Kraven the Hunter is an animal-loving antihero who is dubbed “Spider-number Man’s one foe.”

Aaron-Taylor Johnson, the Kraven film's lead, discusses his interpretation of the role

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has some news for Spider-Man Universe fans. According to Variety, the actor, who plays Kraven the Hunter in Sony’s next feature, disclosed further details about the project during the CineEurope convention.

Taylor-Johnson refers to Kraven as “one of Marvel’s most renowned, legendary anti-heroes – Spider Man’s number one foe,” a figure he finds particularly intriguing because he lacks superpowers.

“He’s just a hunter, a man with a strong belief.” A lover of animals and a defender of the natural environment. “He’s a really cool character,” Taylor-Johnson added. (For the record, in Marvel comics, Kraven gains certain superhuman skills from a herbal mixture he takes, although it’s unclear whether this will be retained in the film.) He also mentioned that, unlike previous Marvel films, this one was totally shot on location.

To be clear, Kraven the Hunter does not exist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead, the film is set in the same universe as Venom and Morbius, two Spider-Man-related Marvel characters that Sony owns the rights to. Kraven the Hunter will also star Ariana DeBose from West Side Story as Calypso, a voodoo priestess and Kraven’s love interest, alongside Taylor-Johnson.

Kraven the Hunter will be released in theaters on January 13, 2023.