Kraven The Hunter Has A Comic Book Weapon Way Too Ridiculous For The Movie

Though he may be one of Spider-Man's earliest comic book enemies, Kraven the Hunter is only now making the leap to the big screen, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson taking on the role of Sergei Kravinoff. And though the first blood-soaked trailer implies some aspects of the character will stray from his comic book origins, Kraven's trademark animalistic ferociousness is on full display. Something that is noticeably absent from the trailer, however, is Kraven's nipple-mounted lasers. Let us explain.

In one of his earliest comic book appearances, specifically 1967's "The Amazing Spider-Man" #47, Kraven is plotting revenge after his latest defeat at the hands of Spider-Man. To level the playing field, he decides to break out his latest piece of advanced weaponry: a "double-barreled ray" that can "magnetize (Spider-Man's) muscular electrolytes." While this may sound like a good plan, the rays come from the eyes of Kraven's signature lion vest, which was a questionable design choice considering this now means it looks like Kraven is shooting laser blasts from his nipples.

Kraven's nipple lasers have only made sporadic comic book appearances since then. In 1997, "Deadpool" #11 sees Wade Wilson thrown back in time, living out Peter Parker's earliest adventures. Kraven's nipple attack is perfectly recreated there, except with Deadpool in Spidey's place. More recently, Kraven put his nipples to work in an attempt to melt Iceman in 2009's "X-Men/Spider-Man." Fans are even able to wield the power of Kraven's nipples themselves in the "Marvel Future Fight" mobile game.

Considering the trailer's darker tone, it seems unlikely that we'll be seeing Aaron Taylor-Johnson firing off nipple lasers anytime soon. Kraven's iconic vest is shown only in glimpses toward the end of the trailer, so it's entirely possible we won't even see him in comic-accurate garb until late in the film. To immediately introduce laser nipples on top of that could be a bit ambitious.

And sure, this early Kraven weapon would almost certainly look absurd in live-action, but it's important to keep in mind that Kraven's lasers were a product of the Silver Age of comic books. This was the same era that produced such menacing villains as Asbestos Man and Paste-Pot Pete. So while it may seem ridiculous by modern standards, this was exactly the sort of absurdism comic book readers were accustomed to at the time. But tastes have changed and something as fantastic as laser nipples would likely be a jarring inclusion in what looks to be an otherwise gritty comic book movie. Though there's always hope they could make an appearance in a sequel.