Newly released concept art showcases a scrapped sequence from Kraven the Hunter that would have tied in with the Venom trilogy. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the film paints Sergei Kravinoff/Kraven, a classic Spider-Man antagonist, as an antihero. The movie follows after the Venom films, Morbius, and Madame Web, as part of Sony’s attempt at utilizing their rights to Spider-Man and certain supporting characters. Further cast members include Russell Crowe, Ariana Debose, and Fred Hechinger.

Initially, Kraven the Hunter was set to debut before Venom: The Last Dance, which may have partially contributed to the aforementioned scene being removed from the final cut of the film. Shared to ArtStation by Jules Darriulat, the image shows ᴅᴇᴀᴅ symbiotes on a desolate landscape. Though the details of the sequence are unknown, it appears to be the site of a battle on an alien planet. The reason the scene was scrapped is unknown, but it would have likely tied in with Knull’s appearance in Venom: The Last Dance.

What The Scrapped Kraven Venom Crossover Art Means

There are a couple of potential theories regarding why the scene got left on the cutting room floor. Firstly, showcasing the symbiotes in Kraven the Hunter could have been intended as a tease for Venom: The Last Dance. As such, the sequence could have been abandoned because it was no longer needed to further the Sony Spider-Verse’s interconnected narrative. Moreover, as it is unknown where in the film it would have occurred, the scene may have even been a post credit teaser, explaining why it was no longer needed for the film.

Alternatively, Kraven the Hunter may have originally included symbiotes in order to set up a bigger future conflict with Knull. If this is true, then there are two primary reasons the scene was absent from the final cut of the film. The simple answer is that it no longer fit the narrative of the movie, but the more likely one is that Sony already decided they were going to halt development on future Spider-Man spinoffs.

Our Take On The Scrapped Kraven Venom Crossover Art

Love them or hate them, Sony’s live-action Spider-Verse films did not successfully capture audience enthusiasm. The closest that the franchise got to Marvel Cinematic Universe-level success was the aforementioned Venom trilogy. Overall, those films cumulatively made more than all of the other Spider-Verse films combined. As a result, when it comes to the deleted scene from Kraven the Hunter, Sony likely removed it because the studio read the writing on the wall that teasing the franchise’s future was futile.