The trailer for Kraven the Hunter not only showcases the first look at Aaron Taylor-Johnson's titular villain but also the antagonist that he'll face. Said foe is a version of the classic Spider-Man enemy The Rhino, though he's only barely glimpsed in the preview. This selective manner of showcasing the villain might seem counterproductive, but it helps to keep a major problem with another superhero movie from being repeated.
Though highly anticipated, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was ultimately a letdown to many. Part of this disappointment stemmed from how much the movie's own version of The Rhino was advertised, despite his lack of significant screen time. Thus, the trailer for Kraven can be seen as fixing this issue and preventing a similar sentiment.
The Rhino Was The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Most Disappointing Element
The issues with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are many, though most are derived from its rushed, overstuffed pacing and tonal whiplash. Many fans felt that the movie didn't feel like an organic follow-up to its somewhat dark predecessor, especially with how goofy and cartoony the many times underdeveloped villains were. One example of the latter was Aleksei Sytsevich, aka The Rhino, who was played by acclaimed actor Paul Giamatti.
An everyday crook who gets a hold of an advanced, animalistic suit of rhino armor, Sytsevich's bestial alter ego was a major part of the movie's marketing. This could be seen in the trailers for the film and its posters, which made Rhino out to be just as big in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Electro was. Sadly, that wasn't the case, leading to one of the worst cases of superhero movie false advertising. Sytsevich only gets his Rhino armor in the movie's final moments, with his rampage causing a depressed Peter Parker to put the suit back on and become Spider-Man once more.
The movie ends as Spidey swings toward his opponent, concluding with a rather cool looking image of the two about to clash. That's the only bit of action from The Rhino that audiences got, however, with the promised fight scene being completely unfulfilled. Making matters worse is that the scene the movie ends on was again shown in so many trailers and commercials, hyping fans up to see a fight that was never actually put on the big screen. Thus, what seemed to be a small part of a cool scene turned out to be its entirety.
Kraven's First Trailer Only Shows a Glimpse of The Rhino
The Rhino's appearance at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 would have worked far better had it not been hyped up in the movie's marketing. Posters and trailers should have remained coy about Spider-Man fighting anyone besides Electro, especially since the movie's version of Green Goblin was kept so under wraps. Needless to say, it was a huge point of contention for a movie that was seen as underperforming at the box office, leading to a new reboot of Spider-Man set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Kraven the Hunter is taking a different approach in its version of The Rhino, and not just due to the fact that the "suit" is biological instead of an armored costume. Alessandro Nivola's Aleksei Sytsevich is only really shown at the end of the trailer, where he notes his moniker of "The Rhino" as his arm transforms into the creature's robust hide. There's only a brief glimpse of this, and it gives a very minute visual of what the villain's final form will look like. This is the exact opposite of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and it's perfect.
It's clear that viewers will have to actually see the movie in order to get a true look at the character, who's already being hyped up due to the way he's framed. This keeps things mysterious instead of putting them out in the open and making them seem like a major component of the movie. The irony is that this Rhino actually will be the main threat in the film's climax. Doing so will perhaps deliver a showdown that one of Spider-Man's previous movies didn't. If nothing else, it succeeds in preventing the same sense of false advertisement, namely by only advertising the villain as little as necessary.
Kraven the Hunter hits theaters on Oct. 6, 2023.