Grim Hunter
Encyclopedia
Grim Hunter is a fictional character
, a supervillain
in the Marvel Comics
Universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man
. He is the son of Kraven the Hunter
. His first appearance was in Spider-Man (1st series) #47.
, Vladimir grew up in Russia benefiting from his father's wealth and luxuries. However, their father often neglected both sons while he pursued his various international quarries. Unaware of his siblings, Vladimir was raised by Sergei's servant, Gregor, who acted as a surrogate father teaching him Sergei's hunting techniques. When Vlad was still a boy, Sergei put his son through a rite of passage, hunting Vladimir while disguised as the fabled "Grim Hunter". Impressed by his son's abilities learned under Gregor, Sergei began to train Vlad personally.
Vladimir Kravinoff took up the name "The Grim Hunter" and decided to hunt down Spider-Man and several of his foes. He only had one battle with Spider-Man, and his methods were nearly the same as his father's. He was briefly involved with the Hobgoblin
, even giving that incarnation (Jason Macendale) his father's super strength formula which reacted to the anomalies in his bloodstream which gave him greater power. This is perhaps the reason why Vladimir became more powerful than his father when he took the treatment. When he got out of jail, he decided to track Spider-Man down again, only to fight the Scarlet Spider
instead. Kaine
, a clone of Spider-Man arrived, and after a confrontation, Vladimir was killed by the insane duplicate. On death's door, he staggered to Gregor falling in his arms and died shortly after that.
Vladimir apparently reappeared in the Wolverine
/Black Cat
miniseries, Claws, but it turned out to be a Life Model Decoy
.
During The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt storyline, Sasha Kravinoff sacrifices Mattie Franklin
as part of a revival ritual that resurrects Vladimir as a humanoid lion creature. Vladimir being revived as a humanoid lion was the result of Mattie not being a "pure spider." Vladimir later assists Ana Kravinoff and Alyosha Kravinoff into capturing Anya Corazon
as well as a second attempt to capture Arachne. Following Kraven the Hunter's resurrection, Vladimir was shown attempting to attack Arachne and Araña while they are bound. Sergei fends off Vladimir rather brutally. Sasha mentioned to Sergei that Vladimir's sub-human state was the result of a test resurrection to see if she can revive Sergei. After Spider-Man defeated the Kravinoff family, they escaped to the Savage Land
where Sergei killed Sasha (because she complained about being hunted in order to become a true Kravinoff) and euthanizes
Vladimir (which Kraven does due "to respect for the dead").
, tonfa
, and blowgun.
Following his resurrection at the hands of the other members of the Kravinoff family, Vladimir gained the appearance of a gigantic humanoid lion creature. In his new form, he has superhuman strength and durability, and carries around a heavy stone axe.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, a supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
Universe, in which he is an enemy of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
. He is the son of Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is a fictional character, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Kraven's name is Sergei Kravinoff. He also appears as Xraven, with white-grey skin and red eyes, possessing the powers of X-Men. He is the half-brother of Dmitri...
. His first appearance was in Spider-Man (1st series) #47.
Fictional character biography
Vladimir Kravinoff was a son of Sergei Kravinoff, the infamous adversary of Spider-Man known as Kraven the Hunter. Unlike his illegitimate half-brother Alyosha Kravinoff who was raised in shame in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Vladimir grew up in Russia benefiting from his father's wealth and luxuries. However, their father often neglected both sons while he pursued his various international quarries. Unaware of his siblings, Vladimir was raised by Sergei's servant, Gregor, who acted as a surrogate father teaching him Sergei's hunting techniques. When Vlad was still a boy, Sergei put his son through a rite of passage, hunting Vladimir while disguised as the fabled "Grim Hunter". Impressed by his son's abilities learned under Gregor, Sergei began to train Vlad personally.
Vladimir Kravinoff took up the name "The Grim Hunter" and decided to hunt down Spider-Man and several of his foes. He only had one battle with Spider-Man, and his methods were nearly the same as his father's. He was briefly involved with the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin (comics)
The Hobgoblin is the alias of several fictional characters that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and best-known Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley. He first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #238, and was created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Sr...
, even giving that incarnation (Jason Macendale) his father's super strength formula which reacted to the anomalies in his bloodstream which gave him greater power. This is perhaps the reason why Vladimir became more powerful than his father when he took the treatment. When he got out of jail, he decided to track Spider-Man down again, only to fight the Scarlet Spider
Scarlet Spider
Scarlet Spider is a fictional character who appeared in the Marvel Comics series Spider-Man. His costume was designed by Tom Lyle. The identity of the Scarlet Spider has been used by several characters: Ben Reilly, Peter Parker , Joe Wade , a group of three Michael Van Patrick clones working with...
instead. Kaine
Kaine
Kaine is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain and antihero who serves as both an ally and an enemy of Spider-Man. He first appeared in Web of Spider-Man #119, and is the Jackal's first failed attempt at cloning Peter Parker...
, a clone of Spider-Man arrived, and after a confrontation, Vladimir was killed by the insane duplicate. On death's door, he staggered to Gregor falling in his arms and died shortly after that.
Vladimir apparently reappeared in the Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
/Black Cat
Black Cat (comics)
The Black Cat is a fictional character, a superheroine in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist Keith Pollard, she first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man #194 ....
miniseries, Claws, but it turned out to be a Life Model Decoy
Life Model Decoy
A Life Model Decoy is fictional android appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is designed to function as an exact body double for VIPs...
.
During The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt storyline, Sasha Kravinoff sacrifices Mattie Franklin
Spider-Woman (Mattie Franklin)
Spider-Woman is a fictional character who is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. She is the third character to be called Spider-Woman and the second to receive her own ongoing series.-Publication history:...
as part of a revival ritual that resurrects Vladimir as a humanoid lion creature. Vladimir being revived as a humanoid lion was the result of Mattie not being a "pure spider." Vladimir later assists Ana Kravinoff and Alyosha Kravinoff into capturing Anya Corazon
Anya Corazon
Anya Sofia Corazon is a fictional half Mexican and half Puerto Rican superheroine in the . She formerly went by the codename Araña, but is currently known as Spider-Girl.-Publication history:...
as well as a second attempt to capture Arachne. Following Kraven the Hunter's resurrection, Vladimir was shown attempting to attack Arachne and Araña while they are bound. Sergei fends off Vladimir rather brutally. Sasha mentioned to Sergei that Vladimir's sub-human state was the result of a test resurrection to see if she can revive Sergei. After Spider-Man defeated the Kravinoff family, they escaped to the Savage Land
Savage Land
The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #10...
where Sergei killed Sasha (because she complained about being hunted in order to become a true Kravinoff) and euthanizes
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
Vladimir (which Kraven does due "to respect for the dead").
Powers and abilities
Via the Jungle serum, Vladimir possessed superhuman abilities similar to his father, though apparently without the need for periodic ingestion of the serum. These power included heightened senses. strength (3 tons optimally), speed (able to sprint short distances at 65 mph), agility, durability, and possibly longevity. He could perform a standing broad jump of 25 feet (7.6 m). Vladimir wore armor protecting his arms and torso, while typically carrying his ancestral knife, electro-shock gauntlets, wrist mounted dart launchers. an energy-projecting spear. and spiked cleats. He was skilled in using other weapons including the rifle, pistol, shurikenShuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
, tonfa
Tonfa
The tonfa , also known as tong fa or tuifa, is an Okinawan weapon. It is a stick with a handle, and is about 15-20 inches long. It was traditionally made from red oak and wielded in pairs...
, and blowgun.
Following his resurrection at the hands of the other members of the Kravinoff family, Vladimir gained the appearance of a gigantic humanoid lion creature. In his new form, he has superhuman strength and durability, and carries around a heavy stone axe.
External links
- Grim Hunter at Marvel.com
- Grim Hunter at Comic Vine