Sony's ongoing attempt to make their tenuous hold on Marvel's most popular superhero has hit one snag after another. The Sony Spider-Man Universe, or SSU, has decided on the ostensibly interesting strategy of making solo movies around some of the wall-crawler's most memorable villains. Kraven the Hunter isn't a big name, but he'll be up against an even smaller one when he fights the mysterious assassin known only as the Foreigner.
Venom was the obvious starting point for the SSU. He's the villain every nerd demands when a new Spider-Man hits the big screen. Kraven is a much less notable choice, but Sony will be scraping the bottom of the barrel beyond the Hunter. Minor characters in a film about a minor figure will inherently be D-listers, but maybe the film can give the Foreigner a fan base.
Who is the Foreigner?
The Foreigner is a high-value assassin, a mercenary, and a mild gambling addict. He has no powers, but he's an immensely skilled killer. He's initially extremely similar to other Marvel characters like the Punisher or the Finisher. Foreigner's real name is unknown, as is most of his past. He was at one point married to Silver Sable. They still occasionally try to murder each other, though seemingly in good fun. Foreigner possesses hundreds of identities. He's a master of disguise and a world-class actor. He frequently faces off against foes that should be more than capable of handling him, but he always gets away. Foreigner is a master of all known martial arts, a supreme marksman, a brilliant tactician, and a man at his physical peak. Foreigner is said to be on par with Captain America, even without superpowers. He sometimes demonstrates impossible feats of strength, and he can briefly hypnotize foes to convincingly fake superhuman speed. He's a force to be reckoned with.
Foreigner's list of feats is long and surprising. He's the owner and operator of the 1400 Club, a league of assassins that manages to remain hidden from every government agency. He's a longtime friend of Wilson Fisk, reportedly because he refused a contract to murder the Kingpin. Despite their friendship, Foreigner was instrumental in bringing down Kingpin's empire. He trained Sabertooth to become the killer he is today. Foreigner assassinated Ned Leeds after learning that he was a puppet of the Hobgoblin. He once stole Spider-Man's web shooters to win a bet. When someone in the Marvel universe needs a contract carried out, Foreigner is often the first name on the list. Foreigner killed Thunderbolt Ross and framed Captain America for the crime. That outing didn't work out for Foreigner, as Peggy Carter defeated him in combat and left him to die in an explosion. Of course, the Foreigner survived. He always does.
When did the Foreigner First Appear In Marvel Comics?
Foreigner first appeared in The Spectacular Spider-Man #116 in July 1986. His initial look strongly resembled actor Patrick McGoohan, best known for his roles in Danger Man and The Prisoner. His first storyline saw him insert himself into Spider-Man's complicated relationship with Black Cat. Foreigner entered the conversation by betting fellow mercenary Chance that he couldn't take down Spider-Man. Sure enough, Chance was defeated, and Foreigner won the bet. Then Sabertooth attempted to kill Black Cat. He, too, was defeated by Spider-Man. Subsequently, Foreigner attacked Black Cat, then started dating her. Foreigner began the relationship under the auspices of working together to kill Spidey, but he secretly intended to recruit him for the 1400 Club. Naturally, Spider-Man refused, and the Foreigner was forced to abandon that identity. He later fought Spider-Man for the first time and lost summarily due to a betrayal from Black Cat.
Who is Playing the Foreigner in Kraven the Hunter?
Tragically, Patrick McGoohan died in 2009, so a different actor must be brought in for Foreigner's big-screen debut. Kraven has selected noted character actor Christopher Abbott. Abbott's best role to date is probably his star turn in Brandon Cronenberg's 2020 body horror masterpiece Possessor. Abbott has been in the industry for more than a decade. His breakthrough role came in the 2012 HBO series Girls, which he left after the season two finale. In 2018, he portrayed astronaut David Scott in Damien Chazelle's award-winning biopic First Man. In 2019, he took on the iconic lead role of John Yossarian in Hulu's adaptation of the groundbreaking novel Catch-22. He's a talented performer with a long career ahead of him and a solid choice for the role of a suave master assassin.
Foreigner is a bizarre presence in the comics. He's a character who shows up in strange places, pulls off impossible feats, and disappears into the background by the final page. There's a reason that Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Venom command more of the fanbase's attention. However, a film about a big-game hunter fighting a master assassin still sounds pretty good.