Aaron Taylor-Johnson brought one of Marvel’s fastest superheroes to life in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. We all know how that ended, but though his time with the character was short-lived, Johnson’s take amassed a fanbase that arguably rivals his Kick Ass co-star Evan Peters’ version from the X-Men films.

Now, ATJ is returning to the Marvel universe, but instead of speeding alongside the world’s finest, he’ll be taking his sweet time hunting them down; starting with Spider-Man.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has signed on to multiple films under Sony’s universe of Marvel characters as the notorious Spidey-hunter, Kraven. The first film, titled Kraven the Hunter, will be directed by J.C. Chandor (Triple Frontier) and will release in 2023. Marvel Studios founder and CEO Avi Arad is producing alongside Matt Tolmach.

It hasn’t been revealed if Johnson’s Kraven will set his sights on any of the other heroes in the MCU, but his previous casting as Quicksilver doesn’t necessarily count anything out. Marvel isn’t a stranger to recycling actors (several actors like Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan have appeared in both the MCU and Fox’s version of the Marvel Universe). Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will also likely be the version we’ll see Kraven cravin’ to hunt, and we know that both Sony and Disney have plans for him in their respective universes.

An answer to whether Johnson’s role as Kraven will join the larger MCU could come as soon as this year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is heavily rumored to feature multiple versions of the webhead and bridge Sony’s three attempts at creating a Spider-Man franchise.

We do know for sure that the iconic hero hunter (who first made his appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #15) will have multiple pictures under his belt, with Johnson’s version being cited as the next chapter of Sony’s Marvel Universe. A universe that already includes Tom Hardy’s Venom, it’s sequel, and the upcoming Mobius film starring Jared Leto.

Kraven’s been the subject of film rumors for a long time, with many fans hoping to see the villain appear as early as Spider-Man: Homecoming. While he obviously didn’t show up in that one, or the sequel Far From Home, we can all sleep easy knowing that the villain is finally in Sony/Marvel’s film plans.

Who is Kraven?

For those who aren’t familiar with Kraven’s comic book origins: Sergei Kravinoff is one of Spidey’s oldest and most dangerous villains. An immigrant from the Soviet Union, Kravinoff fled to the United States with his family in the early 1900s. Soon after, he adopted the name “Kraven the Hunter” and realized his lifelong obsession with hunting Spider-Man and proving himself to be the greatest big game hunter of all.

Kraven isn’t your average hunter, though. While others prefer to use guns and bows, Kraven prefers to hunt New York’s friendly neighborhood hero with his own two hands! He’s perfectly capable of going toe-to-toe with the wall-crawler, thanks to his constant ingestion of jungle herbs and potions. These potions give him enhanced superhuman abilities, such as super strength, durability, and senses that are rivaled only by Spider-Man’s spidey sense. These powers are only accessories to him however, and Kraven has spent most of his career attuning his abilities to make himself a dangerous match for Spider-Man and several other heroes who have dared to cross his path.

Not much else is know about the Kraven the Hunter film, but make sure to keep an eye on the NOC for any updates in the foreseeable future!

Source: The Wrap