Into the Grave Part Three

Kraven the Hunter has captured the Scarlet Spider’s friends. In order to save them from a tiger enclosure, Kaine has to fight Kraven to the death. As Kaine prepares to battle his foe he thinks about how his life in Houston had changed for the better thanks to Wally Layton, Donald Meland, Annabelle Adams, and Aracely.[1]

As he makes his first attack, Kraven calls on Kaine to kill him. He says once more that it was Kaine’s blood that brought him back from the dead, and that it can only be Kaine who can kill him. He wants to return to the grave since he proved he was better than Spider-Man and ended his own life and that his family stole it away from him.[2] However, Kaine has no interest in playing Kraven’s mad game. After using a stunning blow, he tries to race over to his friends and free them. Unfortunately, Kraven recovers and tackles Kaine from behind and insists that he play a part in this ritual. He needs Kaine to fight him because he is a true predator, not like Peter Parker or Ben Reilly.

By this time, Kraven’s daughter Ana breaks free from the Scarlet Spider’s webbing and rushes to her father. She tires to convince him that Kaine is not worthy of facing him as an equal. Kraven responds by slapping his daughter across the face and telling her not to interfere with his wishes. Kraven continues attacking Kaine, but he still refuses to play a part in his game. In order to properly motivate his foe, Kraven then orders Ana to kill one of the captives. As Kraven continues to pummel him, Kaine pleads with Ana to stop. She ignores him and decides that Donald will be her first victim since he is her favorite. She then slashes him with her knife.

When Kaine tries to rush to his side, Kraven lunges at him and begins pummeling Kaine and reminding him of all the people he killed.[3] He wonders why a man who has caused so much death in his life would want all the death to stop now. His rage reaching its apex, Kaine slams his open palm into Kraven’s chest so hard it causes his heart to stop beating. As Ana rushes to her father’s side, Kaine races to his friends. He goes to Donald and asks what he should do. His life ebbing, the doctor tells him to bind the wounds but as Kaine tries to do this he just causes Donald more pain. Wally, watching his husband suffer orders Kaine to stop and untie the rest of them.

As Wally and the others look after Donald, Ana curses Kaine for killing her father. When she tires to attack him he knocks he aside easily. He then races up to Kraven’s body and starts his heart beating again by slamming his fist down on his chest. Kaine then says that whatever bond he and Kraven have is now severed. However, the hunter wonders if that’s true as he looks over to Donald. When Kaine returns his attention to his friends, Kaine offers to help but Wally says Kaine has done enough.

Donald is raced to the hospital where he survives the first of many surgeries. Doctors tell both Kaine and Annabelle that it will be touch and ago and Donald may never fully recover if he survives. When Annabelle asks Kaine what he is going to do he admits he doesn’t know. She is also worried about Wally, who left shortly after they checked Donald in at the hospital and wonders where he could have gone.

Wally has gone to the headquarters of the Houston Police department where he uses the office computers to access SHIELD’s superhuman criminal database. He does a search on Kaine and what he finds there shocks him.

Recurring Characters

Scarlet Spider, Kraven the Hunter, Ana Kravinoff, Hummingbird, Annabelle Adams, Wally Layton, Donald Meland

Continuity Notes

1. Kaine mentions how he saved Aracely from human traffickers. This, as well as his first meetings with Wally, Donald, and Annabelle all happened in Scarlet Spider (vol. 2) #1-2.

2. There is lot to unpack here so let’s get into it:

   • Kraven the Hunter mentions how he bested Spider-Man and took his own life. That was in Kraven’s Last Hunt. See Web of Spider-Man #31-32, Amazing Spider-Man #293-294, and Peter Parker the Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132.

   • More recently, Kraven’s family resurrected him using Kaine as a sacrifice in Amazing Spider-Man #634-637. However, the process was imperfect, giving Kraven un-life and madness to boot.

   • Although Kaine was kill, he came back to life shortly afterward. This was because he was chosen to become the new host for the Other, as explained in Scarlet Spider (vol. 2) #14-15.

3. Kraven mentions two people Kaine had killed during his days as a vigilante they are:

   • Doctor Octopus: Kaine snapped his neck in Spectacular Spider-Man #221. However, Octavius was later resurrected in Amazing Spider-Man #427.

   • He also killed Kraven’s son, Vlad Kravinoff aka the Grim Hunter who Kaine murdered in Spider-Man #55. Vlad was later resurrected in Amazing Spider-Man #634 only to be murdered again by his father’s own hands in issue #637.