Kraven the Hunter ends about as well as one would expect, considering the rest of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movies. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the тιтular Sergei Kravinoff, the movie’s end sees Kraven fully becoming the Spider-Man villain he’s known to be in the comics, while also featuring some fun secondary reveals. That said, Kraven’s villainous evolution isn’t nearly as satisfying as many were hoping it would be.

In Kraven the Hunter, Sergei Kravinoff’s history and origins with his father Nikolai (Russell Crowe) are explored, as well as his mission in the present day to save his half-brother Dimitri (Fred Hechinger) from The Rhino (Alessandro Nivola). However, the ending does feature some strange character choices based on what was established earlier in the new Marvel film. With that in mind, here’s Kraven the Hunter’s ending explained, as well as what it might mean for the future.

Kraven The Hunter’s Final SH๏τ Explained

It’s A Nod To The Comics

A year after Sergei saves his brother and kills both The Rhino and Nikolai, Kraven returns to his father’s house after his brother tells him that their father left him something. Opening a box, Sergei discovers that Nikolai took the head of the lion that nearly killed him as a child and had it made into a vest. As such, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Sergei resembles the Kraven of the original Marvel Comics once he puts on the lion’s head vest and sits down, resting his chin on one arm.

Kraven the Hunter ends with Sergei mirroring Kraven’s classic look and pose from the comics. This signifies his full evolution into the Spider-Man villain he’s known to be in the comics, giving him the nearly requisite comics-accurate costume look in the third act that audiences have come to expect from the superhero movie genre.

What Kraven Putting On The Lion Jacket Means

Beyond the comic book significance, Kraven putting on the vest also signifies a darker turn for the character. The accompanying note from Sergei’s late father contained Nikolai’s claims that he and Kraven were the same, legendary hunters to be dreaded.

Despite Sergei’s hate for his father, it seems this letter, combined with his prior conversation with Dimitri (who voiced similar sentiments), motivated Kraven to embrace the path his father wanted for him, the one of The Hunter. To that end, Sergei’s apparent acceptance that he’s not a good man is the only reason that makes sense as to why he’d put the vest on to begin with.

Nikolai Kravinoff’s Death Explained

Sergei Influenced The Attack

Before putting on the vest and the one-year jump, Kraven is shown meeting with his father in the forest after Rhino is killed and Dimitri saved. Unwilling to become his father’s heir and take over his criminal empire, Sergei secretly removes the bullets from Nikolai’s rifle. Likewise, it’s heavily implied that Sergei influenced the grizzly bear to attack and maul his father, just like he influenced the bison herd to attack the convoy during the fight with Rhino and the wolf during Sergei’s prison breakout in the Kraven the Hunter’s opening scenes.

Why Kraven Finally Went After His Father

Having learned from Rhino that Nikolai was the one who set him up and put him in Aleksei Sytsevich’s sights, Sergei finally went after his father after years of keeping his distance. This was because Nikolai knowingly used one son to kill a threat he could not, while also risking the other son as acceptable collateral damage. As such, Kraven could no longer abide by his father’s darkness and the pain he brought into the world, hence the bear attack.

How Dmitri Became Chameleon Explained

Sergei’s meeting with Dimitri in Kraven the Hunter’s final scenes reveals that Dimitri has taken over both their father’s empire and The Rhino’s ᴀssets. Likewise, Dimitri also reveals that he met with the same New York doctor who gave Sytsevich his strength, horns, and hardened skin. Now having the ability to take on the appearance of anyone at will, Dimitri officially becomes the classic Spider-Man villain known as The Chameleon, a master of disguise who once used old-fashioned masks and advanced tech before similarly gaining inherent abilities to shapeshift, just like Marvel’s new on-screen Chameleon.

The Chameleon’s classic all-white head from the comics can also be seen as Dimitri changes his face at will. Likewise, the New York doctor in question is none other than geneticist Miles Warren, aka The Jackal. Warren is most famous for instigating Spider-Man’s Clone Saga in the comics with the creation of multiple clones, most notably the Scarlet Spiders who’d come to be known as Ben Reilly and Kaine Parker.

Why Chameleon Took Over His Father’s Criminal Empire

It truly is an odd decision why Dimitri chose to take over his father’s empire at the end of Kraven the Hunter. Despite accusing Sergei of being just like their father, whom they both hated, Dimitri still chooses to become him all the same. This is even more baffling when considering how much he wanted to become someone else earlier, and especially now with his new powers. The only somewhat decent explanation for this choice is likely that there’s still an ongoing cycle of abuse where Dimitri ultimately still wants to make Nikolai proud, even after his death (and despite all the pain and torment he’d caused him).

What Happened To Calypso?

She Likely Went Back To Work In London

During the battle with Rhino and his men, Calypso (Ariana DeBose) kills The Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) before giving Sergei more of her family’s potion ahead of his fight with Sytsevich. However, Calypso isn’t seen again, making her future uncertain.

That said, one could probably safely ᴀssume that Calypso went back to work in London, and would likely work with Kraven again to help him track down more targets in the future. It also stands to reason that Sergei might want to learn more about the potion that saved his life twice, especially after the confirmation that Calypso had more of the elixir.

The Real Meaning Of Kraven The Hunter’s Ending Explained

Darkness Begets Darkness

Ultimately, the real meaning behind Kraven the Hunter’s ending is somewhat hard to fully decipher considering the general half-baked nature of the third act, as well as Sergei and Dimitri’s arguably uncharacteristic decisions in the wake of their father’s death. This is particularly true of Kraven’s decision to not only wear his father’s gift, but also killing Nikolai in the first place. For example, it might have made more sense for Kraven to break the cycle of darkness by sparing his father’s life.

Additionally, it also could have made more sense for Sergei to discard the vest after trying it on, rather than all too quickly embracing the path his father laid out for him in the last two minutes of Kraven the Hunter. At any rate, it certainly does seem as though Kraven the Hunter’s ending suffers from being far too rushed. It simply doesn’t fully pay off the potential that had been set up earlier in the new Marvel movie.

How Kraven The Hunter’s Ending Was Received

The Reception Was About The Same As The Rest Of The Film

While it was nice to see Kraven the Hunter finally look like his iconic comic book counterpart, by the time it happens, it’s hard to be excited given how lackluster the rest of the film is. In fact, if the movie had been much stronger overall, a lot of the final moments that set all these characters on their new paths could have made more of an impact. Instead, Kraven the Hunter’s ending was received like many of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe have been, with a resounding “meh.”

Chameleon was the very first villain that Spider-Man fought in Marvel Comics, and he could have been set up on a collision course with the wall crawler, but the isolated nature of Sony’s shared universe made it likely for it to never happen. Most choices the characters make at the end of Kraven the Hunter are also baffling, making the journey to get there feel pointless for a lot of people.

Does The Ending Set Up A Kraven The Hunter Sequel?

It’s Possible Buy Highly Unlikely

Now that Sergei has officially become the Kraven seen in the comics, he could theoretically be brought back as a Spider-Man villain at some point. That said, it’s recently been reported that Kraven the Hunter is the last of Sony’s SSU films that do not feature the iconic Webslinger. The likelihood of Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven ever getting to fight Spider-Man feels very slim, unless something multiversal were to happen in the MCU where his paths cross with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man or something like Sony’s universe ending up combining with the MCU in the aftermath of Secret Wars.

Still, if Sony ever does bring Kraven back, he will likely be a full-blown villain for Spider-Man, given how Kraven the Hunter ended. Details about Spider-Man 4’s story have not been revealed, but fans of Kraven shouldn’t hold their breath, and if he is ever brought into a film, it’s possible it could be a different take on the character, considering it was never actually revealed who the Spider-Man was in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.