Kraven Easter Eggs, Ending Explained: All Spider-Man References

On December 14, 2024By Littum

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for the ending of “Kraven the Hunter,” now playing in theaters.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson dresses up as famed Spider-Man villain Kraven the Hunter in Sony’s latest (and possibly last) Marvel film.

After the “Venom” trilogy, “Morbius” and “Madame Web,” “Kraven the Hunter” is the last Spidey-less film on Sony’s calendar. There are currently no further plans for other films based on supporting characters from the “Spider-Man” world (at one point, Bad Bunny was set to star in “El Muerto,” about a super-powered wrestler, but the film was pulled from publication). In the immediate future, the Spidey-verse continues with Tom Holland’s fourth “Spider-Man” MCU film, the animated trilogy capper “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” and Amazon’s “Spider-Noir” series starring Nicolas Cage, who voiced the alternate dimension hero in the “Spider-Verse” movies.

Fortunately for Spider-Man fans, several villains are introduced for the first time in “Kraven the Hunter.” Fred Hechinger plays the master of disguise Chameleon; Alessandro Nivola is the super strong rhinoceros; Christopher Abbott is the mercenary The Foreigner; and Ariana DeBose is the mysterious Calypso.

At the end of the film, we get cartoon-accurate depictions of the rhinoceros and chameleon. After being experimented on by a scientist, Nivola’s mobster unleashes his full strength, gaining some impenetrable skin and growing a sharp rhinoceros horn as he battles Kraven in the middle of a stampede. Hechinger’s Dmitri, who is also Kraven’s half-brother, takes a villainous turn after Kraven kills their cruel father Nikolai (Russell Crowe). After teasing his ability to perfectly mimic voices throughout the film, Dmitri reveals that he has undergone a procedure that allows him to take the face of anyone he wants. He uses this to change his face to Kraven’s in the final moments of the film, and it is clear that the relationship between the two has completely crumbled.

Unlike other superhero movies, there is no post-credits scene in “The Collar” to tease what might come next. It’s also unclear if any of the characters will carry over to other “Spider-Man” movies.

The chameleon

Fred Hechinger’s Dmitri is given a cartoon-accurate chameleon mask by the end of the film. Just like the comics, the all-white, featureless mask allows him to don a realistic imitation of anyone’s face.
Rhino

The Rhino is one of Spider-Man’s many animal-themed villains, like the Chameleon, Doctor Octopus, the Vulture, and others. In the comics, he is a Russian mobster who undergoes an experiment to give him super strength and impenetrable, rhinoceros-like skin. In other versions, he simply wears a thick polymer suit that can be removed. Paul Giamatti played the villain in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” wearing a giant, cybernetic mech suit, but Alessandro Nivola’s character is more reminiscent of the comic book version.
Miles Warren

The rhino mentions that Dr. Miles Warren was the scientist who gave him his super tough skin, and it is implied that Dmitri also visited Warren to get his shapeshifting chameleon powers. In the comics, Warren is the alter-ego of The Jackal, a mad scientist who was infamously involved in the cloning of Spider-Man during the “Clone Saga” comic run.
Spiders

Image credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

What is Kraven’s greatest fear? Spiders, of course. When the alien poisons Kraven and causes him to hallucinate, he sees armies of spiders descend upon him and crawl all over his body. While he may never meet Spider-Man, the nod to the wall crawler is obvious.
Collar’s Lion’s Mane

Kraven’s cartoon vest made of a lion’s mane was foreshadowed throughout the film, but in the end he gets the new costume from his late father. He even strikes a pose in the mirror that references a famous hero image of Kraven from the comics.
The foreigner

Christopher Abbott plays the lesser-known villain The Foreigner, who is a mercenary without superpowers. He is able to hypnotize his victims into a trance and rush away as they are disoriented before delivering the killing blow.
Kraven’s comic book debut

Image credit: ©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Kraven first appeared in “Amazing Spider-Man” issue 15, which was published in August 1964. At the beginning of the film, when Kraven is in prison, his ID number is 0864, which refers to the date of his comic book debut .
Daily Bugle

The Daily Bugle, the famous New York newspaper where Peter Parker works, makes a brief appearance in “The Collar” and references his murderous past.

The chameleon

Rhino

Miles Warren

Spiders

Collar’s Lion’s Mane

The foreigner

Kraven’s comic book debut

Daily Bugle