KRAVEN THE HUNTER Actor Christopher Abbott Knew “In the Moment” the Spider-Man Spin-Off Wasn’t Going Well

It sounds like Christopher Abbott had a pretty good idea that Kraven the Hunterwas in trouble while he was in the middle of making it.

The actor, who played the villainous Foreigner in Sony’s 2024 Spider-Man spin-off, recently looked back on the experience and admitted he wasn’t exactly sure what he was doing in the movie. Considering how things ultimately turned out for Kraven, his instincts were apparently onto something.

Speaking on Happy Sad Confused, Abbott said: "I don't know what I was doing in that thing."

Part of the problem was that Abbott didn’t fully understand how the Foreigner’s powers were supposed to work. The character uses hypnosis, but even while filming, Abbott struggled to get a clear explanation of what was actually happening.

He explained: "I didn't understand what the superpower was; I didn't know what was going on. I take off my glasses? What happens? I feel like no one really had a good answer."

Abbott also recalled feeling "in the moment" that things weren’t "going well," which turned out to be a pretty accurate read of the situation.

Looking back at his character and costume doesn’t seem to bring back many fond memories either. Abbott added: "I don't know what I was wearing in that thing. I've sort of buried that deep… it's a learning curve."

Kraven the Hunter starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, the legendary Marvel hunter best known as one of Spider-Man’s longtime enemies in the comics. The film struggled at the box office, earning only around $60 million worldwide.

Abbott has since landed another major Marvel role, and this one puts him at the center of a much bigger superhero franchise. He’ll play Professor Charles Xavier in the MCU’s upcoming X-Men movie.

His introduction as part of the new X-Men cast didn’t exactly go how he imagined, though. Abbott admitted that his D23 reveal felt a little awkward when he realized some people in the audience apparently had no idea who he was.

He recalled: "I think I started walking out pretty enthusiastically, and then I kind of felt like a lot of people there didn't know who I was, so then my energy shifted within the split second.”

Yeah, he’s not really a well-known actor, so that tracks. Going from a terrible movie Kraven the Hunter to Professor X in X-Men is a nice little Marvel career jump, though! Hopefully Abbott’s experience making this movie involves considerably less wondering what the hell his character is supposed to be doing.

After he plays Professor X for a few years, everyone will know who he is.

X-Men is set to hit theaters on May 5, 2028.