Sony’s efforts with the most popular superhero in the world have been embarrassing. There’s no contest between the MCU’s trilogy and Sony’s villain solo projects. The company is prepared to scrape the bottom of the barrel for new lead characters in the desperate hope of forging a Sinister Six cinematic universe. MaybeKravencan gain a bit more attention by asking what kind of villain makes the big-game hunter look heroic.
Kraven the Hunter isn’t a D-List comic book villain, but he isn’t far off. His first comic book appearance was extremely notable, but he’s been fairly limited since then. Sony is puttingAaron Taylor Johnson in the rolefor his first cinematic appearance. Leaning into the anti-hero portrayal of the character leaves room for a second classic Spider-Man villain.
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Kravenwill Reportedly Feature Rhino
Kraven the Hunterhas revealed a substantial chunk of its cast. Alongside Sergei “Kraven” Kravinoff is his voodoo priest love interest Calypso, his half-brother Chameleon, and the mercenary Foreigner. The other major antagonist in the cast is Aleksei Sytsevich,AKA the Rhino. Rhino is a Russian mafia member who underwent a series of increasingly unwise experiments that permanently changed his body. He was granted an artificial second skin that massively increased his strength and durability. Rhino swiftly attacked the scientists that created him and used his power to commit crimes.Rhino is rarely themain antagonist of a Spider-Man story. He’s a henchman with some substantial upgrades, but his story is fairly interesting.
The first time Rhino set out with his powers, he was tasked with kidnapping J. Jonah Jameson’s son. Spider-Man stopped him and put him in jail. After he broke out, he returned to the Soviet scientists for more enhancements. He gains gamma radiation, much like that of the Hulk, and starts wearing a durable suit to protect himself from things like acid. After a brieffight with the Hulk, Rhino was left in a coma. He was revived by the Leader, beginning the long path of his usual career. Rhino is almost always part of a team. Rhino has been a part of the Sinister Six multiple times over the years despite not being part of the initial lineup. He’s big and dumb but capable of leveling a city with his sheer destructive power. He doesn’t necessarily need to be anything more than that, but if anyone’s going to give him more, it should be Sony’s Spider-Man villain program.
Kravencan Make the Rhino a Great Villain
Rhino has had very little presence in Spider-Man’s cinematic efforts. He has only appeared in one live-action film, but his showcase was less than flattering. Rhino appears inThe Amazing Spider-Man 2. Paul Giamatti portrays Aleksei Sytsevich as a dumb braggart who gets easily busted byAndrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. Much later in the film, Sytsevich is given a massive mech suit in the vague shape of a rhinoceros. He appears near the end after the film’s main conflict has been resolved. Spider-Man attacks him moments before the credits roll, leaving their fight scene for a sequel that would never come. This lack of presence in the movies is unique. If there’s a Spider-Man cartoon or video game, Rhino is almost guaranteed to appear. He’s always good for a few episodes and a boss fight, but no one has ever given him a pure spotlight.Kravencan finally rectify that mistake.
If there’s one thing that the thus far failed experiment of the Sony Spider-Man Universe can deliver, it’s a deep dive into the life of some underrated antagonists.Aleksei Sytsevich could be a great candidatefor that treatment. His story is simple, but that doesn’t make it free from pathos. He’s a career criminal, a thug who does minor odd jobs for a powerful foreign criminal organization. He’s a pawn in a game he likely doesn’t fully understand. He takes on immense chemical changes to gain power and starts going into business for himself. The story could be told in a typical way, but it could also follow a stepped-on pawn who finally gains the power to change his life. He’s a villain that refuses the “great power, great responsibility” paradigm thatSpider-Man is always talking about. He gets power and immediately uses it to further the same goals as his employers. Something is moving in that narrative if the storyteller is willing to explore it.
The only thing stopping someone from making a great story about Rhino is the desire to do so. Aleksei Sytsevich can be a three-dimensional character, but he’s never really gotten the chance.Kraven the Hunterwillbe an exercise in making a simple character more interesting either way. It may be tough to add more characters to the list, but Rhino deserves a chance to finally be more than a bulldozer who talks.
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