Alyosha Kravinoff, a mutant son of the infamous Kraven the Hunter, was - unlike his half-brother Vladimir Kravinoff - shamefully raised in an African jungle separate from his family and civilization due to his illegitimate birth. After Kraven's suicide Alyosha came to New York to understand the father he barely knew. Dressed as Kraven, Alyosha confronted his Uncle Dmitri (the Chameleon). Believing his abusive half-brother had returned from the dead, the Chameleon revealed to Alyosha much about the dysfunctional Kravinoff family. Kraven's former lover, Calypso Ezili, did actually return from the dead, and she mistook Alyosha for Kraven. She seduced Alyosha, but afterwards he spurned her affections. Later, riding a bull elephant atop Manhattan's rooftops, Alyosha attacked Spider-Man, poisoning him with an hallucinogenic dart, but then set him free. While at the Kravinoff's estate, Alyosha was learning about his father from Spider-Man when Calypso returned with Kraven's tribesmen, setting the home ablaze and killing all but one animal, Gulyadkin the lion. Calypso poisoned Alyosha and Spider-Man and used her hypnotic powers to force the two to fight to the death. Spider-Man resisted and injured Calypso, while Alyosha subdued her with his lion. Despite asking for her forgiveness, Alyosha savagely killed Calypso and all the tribesmen.
He was later contracted to by the Fantastic Four to help capture the enigmatic enormous canid Puppy. Next, he was hired by White Wolf, head of the, deposed Wakandan secret police, to capture the Black Panther. The Black Panther turned the battle around, nearly killing Alyosha. The Sandman later invited Alyosha to join the Sinister Six to hunt Doctor Octopus and Senator Steward Ward, host body for the alien Z'Nox. Venom (Eddie Brock), slighted at his lack of inclusion in the Sinister Six, hunted each of the team members. Refusing to be "the hunted", Alyosha managed to trap Venom with fire, but Venom still managed to injure Alyosha seriously before escaping.
Alyosha then adopted a more relaxed personality - suave, witty, and a ladies' man. As "Al", he began dating a waitress and aspiring actress named Timber Hughes from an all-villain bar. Al sought to help Timber's career in Hollywood by becoming a director. Despite connections to celebrities, Al's efforts were stonewalled, facing arrogance, greed and corruption within the Hollywood elite. Being forced out of Hollywood by the powerful Rothstein brothers. Al was beaten while Timber was brutally raped. Both Al and Timber enacted vengeance, defeated another half-brother, Ned, and left Hollywood to pursue heroics in New York City. Considering his family history, and personality swings, his mental stability remains in question. After the global event called M-Day that caused most of the mutants to lose their abilities Alyosha was among the few who retained his powers.
