The newest version of Marvel Kraven the hunter has a dark connection to the X-Men of his universe. In Ultimate Spider-Man #8Written by Jonathan Hickman and illustrated by Marco Checchetto, Wilson Fisk brings together a group of supervillains to hunt Spider-Man and Green Goblin, forming the Ultimate Universe’s version of the Sinister Six.
The members of Fisk’s Sinister Six are the allies he has in New York, one of them being a new version of Kraven The Hunter. In this universe, Kraven the Hunter is reimagined as a Russian billionaire who cannot escape Russia under threat of revolution, but is expelled from the country during the “Purge of Rasputin”. As a result, he is not only a skilled hunter, but even more sadistic than previous incarnations. Not to mention one who has a unique grudge against some iconic mutants.
The Ultimate Kraven was exiled by Colossus and Magik
The Rasputins who exiled Kraven from his homeland are none other than the Ultimate Piotr Rasputin and Illyana Rasputina, better known as Colossus and Magik of the X-Men. As allies of the Creator, they were granted control over the Eurasian Republic, which included Russia. In their attempts to exert control over the region, they initiated the Rasputin Purge, which resulted in the exile of Kraven and his family from Russia. After his exile, Kraven was granted Staten Island as his territory by Wilson Fisk, and has made it his hunting ground ever since.
Kraven’s New X-Men Connection Adds a Dark Layer to the Ultimate Universe
This new connection between Kraven and the X-Men adds a layer of interconnective tissue to the Ultimate Universe, showing how the Creator’s advice and actions affect unexpected characters. Rather than keeping each of the books contained within its own sphere of influence, this connection reaffirms the idea that these books are set in a wider universe. For Kraven specifically, this means giving him a reason to hunt down the Rasputin family in the future..
This new version of Kraven the Hunter lives up to Hickman’s mission statement Ultimate Spider-Man: the exploration of these characters through a radically different story. While Kraven shares many characteristics with his mainstream counterpart, his dark connection to the X-Men sets him apart in an important way, reinventing the character for the Ultimate Universe. While his main goal appears to be hunting down Spider-Man and Green Goblin, there’s no doubt that Kraven’s history with the Rasputins will play an important role in his character’s development in the future.
Ultimate Spider-Man #8 is now available from Marvel Comics.