Kraven Star Wants Spider-Man Crossover: “Give the People What They Want”

What’s a superhero without his signature villains, right? With Kraven the Hunter now in theaters, the Marvel antagonist has now joined Sony’s Spider-Man universe, but with the hero himself totally absent. Fans have long hoped that everyone’s favorite web-slinger might eventually cross paths with one of these other characters, but so far it has failed to materialize. It’s also not just the fans hoping for a throwdown, but the cast of the movie too. Ariana DeBose, who plays Calypso, made her case for an epic showdown between Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven recently.

“This is meant to be a standalone film and an origin story, but I do think Kraven deserves that epic showdown with Spider-Man,” she told Variety at the film’s world premiere in New York. “There’s literally a whole comic about it. Give the people what they want. I think they should do that. And if there’s space for Calypso and Kraven’s journey, then great!”

For years, since Sony has held the rights to the superhero, only the films featuring Spider-Man himself have really gained traction, while the solo villain projects have struggled to find their footing. Even before Kraven the Hunter premiered, it was predicted that the film would draw an even smaller audience than Morbius, which only managed about $39 million at the domestic box office. Another prediction suggested it wouldn’t even hit the numbers of the underwhelming Madame Web. Now, after its release, those predictions seem to be coming true, with disappointing box office returns and a slew of negative reviews.

[RELATED: Why Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Movies Don’t Have Spider-Man In Them]

It’s interesting to think that Kraven might not have ended up where he is now if he had been the official villain of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Director Jon Watts originally hoped to bring the villain into the third film before the Multiverse concept became the focus. In the end, that showdown was scrapped, but it seems both Holland and Taylor-Johnson would be on board for a showdown between their characters. The Kraven star revealed a recent encounter with the Marvel star as he recently attended Holland’s Broadway play, which was enough to spark fan speculation.

“The last time I spoke to Tom was backstage of his theater production, Romeo and Juliet, and I gotta tell you, he was fantastic,” Taylor-Johnson told the outlet. “That guy is a phenomenal actor, and I’d be happy to work with him any day.”

J.C. Chandor, the director of Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, would also like to explore this possibility in the future, specifically exploring the Kraven’s Last Hunt storyline from the comics. The movie’s ending leaves the door open for the villain to take on new directions, and according to Chandor, facing Spider-Man would make for a fitting conclusion.

Now, anything seems possible, but the potential for Peter Parker coming face-to-face with Kraven still lingers. A few months ago, Tom Holland shared his thoughts on the script for the fourth Spider-Man film, saying “this is a real movie worthy of the fans’ respect.” With so many people involved hinting at or rooting for a showdown between Kraven and Spider-Man, it’s starting to feel like a possibility that it could actually happen. If it does, maybe don’t count on it being in the same continuity as the recent film.

Kraven the Hunter is now in theaters.