Much like many of Sony's upcoming flicks, the future Kraven the Hunter movie is still pretty mysterious. More members of its cast have been revealed, but the most important part of the movie -- how it will relate to Spider-Man -- is still up in the air. Speaking of its cast, however, a recently announced addition to it could suggest a future sequel.
Ariana DeBose is playing Kraven's lover Calypso in the movie, and though she's his main squeeze, her biggest claim to fame was going on to torment a certain friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The villain she did this alongside of also adds even further credence to the theory behind a certain Spider-Man actor's return. Here's how DeBose's Calypso could force Spider-Man to "rise above it all" in a future movie.
What Are Calypso and Spider-Man's Roles In Torment?
Calypso was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #209 from Denny O'Neil and Alan Weiss, where she was Kraven the Hunter's assistant and lover, but her biggest claim to fame came in the pages of the 1990s Spider-Man run. In this story, Calypso sought revenge upon Spider-Man after the death of Kraven in Kraven's Last Hunt. To this end, she put The Lizard under her hypnotic control, erasing any inkling of Curt Connors' mind and reducing him to a mindless beast.
Attacking Spider-Man with a Lizard that was more violent and bloodthirsty than ever, Calypso almost achieved her vengeful goal against the Wall-Crawler. Of course, he would manage to rise above it all and survive the harrowing night, but the incident was definitely one of the worst villain attacks that Spidey ever suffered. To this day, this is the biggest and most memorable use of Calypso in the comics, and it could inform future appearances of her movie incarnation.
How Calypso Could Attack Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man
Calypso will likely return after the Kraven movie, and a film of her tormenting Spider-Man would be the perfect way to bring back a fan-favorite incarnation. Many fans are still insistent that Sony will work Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man continuity into being the universe for movies such as Kraven, Venom and Morbius. By adapting Torment, they would be able to pull this off perfectly.
The universe of The Amazing Spider-Man was the only one with a version of The Lizard. While Curt Connors was in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies, he never became his villainous identity. Thus, bringing The Lizard back and making him lose his humanity completely would only work in Garfield's universe. The horror inherit in using Calypso and the Torment storyline would also fit right in with those movies, as well as Venom and Morbius.
Add in the fact that fans are desperate for Garfield to return, and you have the perfect venue to do so by bringing back Calypso in another movie. This could also be a reverse of Peter's relationship with Gwen, with Peter seeing Calypso's grief and using it to move past his own. Of course, this also depends on what happens in the Kraven movie, and whether or not Spidey himself is even in it. Garfield has recently insisted that he won't return to the role, but even he's noted that this is the same line he used when denying his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It's very likely that he will indeed come back, but if he's not careful, he'll have to deal with a vengeful voodoo priestess when he does so.