Six films have been released under the Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) brand, but none have significantly crossed over with one another, except for the Venom trilogy. Despite being kept largely separate, newly revealed concept art for ‘Kraven the Hunter’ indicates Sony may have considered including a Venom cameo in the SSU’s final film.
The artwork, shared on ArtStation by Framestore concept artist Jules Darriulat, depicts a planet filled with dead symbiotes, the same alien species as Venom. “Here’s an environment shot done for a cancelled sequence from ‘Kraven the Hunter.’ Was a lot of fun working on this sequence with the Framestore’s art department team!” Darriulat captioned the piece.
The concept, however, raises questions about its relevance to Kraven, a film set on Earth. It remains unclear why a scene featuring an alien planet populated by dead symbiotes was included in the production’s planning stages.
Fans have taken to Reddit and X to voice their disapproval.
On Reddit, fans shared comments, “The fact this was for the Kraven movie and not the Venom one shows how out-of-touch the execs are alongside being one of the reasons this universe failed.” And one said, “The fact that this was for a KRAVEN THE HUNTER movie is kind of a perfect microcosm on why this universe failed.”
Another echoed similar sentiments, “Another example of how these movies and Sony’s universe never had any real coherence or intention of being connected. Glad it’s over, honestly, we all win.”
Meanwhile, on X, people remarked, “Very fitting for a dead franchise.” Someone added, “Gotta appreciate Sony’s consistence in making nonsense from beginning to end.”
Sony had high hopes for ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ especially following the success of Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ in the summer of 2024. Unfortunately, the film underperformed at the box office. Initially projected to gross $15 million during its opening weekend, Kraven fell short of expectations.
Directed by JC Chandor, ‘Kraven the Hunter’ stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, a fearsome big game hunter familiar to ‘Spider-Man’ fans. The film delves into Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless crime lord father, Nikolai (played by Russell Crowe), and his journey to becoming the ultimate hunter.
