Kraven the Hunter Opening 7 Minutes Revealed as Director Teases the Inclusion of More Marvel Characters

Kraven the Hunter director J.C. Chandor took the stage to reveal the first seven minutes of Sony's Marvel villain film releasing December 13, part of an NYCC 2024 showcase featuring Sony's upcoming slate of films.

"He's an apex predator, the top of the food chain. Kraven's a hunter, not a poacher. Like every hunter knows, sometimes you have to cull the herd to preserve order. Of course, when he starts applying that to human beings, it becomes a pretty dark story." - Aaron Taylor-Johnson… pic.twitter.com/mOTChEj53U— IGN (@IGN) October 18, 2024

Sporting a Mets hat, Chandor talked about what to expect from the R-rated film while seemingly teasing more Marvel characters beyond Kraven and Rhino. "We built some set pieces and some action pieces that I’m super proud of…it’s not just Kraven. We’ve got the opportunity to really dive into the Marvel characters here."

He then showed the film's opening to the assembled audience, showcasing a sequence in which Kraven goes on a human hunt in a prison. One attendee present at the show described it as "grounded, violent, charismatic work speaking Russian, and a bunch of guards with bad aim."

After the scene, Taylor-Johnson was introduced to the audience, where he talked about his performance as the familiar Spider-Man villain. "He's an apex predator, the top of the food chain. Kraven's a hunter, not a poacher. Like every hunter knows, sometimes you have to cull the herd to preserve order. Of course, when he starts applying that to human beings, it becomes a pretty dark story."

A second clip followed, showing "multiple very brutal kills" including murder by bear trap, axe, and tree stump after which Taylor-Johnson posed with Chandor and multiple Kraven the Hunter cosplayers.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson poses with multiple Kraven the Hunter cosplayers at #NYCC pic.twitter.com/ras4Jdxdgu— IGN (@IGN) October 18, 2024

Tom Hardy talks about the end of his journey as Venom

Following the new Kraven the Hunter footage, Sony Pictures brought out Venom: The Last Dance director Kelly Marcel to talk a bit about the film's plot, saying that it takes place directly after the end of Venom 2. Billed as a roadtrip movie, it will feature Venom and Eddie Brock as fugitives on the run from pursuers from both our world and planets beyond.

Tom Hardy was also on hand to continue his farewell tour, saying he "absolutely loved" playing Eddie and Venom. "It’s been seven years doing this. It’s like I started the day seven years ago and now it’s night time, it’s time to go to sleep," he said.

Tom Hardy talks about acting with himself in Venom #NYCC pic.twitter.com/HfytwvPcri— IGN (@IGN) October 18, 2024

Hardy says Venom: The Last Dance is the last Venom movie and that he always saw it as three films. But while Hardy is likely finished as Venom, he's not ruling out the possibility of one day fighting Spider-Man. "I want to fight Spider-Man. I want to fight Spider-Man right now. I’m well up for it…. Never say never."

In the meantime, Sony's symbiote universe is just getting started. In an interview with IGN published earlier this week, Marcel revealed that the villainous Knull won't be Venom's main villain, and that the character is "just the beginning." We'll know soon enough what that entails when Venom releases on October 24.

Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.