Origin stories for infamous comic book villains are nothing new at this point, but the subgenre is still struggling to carve out its own lane. So many iconic characters have been defanged in PG-13 films: either made into sympathetic anti-heroes or completely removed from their violent origins. Venom may be the only film in this group to really break new ground, and Sony has been trying to recapture that magic for the past five years. Its cinematic universe, which focuses exclusively on Spider-Man villains, has been in jeopardy for a while now, and its upcoming film Kraven the Hunter could make or break this fledgling franchise.
Sony hasn’t exactly set Kraven up for success — it’s been pushed back more times than any film truly should — but as it comes up on its December release date, it might have just gotten a major boon. Sony has long promised a “hard-R” rating for the film, and an official announcement from the MPA finally makes good on that.
Kraven the Hunter is officially rated “R” for strong bloody violence and language, making it the first film in Sony’s Spider-Verse to reach those heights.
Is Deadpool & Wolverine starting a new franchise trend?
Kraven is among a handful of comic book adaptations to get that once-undesirable rating. From DC’s Joker to Marvel’s own Deadpool & Wolverine, superhero franchises are finally taking the training wheels off and appealing to more adult audiences. What was once a major risk is slowly becoming a sound business decision: both Joker and Deadpool & Wolverine have made major strides at the box office. The latter became the highest-grossing R-rated film in a matter of weeks, dethroning Joker domestically. Given Kraven’s... ahem, reputation, it probably won’t reach those same heights. But Sony made a wise choice to really unleash this character: hopefully this rating is a sign of the potential for the film.
Deadpool & Wolverine definitely is not the first superhero film to feature bloody violence and crude language, but it could be the most successful. Time will tell if its worldwide gross will be enough to truly topple Joker, but the success its had already is nothing to sneeze at. Studios could already be taking notice and planning their own answer to the film.
Kraven was in development around the same time as Deadpool/Wolverine, so the latter can’t claim to have inspired its harder rating. But the Marvel film might have actually paved the way for a film like Kraven to succeed. If Kraven does well, Sony might even double down on R-rated villain movies: it’d certainly set its franchise apart from Marvel’s. It won’t solve all of Sony’s problems, but a dark universe needs a darker tone — so this could be just one part of a new strategy for the Sony-Verse.
