Having portrayed Deathstroke in Warner Bros.‘Justice Leagueand Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man, Joe Manganiello is no stranger to bringing comic book characters to life on the big screen. Now, new fan artwork imagines what Manganiello might look like at one of Spider-Man’s most formidable foes, Kraven the Hunter.
Since debuting in Marvel’sThe Amazing Spider-Manissue #15,Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven the Hunter has become an enduring member of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery and has beenfeatured in both video gamesand animated shows based on the wall-crawler’s comic book series. As a big-hame hunter who operates under a code of honor and justice, Kraven aims to prove himself as the world’s greatest hunter by killing Spider-Man. The character gained further notoriety after the release of writer J. M. DeMatteis’Kraven’s Last Hunt, an acclaimed comic book storyline in which Kraven seemingly succeeds in killing Spider-Man and takes on his former adversary’s identity in hopes of proving himself to be superior in the role.
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Prior to the release of Marvel Studios’Spider-Man: Far From Home, director Jon Watts expressed an interest in featuring Kraven as an adversary in future sequels and Sony is developing astandalone film centered on the villainas part of its own Universe of Marvel Characters. Regardless of what the future holds for Kraven on film or television, a number of fans in the online community have already suggested Manganiello for the role. Now, the digital artist is known as ApexForm has unveiled artwork depicting Manganiello as Kraven, complete with the character’s traditional garb, standing in the middle of New York City’s Times Square as Spider-Man approaches. In the caption included with the original Instagram post, ApexForm noted Manganiello’s history with theSpider-Manfilm series while expressing their support for the idea of seeing him portray Kraven, saying, “This is a great idea… I think Joe would be an amazing choice and he is already in the spiderman [sic] family since he played Flash Thompson in the Raimi film.”
Manganiello’s future as DC villain Deathstroke is in question following Warner Bros.' decision to reassess its plans for the DCEU franchise in the wake ofJustice League’s disappointing box office performance. After making his first appearance as Deathstroke in the post-credits scene ofJustice League, Manganiello was poised to reprise the role and serve as the primary antagonist of the Batman film that was to be penned and directed by Ben Affleck. However,Affleck’s decision to step away from the DCEU franchiseboth behind and in front of the camera led to the project being taken over byWar for the Planet of Apesdirector Matt Reeves, who opted to develop his own story for a Batman film that exists within a separate universe and will not include Manganiello’s Deathstroke.
At this point, it seems unlikely that Kraven the Hunter will be the main antagonist of Marvel Studios and Sony’s thirdSpider-Manfilm. That role will seemingly be taken by Jamie Foxx, whoreturns as Electrofrom Sony’s abandonedThe Amazing Spider-Manfilm series.
Of course, nothing can be taken off the table at this point considering the inclusion of Doctor Strange in the nextSpider-Manfilm opens the door for multiple possibilities. For example, the future Sorcerer Supreme’s involvement in the story had led to rumors that formerSpider-ManactorsTobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield could reprise their roles.
Marvel Studios’Spider-Man 3is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 06, 2025.
