Kraven's Last Hunt

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Lore & Background

The story was developed from a rejected Batman/Joker pitch by DeMatteis, later reworked for Marvel with Spider-Man and a new villain. After a chance look at Kraven's entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, DeMatteis substituted Kraven for the new villain. Marvel's plans to marry Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson prompted DeMatteis to make their marriage the emotional focus. Mike Zeck drew all six covers before any interior art; the iconic "Resurrection" cover for Web of Spider-Man #32 was completed first. The plot had been completely written by the time Zeck started work. In 1994, DC published DeMatteis' Batman/Joker version as "Going Sane" in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68.

In Their Own Story

Kraven the Hunter, grown old and bitter, decides to settle things with his nemesis. He hunts down Spider-Man, shoots him with a rifle, and buries him alive. Kraven then dresses as Spider-Man to prove himself superior, brutalizing and killing criminals. He culminates his crusade by capturing Vermin, who Spider-Man needed Captain America's help to defeat. After two weeks, Peter revives from the tranquilizer and digs his way out of the grave, rejecting the animalistic "spider" inside him and proving he is a human man fueled by love for Mary Jane. When Spider-Man attacks, Kraven does not fight back, considering himself the victor. Kraven releases Vermin to battle Spider-Man, then commits suicide with his prize rifle, leaving a confession clearing Spider-Man of his crimes. The final scene shows Kraven's coffin lowered into the grave he had been digging throughout the story.

Reader's Guide

The plot follows Kraven's decision to hunt Spider-Man to death after feeling he has finally bested him in combat. After capturing and humiliating Peter, Kraven buries himself alive, intending to rise again once he believes he is truly dead to prove his superiority over life itself. The creative team includes writer J.M. The story is told in between quotations from William Blake's poem "The Tyger", with the word "Tyger" replaced by "Spyder". A sequel, Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter, was published in August 1992 as a response to misinterpretations of Kraven's suicide. Kraven's First Hunt and Grim Hunt are related stories involving Kraven's family. An alternate version appears in Spider-Man: Life Story, where Kraven hunts Spider-Man in the 1980s during the Cold War after being diagnosed with cancer.

Did You Know?

• The story was originally a Batman/Joker pitch by DeMatteis that was rejected by DC because it was similar to Batman: The Killing Joke.
• Mike Zeck drew all six covers for the story before doing any interior art, completing the 'Resurrection' cover first.
• The story was originally intended to run entirely in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, but editor Jim Salicrup decided to publish it as a crossover through all three Spider-Man titles.
• The initial trade paperback editions were titled 'Fearful Symmetry: Kraven's Last Hunt', with later editions dropping 'Fearful Symmetry' entirely.
• A sequel, Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter, was published in 1992 as a response to letters claiming the original story glorified suicide.