I’ve Buried It Deep’: X-Men Actor Christopher Abbott Says He Knew Sony’s Kraven the Hunter Wasn’t ‘Going Well’ During Filming

Christopher Abbott, the actor now set to play Professor Charles Xavier in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot, has revealed that he recognized during filming that Sony’s troubled Spider-Man Universe spinoff Kraven the Hunter was heading for disaster. Speaking on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the former Girls and Catch-22 star admitted he had no idea what his own character was doing throughout production of the critically panned film.

The actor took a small role in Sony’s notoriously troubled superhero spinoff, which has since become one of the most widely criticized entries in the studio’s attempt to build an alternate Marvel universe. Recalling his time on set via the podcast, Abbott said it was immediately apparent that something was wrong with the production from the very beginning.

“I Don’t Think This Is Going Well”

Reflecting on his experience, Abbott opened up about his own performance and the confusion surrounding his character’s role in the film. “I can st talk myself,” he said, noting that he is comfortable critiquing his own work. “I don’t know what I was doing in that thing. I didn’t understand what the superpower was, I didn’t know what was going on.”

The confusion extended to even the most basic elements of his character’s setup. Abbott recalled questioning a key moment in the film with no satisfying explanation coming back at him.

“I was like ‘I take off my glasses and what happens?’ I feel like no one really had a good answer. I don’t know what I was wearing in that thing. I’ve sort of buried it deep down.”

Christopher Abbott

Abbott’s candid reflections came as he looked back on the broader context of Sony’s sprawling and increasingly troubled Spider-Man Universe, a slate of standalone films designed to expand beyond the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man.

The Troubled History of Sony’s Spinoff Slate

Kraven the Hunter was one of several mediocre entries in Sony’s various Spider-Man Universe spinoffs that the studio pumped out while attempting to establish its own cinematic universe. While the Tom Hardy-starring Venom found success and gained two sequels of varying quality, Sony also launched the Jared Leto-adjacent Morbius and Dakota Johnson-starring Madame Web before finally deciding it could not continue down this path.

Various in-development projects were abandoned over the years, including films centered on minor Spider-Man characters such as El Muerto, Jackpot, and Hypno-Hustler. There was also a vague plan to bring these standalone films together via a Sinister Six crossover movie, with groundwork to set this up evident in Morbius’ mid-credits scene, which features the MCU’s Vulture played by Michael Keaton, and the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home featuring a brief Tom Hardy cameo.

“That was a learning curve,” Abbott concluded, reflecting on Kraven the Hunter. “In the moment, I was like… ‘I don’t think this is going well. ‘”

A Critical Bombing

The film’s reception confirmed Abbott’s early instincts. In IGN’s review of Kraven the Hunter, critics noted that it “takes aim at the audience and instead shoots itself in the foot with ill-conceived action and a poisonously rote script that totally botches its razor-thin examination of toxic masculinity,” awarding the film an awful 3/10.

The poor reception added to a growing list of missteps for Sony’s ambitious but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to rival Marvel’s own cinematic universe, leaving fans wondering whether any of the studio’s Spider-Man-adjacent projects could ever find their footing outside of Venom’s surprising success.

A Fresh Start in the MCU

Thankfully, Abbott is being given a fresh crack at the superhero movie genre with a leading role in Jake Schreier’s upcoming X-Men reboot. Officially part of the MCU and a key focus for Marvel post-Avengers: Secret Wars, this new version of the X-Men will feature Abbott as Charles Xavier/Professor X, alongside Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Scott Summers/Cyclops and Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury/Mr. Sinister.

It’s a fair bet that this MCU-backed project will fare better than Kraven the Hunter, giving Abbott an opportunity to rebuild his reputation in a genre he clearly found himself adrift during Sony’s troubled production. As fans look ahead to Marvel’s next chapter, Abbott’s willingness to openly critique his past work suggests a player ready to make the most of his second chance on the superhero stage.