KRAVEN THE HUNTER is a bounty hunter, and former KGB Special agent stationed in Africa, and we are first introduced to him tracking criminals + eliminating them on behalf of his high paid clients. He does this with ease and misses the sport. When accepting payment for his latest mission, he sees a broadcast in which J. JONAH JAMESON announces a $10 million dollar reward for certifiable proof that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Finally, he smiles, a
true hunt...
In Association with Marvel Studios.
Open on PETER PARKER’S new reality as an outed Spider-Man. As high school graduation happens, Peter & MAY watch a live video stream in their new apartment in New Jersey; he’s forced to be homeschooled now that the media thinks he’s Spider-Man.
- May tries to stay positive, decorating the place for graduation and celebrating Peter. ‘This will all blow over”
- NED, of course, is still close with Peter and keeps in touch—he’s one of the few that is aware of his NJ location.
- Peter’s working on a “secret project.”
Peter has a particularly hard time after graduation, not knowing what the future holds for him.
- Flashback to a moment between UNCLE BEN and Peter Parker where he’s taught about identity, and choosing his own path (this is marked in a conversation in which Peter is trying out for the football team after being bitten by a radioactive spider. It’s what’s cool, what he should do. Ben cautions him against that; he’s been gifted with a beautiful mind—the ‘should’ shouldn’t outweigh the could. Both May and Peter laugh at Ben’s ‘Burning Man’ -isms along with him at the kitchen table).
Peter is continuing in NYC as Spider-Man, laying low and avoiding NYPD; getting in and out of crime scenes. There’s a funny bit when he uses a feature in his suit to modulate his voice to dissuade people from thinking he’s Peter Parker (they continue to reference the Daily Bugle.net articles & bounty). People are even asking him to demask so he can help pay their bills.
Peter does still have some friends, however, such as Capt JEAN DEWOLFF. She’s repeatedly appeared on-camera to make statements to affirm the NYPD have no solid evidence or leads on the identity of Spider-Man and that it is not an active investigation at this time. Privately, her and Spider-Man convene from time to time to discuss goings-ons in New York that need web-slinging interference.
Peter becomes slightly obsessed with DailyBugle.net, oft times falling down the rabbit hole that is the comment section as he tries to defend himself/Spider-Man.
This leads to him looking up J. Jonah Jameson news articles too and ultimately the websites’ San Francisco HQ location.
One night after patrol, Peter returns home to recount his day with May when a bomb goes off and it’s destroyed. SCORPION attacks him, seeking revenge for the events of Homecoming & his resulting imprisonment. Luckily, May wasn’t home during the blast but is present for battle. Spider-Man is eventually able to subdue him & leave him from the NJ police department, but not before Scorpion freaks him out, telling Peter that he’s the first of many that will come.
Peter goes straight to Capt DeWolff who is able to pull some strings to get him and Aunt May out of New York City & into Witness Protection (
the home explosion in NJ will now be the cover story for their death) Peter takes the name Ben after his uncle, and Reilly is May’s maiden name. In his excitement at her help, he forgets his jacket at DeWolff’s apartment (with a Midtown High Science team logo).
Peter must say goodbye to New York and his friends, but most importantly, MICHELLE / MJ. In an emotional scene, Peter breaks up with her as he regrets that it’d only be a matter of time before she would have gotten hurt. He and May pack up the the life they’ve lived in NY.
And with that, Peter throws his Spider-Man costume into a fire stack, tearfully saying goodbye to that chapter of his life (
take note that he still packs his ‘secret project’ trunk, albeit after a moment pause)
End Act I
Move to San Francisco, CA! (
Peter picks this location, it’s the office headquarters of DailyBugle.net and he wants to get even with J Jonah Jameson for putting May in danger with the bounty, and upending his life)
May and ‘Ben’ Reilly get settled in their new apartment in the city. He dyes his hair blonde & dons an old pair of Uncle Ben’s glasses for disguise. (
montage of fun East-meets-West coast with them ordering pizza, & the surprise when it comes out with avocado slices; folks on long boards on the beach, general smiles of pedestrians shocking to New Yorkers, etc.)
DeWolff has one last gift for Peter: an internship opportunity at Horizon Labs (
a thank you on behalf of the people of New York, as she puts it). Because it’s for college credit, and Peter’s not enrolled, he’s doing this for free. The company is owned by MARTIN LI & MAX MODELL.
At Orientation Day, Peter meets the intern liaison MILES WARREN, & his fellow interns: DEBRA WHITMAN, HARRY OSBORN, & FLASH THOMPSON (gasp!)
- Warren is an interesting character—in bits, we learn that his radical experiment proposals on genetic cloning is what landed him with the reduced role in being the ‘intern-wrangler’
- Flash recognizes Peter right away, but stays quiet. In a private meetup later on, Flash explains that when Peter was forced to be homeschooled, he then thrived in class which got him this internship today. His parents were always so distant, so Flash chose to run from his problems and move across the country. Being that he’s such a Spider-Man fan, Flash and Peter develop a stronger relationship in this film. He’s not the bully Peter remembered, but instead moving on—not being who he should be, but who he could be.
- Harry Osborn is clearly the least qualified, but there is oft side comments that refer to his father’s donations (intentionally left vague, though audiences will pick up on the Norman Osborn reference)
At Horizon, the theme for the summer program is is ‘SAVE THE WORLD’ (
purposefully broad, yes, but meant to be hopeful & inspire the interns to all develop their own projects under the guide from their liaison). This ties to the company’s recent explorations in ‘Darkforce’ which is a energy concept that fuses both positive & negative light into perfect
symbiotic harmony.
- Peter describes his spider inventions without giving away his identity (i.e. presenting webshooter fluid as a adhesive used for emergency construction needs)
- Peter takes a moment to look around, and he feels happy here for sure.
- Small throwaway scene where Peter encounters FELICIA HARDY (not immediately identified as such) as she bumps into him, making her way through the crowd of interns. She accidentally has his taken his jacket & ID from the registration—we infer now/confirm later that Felicia is using his jacket for the access card on the front pocket). She gives it up when he hears he’s just an intern, and goes for Miles Warren (who, incidentally, will comment on her blonde hair in their brief encounter).
Back in NY, Kraven & CALYPSO confront DeWolff in her & her partners’ family home (
before this point, throughout earlier action beats, highlight Kraven reviewing past news & security camera footage of civilian Peter and Spider-Man, along with DeWolff’s public statements in his defense, and finally image of her at the NJ home explosion alongside the reports of the Scorpion/ Peter Parker battle...Kraven is connecting dots, Spider-Man hasn’t been sighted since that incident.)
- Kraven feeds DeWolff exposition about his backstory, and we learn that he’s taking some herb that Calypso is giving him
- Even after Calypso threatens’ her partner, DeWolff still lies and says Peter’s in Chicago. Kraven stops her from killing, but Calypso uses a powerful potion that will have DeWolff sedated for hours & without memory so not to warn Peter.
Calypso, the resident potion & elixir guru, provides Kraven with an animal elixir, which are heightening his senses to superhuman level to catch his prey (
it’s evident this is unhinging his mind, and that Calypso is feeding his madness). Kraven takes Peter’s forgotten jacket to catch his scent.
Peter gets used to life as ‘Ben’ and his routine at Horizon Labs. Because it’s not paid, he is also working on a TaskRabbit-type app that’s introduced to him by Deb Whitman at Orientation Day. May is a bartender & volunteering at the local shelter.
One night at Horizon, after a group study/brainstorming session for their project, Peter finds himself as the last in the lab.
- We see the team working on assortment of items including a collapsable jet pack.
BLACK CAT breaks in, going for a more direct approach than last time. She’s here to steal the Darkforce technology for buyers’ unknown. Peter quickly pieces together a quick disguise (
fans will recognize the similarity to ‘Dusk’ persona) & engages in a fight with her. Fight is highlighted with them both resorting to using Horizon gadgets found in the workspace.
Black Cat & Spider-Man have a flirtatious banter, and she ultimately manages to evade capture despite Martin Li entering & sounding an alarm. He only sees ‘Dusk’ who exits in a smoke bomb (
a funny moment as Peter tries to be brooding in the shadows). Footage leaks to the press, and the Dusk persona gets attention.
After his encounter with Black Cat, Peter realizes there stuff happening in San Francisco that needs his attention—he can’t help but be a hero.
He goes to tell May. She affirms his feelings and tells him that she doesn’t care what mask he wears, she knows who he is. He apologizes for the life she has, but she retorts—why apologize? She’s living an adventure and her nephew is a good man.
Montage of Peter working on a new identity, going back to his original hero idea notebook from when he first started as Spider-Man, and ultimately hitting the streets as Dusk, Prodigy, & Hornet. Hornet seems most successful & J Jonah Jameson immediately crucifies him on the media.
We follow reaction to Hornet: Ned, MJ, Felicia, and most importantly, Kraven & Calypso (who we’ve seen tracking)
Peter gets ready for an upcoming gala at Horizon Labs, which is now a hot ticket given the recent media coverage following the break-in. He asks Debra Whitman to go with him, but she’s already going with Harry. He and Flash go together.
- Peter & Ned keep in touch via Skype; we see Ned develop some type of jealousy at Peter & Flash’s friendship
At the gala, Max Modell takes stage with Martin Li to announce the Darkforce technology to plenty of oohs and aahs in the audience. Modell envisions this is a clean & sustainable energy source—he’s s genuinely good man.
We follow Black Cat as she gracefully enters from the rooftop, once again eying the Darkforce tech. Simultaneously, and markedly a surprise to Black Cat, MERCENARIES IN JET-PACKS with heavy ordnance attack & attempt to kidnap Modell with the Darkforce equipment.
Peter sneaks away to quickly change into his Hornet gear and leap into action—the study group notices a lot of the tech in his suit resemble their group project. There’s a 3-way scuffle to secure the Darkforce case between the mercenaries, Hornet, & Black Cat that quickly ends in an explosion which Li is caught in.
When the police arrive, they turn their guns on Hornet and fire. He’s forced to flee, and notices Black Cat is already gone.
Because of the proximity of the attack, Peter—and the audience—will assume this is orchestrated by Kraven)
Hornet is flying away, and his spider-sense starts to blare when he’s attacked by Kraven, who recognizes Peter via his scent. This movie has been building up to their confrontation, and he’s finally arrived.
Peter is quickly subdued & falls unconscious, easily outdone by Kraven’s skill & brutality. When he wakes up, he’s been stripped of his costume & bound.
Kraven, unstable from Calypso’s elixirs, taunts Peter & tells him the story of lion he killed that he now wears—a kill that made him king. He removes his classic vest to reveal a spider tattoo etched into his back; if Peter refuses to be the Spider, then Kraven will take his place.
Peter breaks his shackle, and fights back. But Calypso quietly hits him with a sedative. Kraven, in his crazed state, doesn’t notice and again knocks him unconscious.
Kraven buries Peter.
End Act II
In his office, J. Jonah Jameson is already prepping stories with his newsroom to ‘out’ the criminal life of Hornet. The conversation is very traffic/ratings-focused—this isn’t a man of integrity. Kraven, wearing a Kraven-used Spider costume, startles JJJ as he leaps across the skyline in a funny moment where he shouts that Spider-Man is back—even if obviously not the real one.
Peter wakes up & begins to dig himself out of the dirt. He flashes back to a moment of Uncle Ben speaking to him about identity again, continuing their discussion of what Peter could be. He sees the greatness in Pete, and “with Great Power comes Great Responsibility.”
When Peter comes to the surface, Black Cat is there with a shovel (“I thought you were dead. Maybe you should ‘stay dead.’—
not ominous, she’s genuinely suggesting he fade away in hiding). She’s not a villain, we can see that from her actions. She plays coy, yes, but she reveals that needs money & this gig (stealing the Darkforce tech) will get that for her.
Peter needs to go to Horizon, covertly since Hornet is wanted by police for questioning, so Black Cat agrees to bring him (she’d studied the building blueprints for her Act II robbery). At Horizon, Peter finds his “secret project” trunk. Before he opens it, he unmasks in front of Black Cat (“Am I supposed to know who you are?” Black Cat obviously doesn’t keep up on Spider-Man news coming out of New York). He opens his case and we see a familiar Spider logo.
At DailyBugle.net office, Black Cat arrives and spooks JJJ. He turns around to see Spider-Man in his brand new suit (similar to PS4). He immediately unmasks too, and let’s Black Cat snap a pic to collect the bounty & thus get out of the crime life (cute pic with Peter giving JJJ rabbit ears). Spider-Man, unmasked, goes off on JJJ for the hell hes put him through. When JJJ goes to retort, Spider-Man webs his mouth shut & claims “‘nuff said!”
Spider-Man broadcasts to the entire city, using DailyBugle.net cameras with Black Cat behind them, announcing “I am Spider-Man” and confirming that he’s Peter Parker in a telecast that’s witnessed by all his closest friends: Aunt May, MJ, Ned, Horizon Lab Kids, etc.
Peter challenges Kraven on camera to face him again at the docks (
far from innocent civilians) and questions the skill of the great hunter—obviously attempting to strike at his ego. “No more hiding. No hunting left to do. If you want Spider-Man, you know where to find me.”
Kraven arrives at the docks, falling into a trap laid by Spider-Man and Black Cat with Horizon tech. He manages to escape, and Peter learns just how powerful and animalistic Calypso’s potions are making Kraven.
The fight is brutal and long, but Peter ends victorious as Kraven breaks down and realizes he’s not the better Spider-Man. In a surprising turn of events, he takes his own life.
Wrapping up...
Black Cat meets up with her handler and gives the money she collected for the Spider-Man proof. We find out that her father is being held captive, and that’s why she’s being forced to do these crimes on behalf of the mysterious employer. The money doesn’t get her out. She’s not out until they say she is. (
This sets her up for a solo spin-off for her to rescue her father and battle this nefarious shadow organization).
Things are back to normal at Horizon Labs, or so it seems until we visit Li’s hospital room where he’s recuperating from his injuries related to the Darkforce explosion.
He receives a phone call where the caller who comments that their agreement is fulfilled. We find out now that the masked men from the gala were sent to kill Modell so Li could get full control of the company in exchange for the technology. The caller continues to say that the goal was to obtain the Darkforce technology to weaponize, and he got his weapon. At this moment, we see Li’s hand begins to go negative. “All goes according to the MASTER PLAN...”
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At the end of the movie, Aunt May tells Peter to go back to New York. She’s May Reilly now, and she can find a new life for herself in San Francisco; Peter doesn’t need to worry about her. New York’s his home.
In the last frames of the film, Peter opens the front door. MJ is standing there. “Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot”
end.
Post Credit #1:
Spider-Man is swinging through the streets of New York City where he’s intercepted by several US agents. In a small undisclosed location, Spider-Man is briefed on the “Venom situation.”
Post Credit #2:
Miles Warren is seen examining genetic tissue samples and modified spiders. Before the screen goes dark, we see a row of tanks with cloned infants gestating.
- Setting up the creation of Spider-Woman (Ultimate version Jessica Drew)
