Two of Marvel's four mainstream releases in 2024 - be they from the Marvel Cinematic Universeor otherwise - were R-rated, but they were still incredibly different from each other. Marvel's 2024 movies were interesting in that they marked a rare slow year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unlike the Marvel movies of 2025, those being Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, 2024 had only one MCU release, with the other three theatrical movies coming from Sony's Spider-Man Universe. 48161v

Kraven the Hunter failed to bring life to the box office when it was released in 2024, and comparing the film's failure to the X-Men, and their stories both in and out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, clearly shows why it had to end its franchise. While there is still occasional talk of Venom meeting Spider-Man, it seems that further films in Sony's universe of Spider-Man characters may no longer be made. While nothing in comic book movies is ever a true end, so many details suggest that several, if not all, of these character iterations are done.

With Kraven The Hunter having one of the lower worldwide box offices in the superhero genre, it may come as a surprise that the film grossed more than one Fox X-Men movie by more than $10 million. While superhero movies have historically netted some of the most impressive box office takings of all time, the genre is also capable of providing some less grandiose results as well. Though this has been proved by some more recent Marvel and DC movies, it's certainly not a new concept, especially before the MCU timeline brought the superhero genre to new heights.

Kraven the Hunter suffered a record-breaking failure in Sony's Spider-Man Universe, but Marvel's new title announcement for Spider-Man 4 may mark the beginning of a new era for the character. One of the main criticisms leveled at Sony's live-action adaptation of Kraven the Hunter mirrors those of other villains/antiheroes in its now-defunct cinematic franchise centered around Spider-Man's conspicuous absence. Characters like Kraven and Madame Web are traditionally inexorably tied to the wall-crawler, and the fact that Kraven the Hunter grossed just $60 million worldwide speaks to the general sentiments surrounding Spider-Man's absence.

Sony blocked the Marvel Cinematic Universe from using the originally planned villain for Spider-Man: No Way Home, all for a film that ended up being a massive box office bomb. Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies are some of the most successful and popular entries in the MCU. That was clear from 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, the hero's latest adventure on the big screen, 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, was a generational event unlike any film focused on the wall-crawler had seen before. It united the three live-action movie versions of Peter Parker for the first time.

Kraven the Hunter might have been a box office bomb, but the Sony movie based on a famous Spider-Man villain could end up giving the Marvel Cinematic Universe an intriguing player for the future of Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies. I'm a fan of both of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Marvel roles so far. He was criminally underused in the MCU, with Quicksilver debuting in Avengers: Age of Ultron and dying in the same film.Kraven the Hunter finally allowed him to shine in a lead role, and while the film had its problems, the actor was not among them.

A Marvel movie that failed at the box office has become a hit upon arriving at Netflix, and that prompted me to rewatch it, confirming that it is still one of the best superhero movies where action is concerned. Be it in Marvel Studios' films, DC's movies, Sony's Spider-Man Universe, or any other superhero live-action franchise, action is important. While these stories need strong emotional hooks to resonate, if a superhero project does not present intense fights or exciting powers, it will most likely fail to the list of the best entries in the genre.

Sony's Kraven the Hunter lands on Netflix's Top 10 Movies list just a few months after bombing at the box office. As the MCU's Phase 5 continues to develop, Sony's Spider-Man Universe has apparently come to an end following the overwhelmingly poor reception of Madame Weband Kraven the Hunter, as well as Venom: The Last Dance's disappointing box office results and reviews in comparison to Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

In a shocking move, Kraven the Hunterhas already debuted on two streaming platforms within just two months. This is an unprecedentedly fast transition for a major superhero movie, even for the doomed Sony Spider-Man Universe. The rapid shift to numerous platforms suggests a desperate attempt to salvage its financial losses and could serve as the final indication that Sony’s attempt to build a standalone Marvel universe of Spider-Man characters is well and truly over.

Kraven the Hunter ends about as well as one would expect, considering the rest of Sony's Spider-Man Universe movies. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular Sergei Kravinoff, the movie's end sees Kraven fully becoming the Spider-Man villain he's known to be in the comics, while also featuring some fun secondary reveals. That said, Kraven's villainous evolution isn't nearly as satisfying as many were hoping it would be.