2024 is a year of few superhero movies; however, it will bring an interesting trend to life that could spell doom to one risky upcoming film.

Thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC’s plans for 2024, Sony’s Kraven the Hunter might already be doomed. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to superhero movies. The actor first played the main role in two Kick-Ass movies, which helped get his career started with a couple of charismatic and hilarious performances. Then, the star joined the MCU as Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron, only for his speedster to be shockingly killed in the film. Now, Taylor-Johnson leads Kraven the Hunter‘s cast as the famous Spider-Man villain in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.

Kraven the Hunter was once considered to fight Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU. According to the behind-the-scenes MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book, Sony blocked Kraven from appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home. The reasoning behind that decision was that he “was unavailable until Sony established him in a solo movie.” The upcoming Kraven the Hunter is the solo movie in question. After a delay of almost a year from its original October 2023 scheduled release date, Kraven the Hunter will premiere this August, though Marvel and DC’s 2024 releases put pressure on it.

Marvel & DC’s 3 Upcoming R-Rated Movies Make Kraven The Hunter Even More Risky

Marvel Studios And DC Will Only Release A Movie Each In 2024

While Marvel Studios and DC will only release one movie each in 2024, that is enough to, alongside Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, establish a major superhero movie trend. Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine, DC’s Joker: Folie à Deux, and Sony’s Kraven the Hunter are all R-rated movies. Kraven the Hunter, like the entire SSU aside from Tom Hardy’s Venom movies, which have been successful and are based on one of the most popular Spider-Man villains, is focused on a character that is not as known to those who have not read the comics.

Kraven the Hunter was always going to be a risky movie, especially since the SSU does not have a Spider-Man, which hinders the villain’s potential. However, the movie’s delay has now put it amid two films that have the potential to break the $1 billion barrier. With Deadpool & Wolverine and Joker: Folie à Deux being sequels to successful films that will also be R-rated, the inevitable comparisons to the movies could hurt Kraven the Hunter in a major way, with the similarities to the other two thanks to all three being rated R putting even more pressure on Kraven.

Why Kraven The Hunter Is Already In An Awkward Marvel Movie Position

Madame Web Did Not Help The SSU Film

Kraven the Hunter was already going to face a lot of pressure, even if it did not have to deal with comparisons to Deadpool & Wolverine and Joker: Folie à Deux. That is due to the current state of the SSU. Despite a pair of successful Venom movies, the SSU’s two other attempts of expanding the franchise have backfired in a major way. First came Jared Leto’s Morbius, which became a major joke online. Sony even tried to cash in on the viral memes surrounding the movie by re-releasing Morbius, only to see the film bomb for a second time.

2024 saw the second major failure of the SSU with the release of Madame Web. Despite boasting a talented ensemble, the movie ended up serving as the setup for a more interesting film — with a tease of the four Spider-Man-related heroes’ potential at the end of the movie — that will never come to pass due to the SSU entry’s box office run. Madame Web has broken multiple negative records for the SSU, which has led to the film becoming the target of constant jokes, some even coming from its cast. The SSU’s status could diminish interest in Kraven the Hunter.

How Kraven The Hunter Can Avoid Madame Web & Morbius’ Movie Fates

Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s SSU Movie Has A Key Different Factor

As the latest two releases in the SSU failed, Kraven the Hunter will face a lot of pressure. Interest in the movie will likely be impacted by the shared universe’s disappointments; however, Kraven the Hunter has one aspect that both Madame Web and Morbius did not have, and that could help it succeed where the SSU’s two latest entries failed. Kraven the Hunter‘s R-rating is refreshing, and while it will contribute to comparisons between it and Marvel & DC’s 2024 movies, it differs the film from the rest of the SSU.

The SSU has so far only had PG-13 movies, which is something that served as a major criticism for Venom: Let There Be Carnage, as it hindered the potential of the movie’s villain symbiote. As Kraven the Hunter‘s trailer has shown, the movie will not shy away from its lead character’s violent nature, making the most out of its R-rating. That could allow Kraven the Hunter to distance itself as much as possible from the SSU’s latest offerings, possibly finding a space for it to succeed.