‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ is shockingly dark for a Spider-Man story. JM DeMatteis originally proposed it to DC as a Batman story, but it was rejected. Peter Parker‘s psychological torment, Kraven the Hunter‘s rampage, Vermin‘s brutal defeat and the way Kraven deals with achieving his goal still retain a darkness that no one has captured in a Spidey saga since.
While the correct name for this event is ‘Fearful Symmetry: Kraven’s Last Hunt’, most people just refer to it as ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ these days, so I’ve shortened the title to suit that and make it easier to find.
Crossover: This is a six-part crossover running through Spider-Man’s three ongoing series.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- YESTERDAY’S SHADOWS (1982-1983) – Spider-Man first encounters Vermin
- THE WEDDING (1987) – Peter Parker marries Mary-Jane Watson
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Web of Spider-Man #31
- Amazing Spider-Man #293
- Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131
- Web of Spider-Man #32
- Amazing Spider-Man #294
- Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #132
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Web of Spider-Man #31 Kraven the Hunter failed too many times when it came to defeating his long-standing nemesis Spider-Man. This time, though, Kraven isn’t messing around. While Spidey’s out on patrol, Kraven fires a tranquiliser dart at him, nets him and then shoots him. |
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man #293 Standing by Spider-Man’s grave, Kraven laughs as he dons the black costume of his arch-enemy. In a rundown New York apartment, Mary Jane Watson-Parker wonders where her husband is. And beneath the city, the rat-like humanoid Vermin starts dragging victims into his world to sate his hunger… New identity: Kraven the Hunter/Sergei Kravinoff as the Spider |
| ✔ | Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131 Kraven adds to the wall-crawler’s defeat by taking his place, dubbing himself the Spider. Kraven violently takes down a number of criminals, then resorts to excessive force to apprehend Vermin in the sewers. |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Web of Spider-Man #32 Six feet below ground, in a coffin buried on Kraven’s estate, Peter Parker goes through a disturbing dream state. When he eventually gains consciousness, Spidey forces his way to the surface and goes inside Kraven’s mansion. Picking up a newspaper, he realises he’s been down there for two week and learns exactly what Kraven’s been up to in his absence. He returns to Mary Jane and recovers until he’s ready to face Kraven for the inevitable showdown. |
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man #294 Spider-Man confronts Kraven, who gives up the Spider identity having proven himself Spider-Man’s superior. Kraven sets Vermin free, then promises never to hunt again. When Spider-Man leaves, Kraven takes a rifle, puts the barrel in his mouth and blows his own brains out. Having achieved his ultimate ambition, he no longer had a reason to live. |
| ✔ | Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #132 Spider-Man quickly follows Vermin’s trail while the police enter Kraven’s mansion where they find his suicide note, confessing to replacing Spider-Man for the past two weeks. Spider-Man subdues Vermin, hands him over to the police then heads home to his wife. Kraven is buried next to Spider-Man’s empty grave. |
| Must Read | Issue & Fallout | Event/ Crossover |
| Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #1 [1/4] (2024) From beyond the grave, Joe Face recalls his first interaction with Spider-Man. | ||
| ✔ | Spider-Man #1-5 (1990) Kraven returns (complete with a hole in his head) to haunt Spider-Man; ‘Kraven’ turns out to be an hallucination created by his former lover Calypso. | |
| What If? #17 (1990) Uatu the Watcher reveals Earth-9009, an alternate reality in which Kraven the Hunter actually kills Spider-Man. | ||
| Marvel Graphic Novel #68: Avengers – Deathtrap: The Vault (1991) Vermin is revealed to have been sent to the Vault. | ||
| ✔ | Spectacular Spider-Man #178-184 (1991) Vermin next tangles with Spider-Man. | |
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter (1992) Unable to find peace in the afterlife due to his suicide, Kraven’s soul seeks Spider-Man’s help. | |
| Spider-Man #50 (1994) Vladimir Kravinoff, one of Kraven’s sons, becomes the Grim Hunter and battles Spider-Man. | ||
| Amazing Spider-Man #403 (1995) Mary Jane Watson-Parker is called to the stand to account for Peter’s whereabouts while a murder was taking place, though this ended up being at the same time he’d been buried alive by Kraven the Hunter. | THE TRIAL OF PETER PARKER | |
| ✔ | Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1-5 (2023) Spider-Man discovers more information on Kraven’s origins. | |
| Spectacular Spider-Man #243 (1997) Alexei ‘Alyosha’ Kravinoff, another son of Kraven, becomes a new Kraven the Hunter. | ||
| Spectacular Spider-Man #250-253 (1997) Calypso manipulates Alyosha into fighting Spider-Man. | ||
| ✔ | Daredevil #7 (1999) Mysterio emulates Kraven’s suicide, taking his own life. | |
| Spider-Man: Get Kraven #2-6 (2002) Nedrocci Tannengarden, yet another son of Kraven, is killed in battle with Alyosha. | GET KRAVEN | |
| Amazing Spider-Man #565-567 (2008) Kraven’s daughter, Ana Kravinoff, becomes the new Kraven the Hunter; Kraven’s wife, Sasha Kravinoff, makes her debut. | KRAVEN’S FIRST HUNT | |
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man #635-636 (2010) Sergei Kravinoff, the original Kraven the Hunter, is resurrected using the blood of the Peter Parker clone called Kaine. | GRIM HUNT |
| Scarlet Spider #21-23 (2013) Kraven convinces Kaine (now called the Scarlet Spider) to kill him to break his immortality curse; Kaine angrily obliges, but revives Kraven to punish him. | ||
| Spider-Man: Life Story #3 (2019) On Earth-19529 (in which Peter Parker ages in real time), Kraven hunts Spider-Man in the 1980s and steals his identity. | ||
| ✔ | Amazing Spider-Man #22 (2019) Kraven finally meets his demise at the hands of his own clone, the Last Son of Kraven. | HUNTED |
| Collected Edition Title | Collecting… |
| Amazing Spider-Man: Fearful Symmetry – Kraven’s Last Hunt Spider-Man: Fearful Symmetry – Kraven’s Last Hunt Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt Premiere Edition Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt | Amazing Spider-Man #293-294 Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132 Web of Spider-Man #31-32 |
| Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt – Deluxe Edition | Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #15, 293-294 Amazing Spider-Man (2003) #634-637 [part] Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter Marvel Team-Up #128 Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132 Sensational Spider-Man ’96 [part] Web of Spider-Man #31-32 What If #17 What The–?! #3 [part] |
| Collected Edition Title | Including… |
| Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection: Kraven’s Last Hunt (vol.17) | Amazing Spider-Man #293-294 Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132 Web of Spider-Man #31-32 |
Reading Order © 2024 Omniverse Comics Guide
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