victim’s perception, even capable numb Spiderman’s spider sense. Kraven naturally keeps these poisons, potion, and other chemicals with his tusk belt, which is another form of equipment that he never wears anymore.