Episode #6 - Enter The Hunter
Original Airdate 3rd February, 2001.

When The High Evolutionary decides that Spider-Man is a loose cannon that must be removed, Sir Ram hires The Hunter to take him out.

Credits
Story By: Roger Slifer, Michael Reaves, Will Meugniot
Written By: Diane Duane, Peter Morwood
Directed By: Patrick Archibald

Review: This episode sees another one of Spider-Man’s normal rogue’s gallery get a counter Earth double, this time with Kraven The Hunter. Kraven’s had an odd animation record, with the 80’s and 90’s versions being pretty bland, but having a decent appearance in Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends and a brilliant revamp in the recent Spider-Man: The New Animated Series. I’ve never found him to be that interesting as a character and there are at least a dozen villains I’d rather see done than Kraven but he wasn’t too bad here.

The Hunter’s design came across as a little generic as did his dialogue and general characterisation. He’s your basic assassin, nothing more, nothing less. He uses the same mumbo jumbo potions that Kraven in the comics has used since his first appearance, but whilst watching it, I felt like I’d seen it all before, and I’d seen it done much better. His voice was decent enough – if I’m not mistaken, it’s Scott McNeil voicing The Hunter. For those not in the know, McNeil voiced Wolverine in X-Men: Evolution. He did what he could with what little he had to work with, but again, the character is too bland to do much with.

The plot is as basic as the villain it features. Sir Ram and The High Evolutionary are dubious to Spider-Man’s action and decide he is better off out of their way, and The Hunter is hired to take him out. If you’re a Kraven fan, you’ll either love this or be deeply insulted by it. For everyone else, there are better episodes to watch.