KRAVEN THE HUNTER
(of Earth-8107)

Real Name: Unrevealed (see comments)

Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-8107) human

Occupation: Big game hunter, criminal

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Skelton; briefly J. Jonah Jameson

Enemies: Betty Brant, Ka-Zar, Mortimer, Ms. Lion, "Robbie" Robertson, Spider-Friends (Firestar/Angelica Jones, Iceman/Bobby Drake, Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Zabu

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "Kraven the Coward," "Mr. Macho," "That Creep" (insults)

Base of Operations: New York City, New York, USA and the Savage Land, Earth-8107

First Appearance: Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode, "The Crime of All Centuries" (September 19, 1981)

Powers/Abilities: By drinking a bitter "jungle potion," Kraven possessed the strength of ten jungle gorillas and the speed of the swiftest cheetah. Without the potion's effects, he presumably had the strength and agility of normal human. His belt had hollow teeth filled with knockout gas and the potion's ingredients. He also carried various other jungle-themed weapons such as a heat-seeking boomerang that sprayed quick-freezing chemicals and a shield for protection.

Height: 6'0" (presumably - see comments)
Weight: 235 lbs. (presumably - see comments)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

History: (Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode - "The Crime of All Centuries"(fb) - BTS) - Kraven was the one who discovered the Savage Land.

(Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode - "The Crime of All Centuries") - Kraven was hired by a movie studio to capture live dinosaurs for the promotion of the film Dinosaur Destroyer in the Savage Land.

Within the untamed jungle, Kraven and his assistant Skelton set a trap for a dinosaur. Skelton threw a large steak and when the giant reptile took the bait, Kraven jumped onto its back. Using the gas-filled tooth on his costume, he brought the animal low, boasting about his strength and intelligence. When Skelton complimented Kraven on his skill, the hunter dismissed the words, bragging that the combination of his growth energizer ray and some newly found dinosaur eggs would be far more valuable than the dinosaur, mostly for use in creating a dinosaur army to conquer New York. Kraven lamented that he lacked the proper source, namely the Eye of India Ruby, which required a tremendous amount of heat to activate. Kraven then pulled out a photo of the heroine Firestar, remarking that getting the gem shouldn't be an issue for someone with her powers.

Back in New York City, Kraven watched Firestar through his binoculars. He ordered Skelton to stage an accident to draw the heroine's attention and Skelton ran their truck through a red light, crashing the truck into a lamp post. The crash knocked a pteranodon's cage loose, sending the dinosaur flying over the New York skyline. After Firestar subdued the animal, Kraven charmed her and boasted of his hunting prowess before lifting the animal's cage over his head with no assistance. He invited her to his special unveiling of the dinosaurs at the museum the next day.

The next day, Kraven finished his lecture to a packed house. Pulling back the curtain, Kraven displayed the prehistoric animals he captured when the cages broke apart, sending the enraged animals on a rampage in the museum. With everyone thus distracted, Skelton used a tooth from Kraven's belt to cut a hole in the display and take the Ruby, which had been on display in the museum's hall of gems. Kraven then fled, an act noticed by Firestar. Outside the museum, Kraven looked at the stolen Ruby and repeated his plans for the Ruby and Firestar. Unknown to him, Firestar overheard his plans. Unbothered, Kraven broke out his weapons and prepared to fight her. Scaling the museum's walls, he deflected her flames with his shield and used a bola to bind her arms. When she burned her way free, Kraven used a heat seeking boomerang. The boomerang also had a freezing mist that sprayed out of its back, which served to knock Firestar out. Catching the falling heroine, Kraven slowed their descent by swinging from various branches. Landing safely, Kraven hustled the unconscious heroine into his truck's cab and they left with Skelton driving. Concerned that her friends might start tracking them, Kraven used a device in the truck to flood the road with a bright orange fluid.

Kraven took Firestar back to his secret hideout, a converted airplane hanger which he transformed into a scale replica of the Savage Land. As Skelton manned the controls, Kraven demonstrated the many dangers the hanger held, including rockslides and erupting volcanoes. Firestar, unimpressed, built a cage of fire around the hunter but Kraven easily cartwheeled out and escaped. Leading her on a chase, Kraven manipulated her over a geyser of freezing air, which knocked her out again. Kraven joked about her falling for him again. When Firestar came to, she was suspended in a cage treated with the freezing spray. Kraven explained his plan to her, threatening to harm her friends when they arrived if she refused. When Skelton subsequently informed him of Spider-Man and Iceman's arrival, Kraven took another potion to increase his abilities. When the two heroes and Ms. Lion arrived, Kraven unleashed his traps. Ms. Lion was captured first with a simple net trap. When Iceman tried to climb up to Firestar's cage, a blast of flame from a nearby volcano melted the ladder and weakened the mutant enough to make him fall, until he was saved by Spider-Man. An electrified net then knocked the two heroes out. When all three of them were awakened, Kraven explained his traps to them: Spider-Man's cage was wired for electricity, which increased thanks to Kraven's remote while Iceman's cage was set to lower into Kraven's prop volcano. With Firestar agreeing to his terms, Kraven watched as Firestar brought a T-Rex to full maturity. When Iceman escaped, Kraven tried to drop his cage into the faux-volcano but the mutant hero was already free. When Kraven tried to electrocute Spider-Man, Iceman froze the cage. Kraven then fled as the T-Rex moved to attack. When the Spider-Friends drove the animal into a tar pit, Kraven attacked Spider-Man but was flipped into the tar pit himself. Begging for help, Kraven tried to escape the enraged T-Rex before Firestar used the ray to reverse the effects. When Kraven promised to do anything, Iceman asked for fifty dollars. Paying the money, Kraven was arrested for his crimes and sent to prison.

(Spider-Man cartoon episode - "The Hunter & the Hunted" (fb) - BTS) - At some point, Kraven was released from prison. He had another lair constructed, partially with funds given by J. Jonah Jameson, that featured more jungle themed traps.

(Spider-Man cartoon episode - "The Hunter & the Hunted") - Despite his reputation, Kraven was hired by J. Jonah Jameson to capture and bring back the saber-toothed tiger Zabu for publicity purposes. Kraven headed back to the Savage Land. There, he found Zabu eating in a field. Mixing his jungle potion with the ingredients he kept in his belt, Kraven drank the brew and wrestled with Zabu enough to enrage the tiger. Leading the animal on a chase, Kraven tossed a gas-filled tooth at the tiger, knocking it out directly over his automatic cage. Kraven then flew the Daily Bugle's plane back to America and delivered Zabu to Jameson. He collected the rest of his fee as Zabu was unloaded from the plane. When Zabu escaped his cage, Kraven prepared to fight the tiger but Spider-Man arrived and attacked first. Kraven laughed heartily as Spider-Man was bedeviled by allergies more than the tiger but when Spider-Man caught Zabu in his web, Kraven said nothing. Kraven took care of Zabu while Jameson tried to figure out a proper way to use the animal.

Later, after news of the savage Ka-Zar's arrival was announced on the news, Kraven gloated over the caged Zabu, whom he intended to use as bait in his trap for the jungle lord. Kraven's first step was calling Jameson and offering to fight Ka-Zar for free with the Bugle getting all the publicity, unaware that Ka-Zar was in the publisher's office and slinging Jameson around.

When Ka-Zar, Jameson and his nephew Mortimer arrived at his lair, having been lured by Kraven's phone call to Jameson, Kraven made it clear he was going to hunt Ka-Zar. When Mortimer tried to flee, Kraven activated a rope trap, which snared the panicking young man. He ignored Jameson's subsequent outburst and when Ka-Zar swung towards him on a vine, Kraven activated another trap, this one binding Ka-Zar with more vines. Kraven was alerted to Spider-Man's arrival when the hero sneezed. Kraven boasted he would hunt Spider-Man down as well and add the hero's mask to his collection. Turning a giant python loose on the wall-crawler, Kraven noticed Jameson and Mortimer trying to flee the lair. With a flip of a switch, he brought a massive steel door down, trapping the pair inside. Another switch opened a trap door over an alligator pit but Spider-Man webbed it over before the two fell inside. Kraven then pushed another button as Spider-Man escaped the python, sending a trio of spears towards the hero. Spider-Man dodged all three, prompting Kraven to activate a giant bear trap. When Spider-Man escaped, Kraven panicked. Slammed to the ground by Spider-Man, Kraven was stunned as Spider-Man destroyed his lair control panel's power source. Trying to flee, Kraven reached for his belt but Ka-Zar swiped it and knocked him into an automatic cage. The hunter was then trapped in his own cage and Kraven wailed for his freedom as Ka-Zar and Spider-Man swapped jokes.

Comments: Created by Donald F. Glut and Marvel Productions, Ltd. (see Appearances list for list of artists involved).

According to a few online sources, Kraven was voiced by Jack DeLeon in the '81 Spider-Man series and George DiCenzo in the Amazing Friends series.

Kraven's height and weight taken from his 616 counterpart. Presumably, he had the same real name as his 616 version but nothing is stated, so his name might actually be Kraven.

Funny note: The film Dinosaur Destroyer stars Simon Williams and Karen Page. 

Profile by David Lawrence.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-8107's Kraven the Hunter has no known connections to:

Skelton

Kraven's assistant, Skelton set traps, drove the truck and managed the equipment, as well as manning the control panel of the faux Savage Land. He was later captured by Iceman.





--Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode, "The Crime of All Centuries"

images: (without ads)
Spider-Man cartoon episode, "The Hunter & the Hunted" (Kraven main image, Kraven petting snake, Kraven in cage)
Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode, "The Crime of All Centuries" (Kraven holding potion, Skelton)

Appearances:
Spider-Man & His Amazing Friends cartoon episode, "The Crime of All Centuries" (September 19, 1981) - Donald F. Glut (writer), Jan Green, Rick Hoberg, Cullen Houghtaling, Larry Houston, Sherman Labby, Will Meugniot, Dick Sebast, Bob Schaffer, Don Shepard, Hank Tucker, Warren Tufts (storyboards), Bruce Bennett, Norm Cabral, Dan Faucett, Neil Galloway, Greg Garcia, Gary Graham, Rick Graham, Karl Hepworth, Stuart Heimdall, Elaine Hultgren, Boyd Kirkland, Debra Pugh, Dave Sharp, Roy Smith, Tom Tholen, Grant Wilson, Roy Wilson, Bob Foster (layouts), Gerry Chiniquy, Steve Clark, John Gibbs, Sid Marcus, Bob Richardson, Nelson Shin, Arthur Vitello (animation directors)
Spider-Man cartoon episode, "The Hunter & the Hunted" (December 12, 1981) - Creighton Barnes, Doug Booth, Francis X. Feighan, Donald F. Glut, Jack Hanrahan, Christy Marx, Larry Parr, Jeffrey Scott (writers), Rick Hoberg, Cullen Houghtaling, Larry Houston, Sherman Labby, Henry Tucker (storyboards), Mario Piluso (storyboards, layouts), Lyle Beddes, Bruce Bennett, Norm Cabral, Dan Faucett, Neil Galloway, Greg Garcia, Gary Graham, Rick Graham, Karl Hepworth, Stuart Heimdall, Larry Huber, Elaine Hultgren, Boyd Kirkland, Debra Pugh, Keith Sargent, Dave Sharp, Roy Smith, Grant Wilson, Roy Wilson, Bill Wray (layouts), Gerry Chiniquy, Steve Clark, John Gibbs, Sid Marcus, Bob Richardson, Nelson Shin, Kay Wright (animation directors)

First Posted: 05/07/2018
Last updated: 05/07/2018

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