Aaron Taylor-Johnson fans shocked by ‘gory’ and ‘hyper violent’ trailer for Spider-Man spin-off Kraven the Hunter

Film is part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe

The first trailer for the Marvel film Kraven the Hunter has been released – and viewers have been shocked by the amount of violence on show.

Kraven the Hunter stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Tenet) as Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter, a supervillain who originated in Marvel comic books as an adversary of Spider-Man.

The film is being released by Sony Pictures and will be set in the same universe as Venom (2018) and Morbius (2022).

In the trailer, fans were given a first look at Taylor-Johnson in character, as well as some of the film’s supporting cast. Russell Crowe plays Kraven’s father in the film, alongside Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) and Alessandro Nivola (Amsterdam).

Kraven the Hunter is directed by JC Chandor, the filmmaker behind the acclaimed 2013 crime drama A Most Violent Year.

After the trailer was released online, fans shared their reactions on social media, with many commenting on the unexpectedly visceral violence.

“Kraven the Hunter looks insane, dumb as hell and hyper violent. I’m interested,” one person wrote.

“A really brutal and bloody trailer,” wrote another. “I really liked the vibe of this trailer and the kills looked gory and messed up and I really like the cast. Still not super excited but I’m just cautiously excited. This was a decent trailer.”

“A violent, bloody, hard-R comic book film? I’m down!” wrote filmmaker Yoko Higuchi. “The first trailer for the upcoming Kraven the Hunter film just dropped and it’s peaking my interest.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in ‘Kraven the Hunter' (Sony)

“While it’s not the comic book origin story, I’m digging its vibe. Really hope this surprises us in theaters.”

Others expressed optimism about the forthcoming film but stipulated that they wanted Spider-Man to make a cameo.

“Kraven movie looks way more violent than I expected,” one person remarked. “I just wish Sony and Marvel would make it so one of the adult Spider-Men actually fights these villains.”

Another commented: “I wanna be optimistic. I hope they plan to make this R-rated to make it as violent as needed. Kraven the Hunter being an anti-hero seems a stretch but I hope by the end he starts trying to hunt Spider-Man.”

Kraven the Hunter is set to be released in cinemas on 6 October 2023.