Ryan Coogler was "absolutely not" allowed to use Kraven for Black Panther

There was a time when Sony’s universe of Spider-Man villains really looked like it might have been something. Or, rather, it looked that way to executives counting the surprising $850 million box office of Venom. Assuming that all Spider-Man’s villains were as popular and beloved as Eddie Brock, Sony pressed forward with films about Dr. Michael Morbius, Madame Web, and a hunter named Kraven. The quick diminishing returns felt by audience members who didn’t know they were buying tickets to an off-brand superhero franchise eventually led to the series flaming out with the unsurprising disappointment of Kraven The Hunter last December. If Sony hadn’t been so protective of characters that really need a good and recognizable hero to give them some juice, they may have been able to make a pretty good Kraven movie directed by Ryan Coogler. In fact, during Coogler’s interview with Happy Sad Confused today, the director revealed that he originally wanted the character for his first Black Panther, but Sony put the kibosh on Kraven.