"Hunted" is a 2019 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, starring the character Spider-Man. It is a spiritual successor to the 1987 storyline "Kraven's Last Hunt". It involves the characters Spider-Man, Black Cat, Kraven the Hunter, Lizard, Vulture, and Taskmaster as well as the debut of the Last Son of Kraven.
Synopsis
Prelude
In a prelude to "Hunted," Kraven the Hunter reminisces about how Sasha, Vladimir, and Alyosha were killed by him and Ana for not living up to his legacy. After cutting a deal with the High Evolutionary who only met with him after some of his New Men were hunted, Kraven the Hunter has 87 clones of him created. Ana was disgusted by this and leaves her father. The clones were trained as the Sons of Kraven and then sent out to prove themselves by being hunted by each other. This motif caused Ana to leave him. The one that survived was labeled as the Last Son of Kraven. With help from Taskmaster, Black Ant, and Arcade and his company Arcade Industries, Kraven the Hunter starts hunting various animal-themed characters like Beetle, Kangaroo, Owl, Puma, the Serpent Society (Black Mamba, Black Racer, Bushmaster, Cottonmouth, Fer-de-Lance, Puff Adder, Rock Python), Squid, and White Rabbit. In the case of King Cobra, Rhino, Scorpion, Stegron, Tarantula, and Vulture, they were grouped together as the Savage Six. While making the final preparations for the "Great Hunt," Kraven the Hunter recaps on his own immortality when it was revealed that the Kraven the Hunter that was stabbed by Scarlet Spider was actually a clone.
Curt Connors (in his Lizard form due to the Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy) wakes up to find his wife screaming that his son Billy Connors isn't home. Peter Parker is sick due to his encounters with Taskmaster and Black Ant when they tried to capture the Rhino. Mary Jane offers to give Peter some food to make him feel better, but Peter receives six calls from Curt Connors about Billy. Meanwhile, Billy is trying to get into a club to see a girl named Becca. But when security catches him and exposes his Lizard-like appearance, security chase after Billy. Taskmaster and Black Ant quickly capture Billy and escape from Spider-Man. Spider-Man receives a spider tracer from Black Cat stating that she has been captured with Billy, but not before sending Spider-Man her location.
Main plot
Spider-Man is swinging throughout New York, still weakened because of the flu. He arrives at the place where Black Cat is supposedly held and falls into a trap where there are green gases that make Spider-Man disoriented. Black Cat is in a hotel room with Billy Connors, where she was captured by Taskmaster and Black Ant due to them double-crossing her. Kraven arrives to see Black Cat, and it is revealed that Black Cat and Billy are bait for Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Spider-Man gets dizzier when he sees the Last Son of Kraven. Spider-Man manages to get the upper hand, but hallucinates Mary Jane dying, which causes the Last Son of Kraven to beat him senselessly. Spider-Man wakes up in Central Park in his black suit where he is attacked by Scorpion with the rest of the Savage Six, Armadillo, Black Mamba, Black Tarantula, Constrictor II, Frog-Man, Gazelle of the Salem's Seven, Gibbon, Hippo, Iguana, Kangaroo, Killer Shrike, Man-Bull, Owl, Panda-Mania, Puma, Slug, Squid, Toad, Walrus, and White Rabbit watch the fight. The fight is interrupted when they are attacked by robots piloted by hunters.
