Summary
- Star Trek and Marvel share a fanbase and even have actors who have appeared in both franchises, showcasing the overlap of the sci-fi and superhero genres.
- Actors like Chris Pine, Famke Janssen, Karl Urban, Tom Hardy, Rebecca Romijn, Idris Elba, Anson Mount, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldaña, and Patrick Stewart have played superheroes or villains in Marvel movies after their roles in Star Trek.
- The success of their superhero roles, such as Chris Pine as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman or Zoe Saldaña as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, contributed to their rising fame and established them as Hollywood superstars.
Many Star Trek characters could be considered superheroes in their own right, but several Trek actors have portrayed actual superheroes in Marvel movies. Since its debut in 1966, Star Trek has grown into a massive science fiction franchise, spawning numerous television shows, movies, books, and video games. With its far-future setting and various alien species, Star Trek has introduced some pretty powerful and popular characters over the years. Some Trek stories even play out like superhero sagas, with epic space battles and frightening villains.
The worlds of Star Trek and Marvel may not have officially crossed over on screen (yet), but they have come together in comic book form. As two giant science fiction franchises, it’s not surprising that Star Trek and Marvel would share a fanbase, but they also share a large number of actors. For some actors, Star Trek was one of their earliest acting jobs before they went on to play a superhero, while others came to the franchise after a starring role.
10 Chris Pine As Animated Peter Parker
Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, & Star Trek Beyond
Chris Pine took on the daunting task of portraying the iconic character of Captain James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films. Pine rose admirably to the occasion and quickly became an action movie star. Pine’s first foray into the world of superheroes was as Steve Trevor in DC’s Wonder Woman in 2017. The next year, however, Pine would step into the Marvel Universe with a brief, but significant role as the voice of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Unlike the other versions of Spider-Man in the film, this Peter Parker was native to the same dimension as lead Spider-Man Miles Morales (Shameik Moore).
9 Famke Janssen As Jean Grey
Kamala in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 21 (“The Perfect Mate”)
Famke Janssen appeared in one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in what was only her second-ever acting role. While “The Perfect Mate” relied too much on outdated, overly traditional gender roles, Janssen delivered a solid performance alongside the always-great Patrick Stewart. Janssen’s character, Kamala, was an empath who was being transported on the Enterprise for an arranged marriage. Janssen would act with Stewart again after she was cast as Jean Grey (aka Phoenix) in 2000’s X-Men. Janssen reprised the role for two sequels, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, the latter of which saw her resurrected as the Dark Phoenix. Famke then returned for a cameo as Jean Grey in The Wolverine and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, Famke Janssen was originally offered the role of Jadzia Dax on DS9, but she turned it down. Terry Farrell then accepted the role, and the make-up for her Trill spots was based on Kamala’s from “The Perfect Mate.”
8 Karl Urban As Skurge The Executioner
Dr. Leonard McCoy in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, & Star Trek Beyond
Karl Urban perfectly captures the sardonic personality of Dr. Leonard McCoy in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek films, and he has also appeared in multiple superhero universes. In 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, Urban joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Skurge, also known as the Executioner. Although Skurge initially joins Hela (Cate Blanchett) when she takes over Asgard, he later has a change of heart and stands against her. Outside of the Marvel Universe, Karl Urban portrays Billy Butcher on Amazon Prime’s The Boys, alongside fellow Star Trek actor, Jack Quaid as Hughie. Technically, neither Butcher nor Hughie possess any special abilities, but they can gain superpowers by taking the serum known as Compound V. Urban also starred as dystopian law enforcer Judge Dredd in 2012’s Dredd.
7 Tom Hardy As Venom
Shinzon in Star Trek: Nemesis
In one of his earliest roles, Tom Hardy played Shinzon, the evil clone of Captain Picard, in Star Trek: Nemesis. Nemesis received lackluster reviews and ended the TNG franchise on a sour note, but Hardy’s career would take off a few years later. Hardy had several major secondary and starring roles before playing the lead in 2018’s Venom and its sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Before becoming the host to the alien symbiote known as Venom, Hardy’s Eddie Brock was just an average guy. Although Venom often appears as a villain facing off against Spider-Man, Hardy’s Venom films explore the more heroic side of the character.
6 Rebecca Romijn As Mystique
Una Chin-Riley aka Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Another actress who has appeared in both the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Rebecca Romijn plays shapeshifter Raven Darkhölme aka Mystique in X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand. Although she made a brief uncredited cameo in X-Men: First Class, Jennifer Lawrence went on to play the younger version of the character moving forward. Romijn began playing Number One in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, taking over the role from Majel Barrett, who portrayed the character in Star Trek’s original unaired pilot, “The Cage.” Romijn now stars as Number One in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, alongside Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike and Ethan Peck’s Lt. Spock.
Rebecca Romijn’s husband, Jerry O’Connell, provides the voice for Commander Jack Ransom on Star Trek: Lower Decks.
5 Idris Elba As Heimdall
Krall in Star Trek Beyond
Idris Elba portrayed Asgardian gatekeeper Heimdall in 2011’s Thor, and he reprised the role in all three Thor sequels, as well as Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War. In between Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok, Elba went from playing the heroic Heimdall to the villainous Krall in Star Trek Beyond. A former Federation soldier with a thirst for vengeance, Krall wages war against the United Federation of Planets. Idris Elba never fails to deliver a solid performance and this holds true in both Star Trek Beyond and the Thor films.
4 Anson Mount As Black Bolt
Captain Christopher Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Marvel’s Inhumans may not have enjoyed the same success as most other Marvel projects, but Anson Mount’s turn as Black Bolt was one of the highlights of the show. After his stint on Inhumans, Mount briefly reprised the role of Black Bolt for a cameo appearance in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness. Black Bolt’s voice can level entire cities, but that does not stop him from being defeated by the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) in the Doctor Strange sequel. While Inhumans may not have been the success Marvel wanted it to be, it did help Anson Mount land the role of Captain Pike in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
3 Benedict Cumberbatch As Doctor Strange
Khan Noonian-Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness
Benedict Cumberbatch turned in a captivating performance as former dictator Khan Noonian-Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness. Just three years after portraying the villainous Khan, Cumberbatch joined the side of the heroes, landing the starring role in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. After his solo movie, Doctor Strange became one of the most important members of the Avengers and was instrumental in helping them defeat Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Benedict Cumberbatch may now be most well-known as Doctor Strange, but he stood on a starship before he ever set foot in the Sanctum Sanctorum.
2 Zoe Saldaña As Gamora
Nyota Uhura in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness, & Star Trek Beyond
Since starring as Lt. Nyota Uhura in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek films, Zoe Saldaña’s fame has skyrocketed. With starring roles in James Cameron’s Avatar movies and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, she appears in two of the highest-grossing and most popular film franchises of all time. Saldaña’s portrayal of Uhura was one of her breakout roles, and helped to cement her as a Hollywood superstar. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Saldaña plays trained assassin Gamora, who leaves her adopted father Thanos to join the Guardians of the Galaxy alongside Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord).
1 Patrick Stewart As Professor X
Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Picard
Captain Picard himself joined the superhero ranks in 2000 when he starred as Professor Charles Xavier in the first of the X-Men films. He went on to appear in five more X-Men films, including the critically acclaimed Logan in 2017. Logan not only concluded Charles Xavier’s story, but also brought the story of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to a close. However, due to the nature of sci-fi superhero stories, Patrick Stewart returned as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard has become one of Star Trek’s most beloved and enduring characters, and he brings the same compassion and gravitas to portraying the leader of the X-Men.
