At Marvel and DC Comics
it's not uncommon to see eerily similar characters running through their respective fictional universes, which follow each other in ways that would make a copyright lawyer shudder, like Marvel's Kraven the Hunter
being a popular Spider-Man creation that DC sneakily adapted into its own comic book universe decades ago. Going by the name Adam Orion, this skilled hunter/tracker is a direct riff on Kraven and, compared to his Marvel counterpart, he's a villain few knew existed.
Introduced in 1973 Superboy #199 in an alternate short story titled “From the Archives of the Legion of Super-Heroes: The Impossible Target,” Adam Orion, or as he is known as the Hunter, is the son of Otto Orion, the original Hunter, and is essentially Kraven the Hunter except in his (first) name.
Tied to the 30th century team known as the Legion of Super-Heroes, both Adam Orion and his father are considered the most dangerous hunters in the galaxy and have pursued the Legion of Super-Heroes on several occasions, with Adam swearing revenge after blaming them for his untimely death. of his father.
DC's Adam Orion is a future space version of Marvel's Kraven the Hunter
Superboy #199 – 1973 (Cary Bates and Dave Cockrum)
Hailing from the planet Simballi, Adam Orion is an obvious attempt by DC to create your own version of Kraven ten years after the character debuted at Marvel. Having a nearly identical characterization, skill set, and hunter/tracker design, which likewise sees Adam wearing various animal skins and animal-themed clothing, Adam also sports an eerily familiar fur-covered vest and an impressive mustache. . – visual accents that only increase the similarities with Kraven. Sporting long red hair and debuting with an eye patch, Adam also carries a Kraven-style hunting knife and rifle, but also utilizes advanced technology like “gravity boots” and a one-man hovercraft.
Possessing no true superpowers, Adam relies on his intelligence, unparalleled hunting and tracking skills, 30th century equipment, and traditional poaching weapons to take down his prey.unlike Kraven, who is granted superhuman abilities whenever he ingests his special blend of jungle herbs, giving him greater strength, speed, agility, and heightened senses. Nowhere near as prominent and multifaceted a character as Kraven was when he died in Spider-Man's iconic story “Kraven's Last Hunt”, Adam's quest to honor his late father was the most character development he received, making him a rarely used Marvel-inspired villain best left forgotten.
Adam Orion's hunter personality does not have super abilities like the ones Kraven has access to
Kraven was introduced in 1964
Making just a dozen appearances since debuting over five decades ago, It's doubtful Adam will do more in the near future, with him last seen in the 2011 Legion of Super-Heroes comic series.where he was imbued with a series of real superpowers that allowed him to control fauna, only to be easily knocked out by the Legionnaire Tyroc soon after. Kraven the Hunter is a Marvel character whose presence is still felt in Spider-Man comics today, but when it comes to DC Comics' Adam OrionThe Legion of Super-Heroes has much more important matters to deal with.