Kraven: Hunting down humanity Article by Stafffighter, 04:46 AM 19th Nov Disclaimer: The following opinions are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the other endless crew staff. In fact they all disagree with me and persecute me regularly. Quick overview: Sergei Kravinoff was a man utterly consumed with his love of the hunt. Eventually his skills and power grew so great that there was only one prey which could elude him, Spider-Man. While the hunt is one of the most primal and universal experiences in nature what is not universal is the reasoning put behind it in human nature. Some see hunting as a connection to a more natural existence, or an exercise in discipline, or even as a sport. For Sergei hunting is about power. This is evidenced in his continued pre-occupation with Spider-Man. Spider-Man does not serve Sergei in any practical way through is death, so the reasons must go beyond nature. Neither is discipline gained as Sergei has shown to be in an emotional state nothing short of manic in their various encounters. While this is not to say emotion and discipline are contradictory when a subject is shown to put emotional satisfaction above accomplishment of task this is considered the behavior of an undisciplined individual, Sergei is such a case. Finally, Spider-Man defeats and humiliates Sergei in every confrontation, someone simply out to enjoy sport would have long since moved on to other targets to satisfy themselves. Sergei, who hunts under the name of Kraven, states directly that his goal is to prove himself Spider-Mans better. This combined with the above disqualifications leaves a man with a singular, selfish purpose. When no practical reason exists to hunt Spider-Man, Kraven constructs one for himself. Believing himself to have been bested he sees it as a point of personal honor to prove himself the better of the hero. This grandiose term is only fitting in this grandiose man. Since ingesting a secret potion that exaggerated his physical abilities Sergei grew deeper into what he was. The difference is that his abilities brought him further from existing as a human, more dependant on devices, and closer to existing naturally like an animal, unfortunately humans are know to have their own nature which simply cannot be denied. Never was the humanity in Sergei lost in all the rages of Kraven. It would be fairer to say that he admitted humans are animals more than most of us do. He still hunted using tools and strategic devices. As humans strengths remain then irreparably so must human weaknesses. Sergei’s mother killed herself relatively early in life. Whether this shows a genetic predisposition to metal illness or a childhood loss that drew him into himself and ultimately resulted in his exaggerated self image is not entirely clear. Of course seeing as this is such a pronounced case of these behaviors it’s distinctly possible both are involved. In the end it was his human cunning, rather than any power, that finally brought peace from the hunt. Being unable to directly conquer Spider-Man he merely detained him using methods his honor would never allow him to claim victory with, specifically, a gun and tranquilizer, and assumed his mantle, thusly subduing a villain the real Spider-Man had failed to capture. This ability to think ways around conflicts shows that in his deeply obsessive state there was still a pronounced intellect. Of course no intellect could safe him from the defining weakness of obsession, once denied his icon there was nothing remaining to live for. Kraven took his own life after proving himself, in his own mind, superior to Spider-Man. In conclusion, while Sergei took the identity of Kraven as a testament to his strength he ultimately lost himself to his own creation for being too proud to acknowledge his weakness, the same limitation that makes us all only human. Disagree? Bring it up on the forum. Suggestions? E mail me. But don’t write an essay. If I use who you suggest I’ll only say what I have to say Back to Rants