It was a good thing that Kraven was not, in fact, a villain. His official identity was a Russian State Duma deputy; there was no need for him to act so cheaply and come all the way to New York just to be a villain.
He even invited Peter and Felicia into his study for a serious talk.
"I received a message in Russia from New York, claiming that my half-brother died at the hands of Spider-Man."
Kraven served the two young people a drink each in his study. "As it happens, I had some business to attend to in New York, so I made some inquiries. From the intelligence I gathered, Spider-Man doesn't have a record of killing any criminals."
Well, he did have a record, if you counted Carl King. Felicia was a little confused by Kraven's words. Who was Kraven's brother?
"But you were there, so maybe you can tell me how my brother, or perhaps it's more appropriate to call him Chameleon, died?"
"Are you planning to avenge your brother?"
Kraven paused for a moment before handing the two their drinks. As soon as Peter took his, Venom made a conclusion.
[No poison. Vodka.]
"I don't drink, thank you..."
"No poison."
"I know. Vodka is still a bit too strong for me."
After Peter refused the Russian-style drink, Kraven took the glass back with a hint of regret. Felicia took a small sip out of curiosity, then pushed it aside in disgust.
How could a drink be so harsh?!
"As for revenge, it depends on the circumstances. My brother betrayed his country. If he was killed by an agent of the Foreign Intelligence Service, I wouldn't say a thing. If he committed a crime in America and was killed by the CIA or American law enforcement, I would wonder if he felt any remorse."
Kraven finished the vodka Peter hadn't touched in one gulp, then added one last possibility. "But if he was killed by someone else, I want to know who that person is and why they killed him."
If it was for money or to silence him, Kraven might seek revenge, but not now.
Peter recounted Chameleon's actions without mentioning the Punisher—that he had disguised himself as an ordinary person to carry out an assassination, which resulted in the ordinary person being killed instead.
And so, a long pursuit across the country began.
Kraven was silent for a while after listening. All he did was drink another glass of liquor, then looked at Felicia. "So, what's your purpose for coming to me?"
"I..."
"I want to know about the Soviet super-soldier serum."
Felicia cut Peter off and stared intently at Kraven. "Is the super-soldier serum you were injected with a Soviet original, or was it..."
"That's a matter of national security, miss. With all due respect, even if you weren't with the American government, I couldn't tell you."
Kraven thought for a moment, then cautiously added, "However, I do know of a person who once tried to steal the super-soldier serum from my country, but unfortunately, he failed."
Felicia's body stiffened, and Peter sighed. Wasn't this an obvious way of telling him that she had a connection to the Cat?
"But it seems that he did manage to steal some of the super-soldier serum, which is now unaccounted for, right?"
Kraven laughed, then seemed lost in thought. After a long moment of silence, Felicia took the initiative and offered a clue.
"He didn't steal the super-soldier serum in the Soviet Union; he stole it in Hungary."
Hungary was a Soviet satellite state during the Cold War, but that didn't mean the Soviet Union would place its super-soldier serum there. This whole thing was suspicious.
Kraven made a note of this, then looked at Peter. He now knew the purpose of the master thief, but what about Spider-Man? What was the reason for an Avenger to be intruding on his property?
"The other day, while I was fighting crime, I unexpectedly saw you at the Fisk Natural Arts Museum. And then the S.H.I.E.L.D. files mentioned your connection to Chameleon..."
Kraven nodded again, which meant Spider-Man was worried that he had come for revenge, so he came to scout him out. Of course, he didn't see him as an enemy; otherwise, there would have been no need for them to talk.
Kraven frowned, pondering the things the two had said, which seemed to have no problems. These things were actually quite important pieces of intelligence. The key was how to use them.
Kraven thought for a while before Peter was the first to ask a question. "So what about you, Kraven? What did you come to America for?"
Kraven was taken aback by the question, then smiled and explained.
"Part of the reason is, of course, for my brother Dimitri. But the other part is for work, kid."
"I came here for you, or to be more precise, for the Avengers."
Kraven poured himself a third drink. "In this day and age, super-powered individuals have entered the world stage. Everyone needs super-powered individuals. Especially you guys. You Avengers have formed the most powerful super-powered organization since World War II, and it's not for things like racial equality. Do you know how much of a shock that's been to the entire world?"
"Roughly?"
"Roughly, America suddenly has the most powerful team of super-powered individuals in the world, and then S.H.I.E.L.D. launched a second one. This has greatly rattled other countries. Almost every country with a little bit of influence is creating its own Avengers team."
"The Eastern powerhouse is preparing the Celestial Guard, we Russians are planning to set up a Winter Guard, and even the British have started a project called Excalibur, hoping to have a team of super-powered individuals."
Peter almost immediately objected without thinking. "But the Avengers isn't an American team..."
"Then you should tell them that the Avengers don't represent America and see if they believe you."
Kraven shrugged. It was the truth. No one cared that there was an African king in the Avengers. It was an American team, and everything was controlled by the American government.
Kraven's purpose in coming to New York was a simple one: to figure out what the Avengers were, how their team operated, and what could be learned from them.
Upon hearing this, Peter suddenly had an idea. A bold plan that could solve both of their problems appeared in his mind.
"I have a suggestion, Mr. Kraven, that might satisfy us all."
Peter offered a surprising response. "Are you interested in a tour of Avengers Tower?"