Kraven the Hunter ending explained: who dies, what happens to Sergei, and is Spider-Man in the movie?

There are no plans for a sequel right now but as far as Kraven himself believes, he's far from his last hunt...

Kraven the Hunter, directed by J.C. Chandor, has officially leapt into theaters like a lion after prey. Aaron Taylor-Johnson flexes his leading man muscles as the titular villain/antihero from Marvel's vast comic book canon (the character's first appearance is in The Amazing Spider-Man #15, published in 1964).

The latest, and potentially final movie from Sony's Spider-Man Universe – which has been bizarrely without Spider-Man since its start in 2018 – Kraven the Hunter tells the origin story of big-game hunter Sergei Kravinoff. Born the son of Nikolai Kravnioff, a ruthless Russian gangster and hunting enthusiast (played here by Russell Crowe), Sergei becomes a supernaturally-enhanced vigilante who puts evil men in his crosshairs. While adhering to a strict code, Sergei adopts the name "Kraven" to put the criminal underworld on notice. And he's also the devoted older brother of Dmitri (Fred Hechinger), who has an uncanny talent for mimicking other people. One might call him a chameleon...

While Kraven the Hunter may be the end for Sony's Spider-Man-less universe, Chandor's film still goes to some lengths to set things up for future (if unlikely) installments. It all goes down in the movie's ending, which sees Kraven eliminate a very personal antagonist while tragically, and inadvertently, creating another.

Here's what you need to know about the ending of Kraven the Hunter. Be warned: spoilers ahead...

Kraven the Hunter ending explained

Kraven the Hunter is crawling with bad guys, but the worst of them is definitely Aleksei Sytsevich, a.k.a. "The Rhino". Played by Alessandro Nivola (in a delightfully weird performance), Aleksei's resentment for his perceived weakness drives him to become a test subject for an experimental procedure that turns his body invincible – and gray, and scaly, just like a rhinoceros.

"The Rhino" serves as Kraven's main nemesis. In the movie, Rhino and his men kidnap Dmitri, which draws the attention of Kraven and places Rhino on his very literal hit list. And sure enough, the two confront each other in a violent, fatal fashion where they first met many years prior: on an African savannah, surrounded by a ring of stampeding buffalo. Naturally, Kraven comes out on top.

But there's still a lot of questions left unanswered. Primarily: who orchestrated Rhino to kidnap Dmitri? And who tipped off Rhino that Kraven was after him? And why? Turns out the culprit is none other than Kraven's own father, Nikolai.

Determined to eliminate his competition, Nikolai secretly weaponized his sons. He organized his own son Dmitri's kidnapping by Rhino, then manipulating Kraven into killing Rhino. As for the safety of Dmitri, he fully trusted Kraven to protect him in the end (even if it cost Dmitri a finger).

The real heart of the movie's story ends when Kraven confronts his father for the last time. After a tense conversation where Nikolai confesses to his actions, Kraven leaves him vulnerable to a wild bear attack (à la Leo in The Revenant). In an act of poetry, Kraven dares his father to embrace and overcome fear, just like his own abusive upbringing of himself and Dmitri.

Afterwards, Kraven discovers his father left him a parting gift: a vest made out of the lion that nearly killed him at the beginning of the movie. This gives Kraven his costume that cements his complete transformation into the Kraven the Hunter that Marvel fans know and love (to hate).

Who is The Chameleon?

Just when you think Kraven the Hunter has finished its business, it has one more trick up its furry sleeves. One year later, Kraven reunites with his brother at his nightclub. While Kraven and Dmitri both hated their father's harsh parenting, Dmitri still wanted papa's love and respect. And he now resents Kraven for killing dear old dad. That's when Dmitri reveals to Kraven he submitted himself to a different procedure by the same New York scientist (hmmm…) that transformed Rhino.

Dmitri is no longer capable of just replicating other people's speech, but their physical likeness too. While walking amongst a crowd to confuse Kraven, Dmitri reveals to the audience his true default form – a smooth grey face – and the adoption of his own identity, The Chameleon.

And there you have it. Kraven the Hunter ends with the death of some bad men, and the rise of more. Poor Sergei just wanted to protect himself and his brother, but he only enabled their further downfall. Kraven the Hunter is an unusually tragic superhero (or supervillain) origin story that suggests family bonds have limits and the only thing you can really trust is your own killer instinct.

Is Spider-Man in Kraven the Hunter?

No, Spider-Man isn't in Kraven the Hunter. Aside from a drug-induced hallucination that might give anyone with arachnophobia the heebie jeebies, there isn't even a mention of Spider-Man anywhere in Kraven the Hunter. Not even a post-credits scene.

Nor are there any playful nods that Kraven is Johnson's second Marvel movie, after Avengers: Age of Ultron. For now at least, hunting season is over.

Kraven the Hunter is in theaters now. You can read our Kraven the Hunter review for our full verdict, our guide to the Kraven the Hunter post-credits, and whether there will be a Kraven the Hunter 2.

And for more, check out our guides to the most exciting upcoming movies and new superhero movies, as well as how to watch the Marvel movies in order.