Sony’s Kraven Movie Could Flip His Original Spider-Man & Chameleon Story

The casting of Chameleon in Sony’s Kraven the Hunter movie means that the film could flip his original comic story. Introduced in the early years of Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man comic, both Kraven and Chameleon are two of the oldest and most important villains in Peter Parker’s rogues’ gallery. However, neither has had a chance to fight him on the big screen yet.

Played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kraven will make his live-action debut in his own movie in 2023. In addition to featuring Kraven in the titular role, it seems the movie will also include an appearance from Chameleon, a master criminal known for his ability to effortlessly pull off any disguise. In the comics, Chameleon is Kraven’s half-brother and his partner-in-crime in many of his battles with Spider-Man. Given how he factors heavily into Kraven’s stories, it’s not surprising that Chameleon will be involved. Reportedly, the iconic Spider-Man adversary will be brought to life by The White Lotus actor Fred Hechinger.

If the report is accurate, Chameleon’s presence – combined with the possible exclusion of Spider-Man – may mean that Kraven the Hunter will reverse his comic debut. When he first came to New York City to hunt Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man #15, it was actually a response to a request from Chameleon. At the time, his intention was to help his half-brother, who had been defeated by the wall-crawler in an earlier issue of the comic. The two teamed up against Spider-Man, but lost in the end. It may be that instead of helping Chameleon, the movie’s take on Kraven will be fighting against him.

Kraven turning on Chameleon would add an interesting – and perhaps appropriate – twist to his first comic book appearance. There’s no word on whether or not Spider-Man will appear in any capacity, so it seems that like the situation with the first Venom movie, Kraven’s solo adventure will have to work without his archenemy. This would of course mean that Kraven would need a different target. Chameleon could work for this role, particularly since he’s in line with the type of prey Kraven gravitates toward, which are characters with animal-like traits. Like the animal of the same name, Chameleon is a master at blending in, which would make tracking him down a grueling challenge for Kraven.

As opposed to coming to New York City to help Chameleon beat Spider-Man in Kraven the Hunter, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character could betray him and set up a heated conflict between the two. Having him fight someone like Chameleon could help the movie make Kraven less of a villain and more of an anti-hero, which is exactly what Sony’s intention may be for the film. With his character being the protagonist of the story, Kraven fighting another Spider-Man villain is a creative choice that makes a great deal of sense.

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