Kraven The Hunter cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Marvel superhero film?

Marvel's Kraven The Hunter was a critical and commercial dud after its release on December 13, 2024. The J.C. Chandor-directed superhero film was based on Marvel's namesake character and followed his journey into becoming a successful hunter while navigating his tricky rapport with his father.

The story was by Richard Wenk who also wrote the screenplay with Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. It was the sixth entry in Sony's Spider-Man universe. Here's the official synopsis of Kraven The Hunter:

"Kraven Kravinoff’s complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared."

Kraven the Hunter cast and character guide

Kraven the Hunter features a set of talented actors portraying a wide range of characters. Here is a list of the cast:

1) Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven

Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the titular hunter-gatherer, on his path to becoming a great hunter. The English actor said the character is an animal lover and a protector. Taylor-Johnson is known for his role in films like Kick-A*s, The Illusionist, Godzilla, Bullet Train, and Nocturnal Animals.

2) Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili

Ariana DeBose plays the role of Calypso Ezili, a supervillain character. She is a priestess who performs voodoo and provides help to the protagonist. DeBose is known for her performance in The Prom, West Side Story, and Westworld among others.

3) Russell Crowe as Nikolai Kravinoff

Russell Crowe plays the role of Nikolai Kravinoff, a drug lord and the father of Kraven. We see Nikolai ruthlessly training his son to be a strong hunter. Throughout the film, Nikolai is portrayed as a tough father who doesn't want his sons to be weak. Crowe is an Oscar-winning actor mostly known for his roles in Gladiator, The Insider, A Beautiful Mind, and Cinderella Man.

4) Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Smerdyakov

Alessandro Nivola is Aleksei Sytsevich in Kraven the Hunter. The character is a mercenary from Russia who can transform himself into a human-rhinoceros hybrid. Nivola has been a part of films like Face/Off, American Hustle, A Most Violent Year, and The Brutalist among others.

5) Other members and supporting cast of Kraven the Hunter

Besides the names previously mentioned, Krave the Hunter also features:

Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Kravinoff aka Chameleon
Christopher Abbott as the Foreigner
Murat Seven as Omer Aksoy
Yuri Kolokolnikov as Semyon Chorney
Tom Reed as Bert
Greg Kolpakchi as Transport Guard

More about Kraven the Hunter

Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and David Householter produced Kraven the Hunter. It was released on December 13, 2024, by Sony Pictures Releasing and only grossed $62 million, becoming a box-office failure.

In an interview with Screen Rant, J.C. Chandor said that if the film is successful, he would like to explore more possibilities with the titular character. He said,

"Action, it's not even close, but I can hold this film up against anything I've done, and I'm really proud of the storytelling we've done and if people come out and support it, we'll be able to have a lot of fun with the character. So we'll see."