Superheroes, as a concept, provide a near-endless realm of creativity. There are very few borders around what can and can’t be a superhero. Every hero has an origin story, and those can get a bit formulaic. There are only so many ways to kill a protagonist’s loved ones and grant them incredible powers. Kraven the Hunter had a backstory in the comics, but he partially borrowed Catman’s for his big-screen debut.
Sony’s efforts to make anti-heroes out of their cast of villains have been unimpressive so far.Venomwas the biggestname they had access to, and both of his films were messy at best. Kraven is on a significantly lower tier of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery, but maybe rewriting the character will spice him up.
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What Is Kraven the Hunter’s New Backstory?
The first trailerforKraven the Hunterrevealed a lot of things. Kraven’s powers seem to have come from a new source. Kraven is now motivated by his abusive dad, Nikolai. The trailer depicts him as a young man failing to kill a lion. His father calls him weak and ties his inability to kill large animals to his mother. Kraven seems to blame his father for his mother’s death. Sergei apparently has an innate bond with animals now. His refusal to kill a lion gets him mauled, leading to a near-death experience. Most unusually, Kraven seems to have received an infusion of lion blood, which may have been the source of his power. Sergei grows up to become a hunter of criminals and businesspeople. He specifically mentions undoing the evil influence of his father as a motivation for his grim work. He’s a conservationist motivated by the threat to the animals he works alongside. It’s a giant change for the character.
In the comics, Kravenwas the son of a wealthy Russian aristocrat. He and his family fled their homeland in 1917 after most Russian nobles were deposed in the February Revolution. His dad was abusive in the comics, but he was also an alcoholic who died swiftly after they left Russia. Sergei’s mom breaks down after her husband’s death, eventually landing her in an insane asylum. Sergei was an orphan, so he stowed away on planes, trains, and ships. Eventually, he lived in Africa for over a decade and became a gifted hunter. Kraven gains his powers from a herbal serum. He’s strong, fast, and durable. Kraven ages at a substantially slower rate than any other human. He uses his powers to kill the strongest prey he can find violently. His targets grew from predators to superheroes. He can’t communicate with animals through any innate power, but he is a skilled tamer. Thefilm changed Kraven’s history, sliding the timeline forward, keeping his dad alive, focusing on the abuse he received, and shifting him from a trophy hunter to a conservationist. Those changes may make the character more sympathetic, but it also makes him oddly similar to a minor Batman villain.
Who Is Catman?
Thomas Reese Blake was introduced in 1963 by Bill Finger and Jim Mooney. He appeared as a gimmick villain whostole Catwoman’s costume design. He stole cat-themed items and wore a magical costume that gave him nine lives. He frequently got Catwoman framed for his actions. He spent almost thirty years out of the spotlight after being defeated by Batman, Robin, and Batwoman. He returned as part of the Misfits, a group of D-list villains who worked together to claw toward a higher station. It didn’t work out. He then reappeared asa Green Arrow villain, where he was treated as a joke. He was a pariah among antagonists and the easiest prey of Oliver Queen. The version of the character that matters didn’t appear until the early 2000s.
Catman re-emerged in Gail Simone’s2005 miniseriesVillains United. Catman appeared in the story after rebuilding his life. He resides in Africa with a pride of lions. The comic also delves into Catman’s backstory. Thomas Blake was abused and abandoned by his father, a big game hunter. The landmark moment comes when his dad abuses him for refusing to kill a tranquilized lion. The comic also explains that Thomas’s dad forced him to kill his mother. He calls him weak and ties his weakness to his mother. Thomas grows up to become a vigilante, eventually shifting away from villainy to become an anti-hero. Like the new Kraven, he’s a conservationist. The similarities are striking, especially when looking at the scenes side-by-side. Even Gail Simone mentioned the comparison on Twitter.
It’s unfair to saythatKraven the Hunterfully stole Gail Simone’s backstory for Catman. It’s more accurate to suggest that they took elements from Kraven’s comic book story and filled in the gaps with a bit of Thomas Blake. Fans have considered Catman DC’s Kraven for years. This gradual shift could bring both characters into the spotlight and patch up their issues.Kraven the Hunterdefinitely borrowed some elements from Catman, but it’s hard to call it stealing.
