Sony’s Kraven the Hunter features the live-action debut of the Marvel villain, Chameleon, played by Fred Hechinger. Hardcore Spider-Man and Marvel fans may know the character from the comics and related media. However, there are bound to be those who are not very familiar with Chameleon and are curious about his origins, connection to Kraven, as well as his powers and abilities.
So who is Marvel’s Chameleon and what are his powers? Here is everything you need to know.
Who is Kraven’s Chameleon in Marvel and what are his powers?
In Marvel Comics, Chameleon is an adversary of Spider-Man. His main power is the ability to impersonate and disguise himself as anyone.
Originally, Chameleon could only change his disguise via complex technology, lifelike masks, and a face-changing serum. However, he later received more innate powers through surgical and mutagenic alteration. It changed his epidermis and skin pigmentation, allowing him to impersonate anyone at will.
In his first appearance, Chameleon impersonates a government scientist, Professor Newton. Using Newton’s disguise, he steals half of some missile plans. He then electronically contacts Spider-Man via the latter’s Spider-Sense and indirectly proposes a business venture. However, Chameleon disguises as Spider-Man and steals the other half of the missile plans, escaping just as the Web-Slinger enters the scene.
Spider-Man is then framed for the theft but manages to clear it by apprehending Chameleon and bringing him to the police. However, the latter soon disguises as a police officer and scares him into escaping by tricking other officers into attacking him. However, thanks to Spider-Man having torn a part of his outfit, the cops can see through the disguise and apprehend Chameleon.
As a criminal, Chameleon worked with other Spider-Man rogues like Kingpin, Hammerhead, and Kraven. He was deported to Russia but eventually returned to the United States and began a life of crime.
Is Chameleon the brother of Kraven the Hunter?
Chameleon is Kraven the Hunter’s half-brother.
However, this relation was not revealed until the iconic comic book storyline, Kraven’s Last Hunt. Chameleon, AKA Dmitri Smerdyakov, was born from an affair between Kraven’s father, Nikolai Kravinoff, and his servant, Sonya Smerdyakov.
Unfortunately, the two developed an intense rivalry. This was primarily due to Nikolai favoring Kraven over Dmitri. The rivalry also caused Dmitri to grow up with self-contempt and doubt, viewing Kraven as an ideal he could not match up to.
