What Joe Manganiello Would Look Like As Kraven The Hunter

Ever since Spider-Man entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there's been a great push to incorporate villains from the full spectrum of his rogues' gallery. Instead of relying on famous names like Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, the MCU Spider-Man movies have instead brought on the likes of Vulture and Mysterio, who many people never thought they'd get the chance to see in live-action form. There remains, however, one villain fans of the web-head have been dying to see in a feature-length movie, and we have a pretty good idea of who could land the part. 

One of the most famous Spider-Man stories is Kraven's Last Hunt, in which the vicious hunter tracks down Spider-Man, "kills" him, and starts wearing his costume around New York to prove he's superior to Peter Parker. It'd be a darker turn for a Spider-Man movie for sure, but considering the screenwriters for Spider-Man: Far From Home have stated they want to bring the villain into the MCU, there's reason to be very excited. Kraven is a formidable presence in Spider-Man's lineup of foes, so you need an actor who can embody that kind of mythical toughness. We could think of no one better than Joe Manganiello. 

He's no stranger to superhero films. Way back in the day, he was Flash Thompson in 2002's Spider-Man. He was also cast as Deathstroke for the DC Extended Universe. As of right now, he's been relegated to a mid-credits scene in 2017's Justice League, although he's set to have a more substantial role considering Manganiello will shoot some extra scenes as part of Zack Snyder's Justice League (via Collider). He's more than earned the chance to fully star in a superhero movie, so we here at Looper reached out to digital artist apexform to see what Manganiello could potentially look like as the famous villain. The answer is, "pretty darn cool."

Make sure to check out apexform's Instagram page to see more incredible artwork. 

Joe Manganiello certianly has the physique to pull off Kraven. Regardless of who ends up cast, though, it's not a matter of "if" we'll see Kraven but "when." Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts has stated he'd love to bring Kraven into the MCU. Additionally, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler asked executives at Marvel if he could use Kraven as part of his film. He was ultimately turned down, but it's intriguing to think about how Kraven could have been incorporated into that 2018 movie. The only reason we can think of for executives to turn down Coogler's request is if they had big plans for Kraven in the future, and from everything we've seen in the MCU's Spider-Man movies so far, it sure does seem like they're building toward the introduction of the Sinister Six. 

While the Sinister Six have shaken up their lineup over the years in the comics, the original incarnation consisted of Vulture, Mysterio, Electro, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, and Kraven the Hunter. We've already seen Vulture and Mysterio in the MCU so far, and it seems as though Jamie Foxx is set to reprise his role of Electro from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. That puts us halfway there to a fully-fledged Sinister Six. Plus, if the MCU is bringing back actors from older Spider-Man movies, then it really isn't a stretch of the imagination to think they could get Alfred Molina and Thomas Haden Church to come back as Doc Ock and Sandman, respectively. Of course, there's also Venom and Morbius out there in this movie universe, too, so there are plenty of options for who could fill out the roster. 

While some change-ups could happen (particularly if Mysterio actually is dead and it wasn't just a set-up), we personally love the idea of bringing Kraven into the mix. Only time will tell what ends up happening, but if Joe Manganiello could be cast as Deathstroke, then he could certainly do justice to the greatest hunter in the world.