Son of the Hunter

After undergoing the process to give himself the powers of his father, Vladimir Kravinoff has come to the United States. Here he is training to complete the one task his father failed to accomplish before he died, destroying Spider-Man.[1] At the mansion where Spider-Man and Kraven had their last battle, Vladimir tests his abilities by fighting a number of armed men with nothing but a knife. After defeating these men, Vladimir vows to avenge his father, then leaps out of the window into the backyard. This is observed by Vladimir's servant, Gregori, who begins to question what he has done. Meanwhile, Spider-Man is at home eating food when his phone begins to ring. The wall-crawler lets it go to voicemail. It's a call from his wife Mary Jane, who is calling for him.[2] She urges him to come and visit his Aunt May who is in the hospital after suffering a stroke because he needs to be there for her.[3] However, Spider-Man ignores this call, as he has abandoned his civilian identity of Peter Parker so he can fully embrace the spider.[4] Unwilling to listen to anymore, Spider-Man leaves his home and goes web-swinging in the pouring rain.

After scouring the city, he finds a gun-toting lunatic who the Daily Bugle has dubbed the Pale Rider. He attacks the killer without a single word, easily dodging the bullets fired from his guns. Growing frustrated, the Pale Rider tries to flee the scene to kill people elsewhere but is snared by Spider-Man and left for the authorities. While back at the Kravenoff estate, Vladimir pays his respects at his father's grave. There he is joined by Gregori who gives him his hunting garb and spear. Dressed for the hunt, Vladimir is ready to begin. While at the home of Aunt May in Queens, a strange is looking through the home.[5] He pauses to look at a photo of a young Peter Parker with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, and thinks about how happy their family was. Suddenly, he hears someone coming, and rushes to find somewhere to hide. It turns out to be Spider-Man, who spots the intruder and assumes that it is a burglar, and becomes angry.[6] Spider-Man rushes out to the backyard but has lost all trace of the intruder. Going back inside, the wall-crawler finds the same picture of himself with his aunt and uncle and reminds himself that he became Spider-Man all for them.

Elsewhere in the city, Gregori pilots a helicopter into Manhattan and lets out Vladimir in order to begin his hunt for Spider-Man[7] Searching the rooftops, Vladimir finds a scrap of Spider-Man's costume, allowing him to get the wall-crawler's scent. Satisfied that he can track Spider-Man down wherever he is hiding, he orders Gregori to follow after him, prompting the servant to once more wonder what he has done. Back in Queens, the wall-crawler goes looking around the house to see if something was stolen. Up in the attic, he goes looking through an old trunk and comes across Miles Warren's old journal.[8] This makes him think about the time that Miles Warren tried to destroy him with a clone of himself, and how he failed. This leads to thoughts about how Kraven the Hunter also tried to kill him and failed. These memories anger him, prompting Spider-Man to leap out the window, vowing that nobody can take away the fact that he is Spider-Man.

As Vladimir Kravinoff follows Spider-Man's scent across the 59th Street Bridge, the wall-crawler comes upon an elderly man being mugged by some young men at a cemetary. When Spider-Man tries to apprehend them, the youths make a run for it. However, they are snared in bolos. Looking up onto a nearby rooftop, Spider-Man spots Vladimir and mistakes him for his father, Kraven. Leaping up and grabbing this new opponent, Spider-Man realizes that this is not Kraven. Vladimir jolts Spider-Man with electicity, and then hits him with a dart that will fill the wall-crawler with fear. Introducing himself as the Grim Hunter, Vladimir tells Spider-Man that he intends to hunt him down and kill him in order to avenge the death of his father. Spider-Man tries to fight off the effects and face his foe, but can't help but run. As he tries to get across the bridge to Manhattan, he is struck by an energy beam fired from the Grim Hunter's staff. The web-slinger sinks in the water and is about to drown, if not for his thoughts of Aunt May and Uncle Ben force him to swing to the surface. Getting to shore, Spider-Man is greeted by the Grim Hunter, but this time Spider-Man is able to knock him out with a few blows. With the Grim Hunter down, Gregori arrives in his helicopter and orders Spider-Man to stand down. Sick of being threatened, Spider-Man leaps up onto the chopper and yanks Gregori out, forcing the vehicle to crash.

Back on the ground, Gregori rushes to the Grim Hunter and tells the wall-crawler that he doesn't need want to fight but is willing to protect his charge to the death. Spider-Man is furious because he made his peace with Kraven, and they have no reason to attack him.[9] Fed up, Spider-Man webs up the Grim Hunter and Gregori and takes them to the authorities.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Grim Hunter, Gregor, Ben Reilly (unidentified)

Continuity Notes

1. Kraven the Hunter committed suicide during the Kraven’s Last Hunt story arc.

2. Peter and Mary Jane are referred to as husband and wife here. However, years later, their marriage is erased from existence by Mephisto in Amazing Spider-Man #545. As such they should be considered a common-law couple here.

3. Aunt May suffered a stroke in Amazing Spider-Man #391. However, unknown to everyone at this time, May was secretly replaced by an impostor by the Green Goblin sometime during Amazing Spider-Man #392. This is not revealed until Spider-Man #97.

4. Spider-Man abandoned his civilian identity in Amazing Spider-Man #392. This was prompted by not only his Aunt's stroke but the revelation that the couple who were claiming to be his parents (since Amazing Spider-Man #365) had just recently been exposed to as frauds in Amazing Spider-Man #388 and this was all an elaborate scheme created by Harry Osborn, as revealed in the Pursuit story arc.

5. This is the Peter Parker clone last seen in Amazing Spider-Man #149. How he survived is revealed in Spider-Man: The Osborn Journal #1. His identity is revealed in The Spectacular Spider-Man #216.

6. Spider-Man is angered by the idea of a burglar being in his Aunt's house is because it was a burglar who murdered his Uncle Ben years earlier, as seen in Amazing Fantasy #15.

7. The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline here. This should be considered a topical reference per the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616. The original towers were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and have since been replaced by the Freedom Tower.

8. Peter Parker has had a copy of what he believes to be Miles Warren's journal since he discovered it in The Spectacular Spider-Man #149. The wall-crawler is unaware that this is a forgery created by the High Evolutionary as revealed in Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1.

9. Spider-Man made peace with Kraven's spirit in Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter #1.

Rite of Passage

Several Years Ago...

Gregori has taken young Vladimir Kravinoff to the woods of Northern Maine for a hunt. The young boy wonders what he is going to be hunting, but Gregori warns the boy not to get cocky as this night the skills his father taught him will be tested.

The boy is then kicked out of the helicopter with no weapons. When Gregori leaves the scene, Vladimir vows to get his father to punish the servant for treating him such. The boy's indignation is interrupted by a costumed man armed with a bow and arrow calling himself the Grim Hunter. The boy tries to flee but is pinned to a tree by his attacker. When a spider lands on the boy's shoulder, he refuses to be afraid. The Grim Hunter then slams the boy into the tree again, making more spiders rain down upon him.

This causes young Vladimir to panic and he breaks free and runs. Getting ahold of himself, Vladimir reminds himself that he is the son of Kraven the Hunter and that he will be afraid of nothing, let alone a number of spiders. Hours later, Vladimir has fashioned himself a spear and has tracked the Grim Hunter to his camp. Using his skills, the boy manages to sneak up behind the Grim Hunter. Before he can land a death blow, the Grim Hunter spins around and grabs the boy.

The test is over, and the Grim Hunter is impressed by the boy's skills. Removing his mask, the Grim Hunter reveals himself to be none other than Vladimir's own father. Impressed with how Gregori has tought his son, Kraven vows to stay by his son's side to teach him from here on out.

Recurring Characters

Kraven the Hunter, Grim Hunter, Gregor