Sony has recently added the comic book character Calypso to their studio shares Spider-Man with Marvel Studios, they own the rights to almost all of the hero's ing cast, including side characters, anti-heroes, and villains.
Sony’s decision to interweave their narratives into a shared universe much like the MCU has its risks, but the first two entries have proven commercially successful. So far, comprising of two Venom films, the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters is set to expand with many projects, including Sony’s plans progress.
Kraven the Hunter is proving this trend, with many recent casting announcements teasing the range of characters that we are likely to see in the villain’s film. Having already added The Chameleon and The Foreigner to the list, the film recently cast Ariana DeBose in the role of Calypso. Considering the character’s comic book origins, unique set of powers, and her relationship with Kraven, it becomes clear that Calypso’s persona hinges on the presence of Spider-Man. Without a web-swinging hero currently in Sony’s Marvel universe, Calypso’s presence could highlight their biggest problem.
Who Is Kraven's New Villain, Calypso? Comics Origin Explained
There have recently been rumors that secretly introduced Kraven, but Calypso’s onscreen presence is yet to be seen. In the comics, Calypso Ezili is a voodoo priestess of Haitian descent. She is a prominent figure in the popular storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt,” in which the titular villain attempts to hunt and kill Spider-Man to regain his former confidence and prowess. In this plot, Calypso convinced Kraven to resume his pursuit of Spider-Man, and after the hunter kills himself at the end of the storyline, she subsequently takes it upon herself to resurrect Kraven, blaming Spider-Man for his death.
Acting as an accomplice and romantic interest to Kraven, Calypso has long been understood as a character with a lack of agency, renowned for her manipulative abilities. For Sony to treat the character like this would be similar to their handling of Shriek in could change to Sony’s universe. After her manipulative role, Calypso has since appeared in comic storylines that see her possessing Dr. Curt Connors’ The Lizard in an attempt to kill Spider-Man herself (Spider-Man #1-#5), as well as facing off against Daredevil in Hell’s Kitchen (Daredevil #310). The priestess has subsequently gained ties with a multitude of Marvel characters, and her characterization and powers have developed in the process.
Calypso's Marvel Comics Powers Explained
Following Kraven’s death, Calypso devoted herself to the art of voodoo and magic. Sacrificing her younger sister and securing her soul in the process, the villain’s powers increased to include mind control, spells, and resurrections, and she utilized each of these in various comic storylines to best her opponents and regularly cheat death. Calypso’s control of her powers has allowed her to occupy other’s bodies and reanimate the dead in the form of zombies, providing a potential tie-in with the Marvel Zombies series.
In the comic storyline “Dead Men Walking,” Calypso transfers her soul from her dying physical body into the Amulet of Damballah, which then allows the priestess to occupy the body of whoever it meets. This expands on the character’s abilities of possession and zombification, traveling across the world in others’ bodies to reunite her soul with her physical form. With these powers, Calypso has become retroactively considered something of an adversary to Kraven, bonded by their shared attempts to defeat Spider-Man.
Why Calypso & Kraven Need Spider-Man
The relationship between Calypso and Kraven was ignited by the former goading the hunter into a renewed desire to see Spider-Man dead. Calypso’s persuasive abilities over Kraven are thus intrinsically linked to the presence of the web-spinner, and it would be reasonable to suggest that the film may go in a similar direction. In this storyline, it is Calypso that provides Kraven with a potion to increase his strength and speed, aiding his hunting abilities. Without Spider-Man, Kraven would have no such need for Calypso, potentially rendering her character damagingly redundant to the storyline.
Kraven, on the other hand, is notably defined by his relationship to Spider-Man. Having gained a ion for trophy hunting, Spidey proves to be the one animal that can consistently better the hunter, leading to the villain’s involvement in the original roster for the Sinister Six. Spider-Man transforms Kraven from a regular trophy hunter – albeit one that prefers to hunt his prey with his bare hands over guns and bows – into the villain driven mad by constant defeat. Therefore, the hero is a crucial component of the development of both Kraven and Calypso.
Sony's Spiderverse Needs A Spidey To Really Thrive
Sony’s Spiderverse is still in its early days and is attempting to challenge the typical roles of its villains, but if their coming slate of films is anything to go by then, it is clear that the franchise is in desperate need of a Spider-Man. Owning the rights to all Spider-Man’s villains means nothing if there is no common foe by which all of their villainy is defined. After the stellar financial success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spidey would be the best way to bring all these characters together in a shared universe.
The studio won’t be able to use Tom Holland’s Spider-Man due to his co-ownership with Marvel Studios, but No Way Home opened the possibility of multiple Spider-Men being in operation at any one time. Rumors have recently been circulating that Andrew Garfield’s Spidey is set to make an appearance in Morbius, potentially bringing Spider-Man into Sony’s franchise. The studio also has the scope to go wider still and introduce a brand-new Spider-Man character such as Spider-Man 2099 or the Scarlet Spider. What’s important is not who is behind the mask but that the franchise is held together by a central figure who spins a web between each of the iconic villains.
Very little is known about Calypso’s role in Sony’s film. It would make sense for her to be something of an adversary to Kraven, but if the narrative takes inspiration from the character’s most notable comics, then the voodoo priestess may be set to blur the line between hero and villain. If these characters are to work, however, Sony needs to introduce a Spider-Man to ensure that Kraven the Hunter has the narrative momentum that the characters require.
