When Franchises Collide: STAR TREK and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
For today's Trek Tuesday , we're exploring what happens when the Star Trek and MCU franchises collide. Deadpool & Wolverine Wade and Logan: The MCU's Spirk?
One significant Star Trek reference appears in dialogue in the climax of 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine. The setup for this hilarious line began before the movie was even released. It began with the first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. In this February 2024 trailer, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) delivered a joke that captured the hearts and funny bones of the internet.
The joke was the Merc with the Mouth's proclamation that he was going to be 'Marvel Jesus.' In a conversation set in the Time Variance Authority (TVA) offices, Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen) tells Deadpool he's giving him the chance to be a 'hero of heroes.' In a line that leans on the fourth wall, Paradox informs Wade that he's being given an opportunity to save the universe. Deadpool responds, 'I'm the messiah. I am Marvel Jesus.'
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In the movie itself, this line is delivered in the first act. But it gets a callback at the climax of the movie. Separated by glass, Wade tells Logan (Hugh Jackman) that he's going to save the multiverse by sacrificing himself. Then he calls back to the 'Marvel Jesus' line. But in the next breath, he compares himself to another character: the original Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy).
This reference alludes to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. At the climax of that movie, Spock sacrifices himself in order to save the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. And his emotional final lines of dialogue, he speaks to his best friend James T. Kirk (William Shatner) through glass, just like the climactic scene between Wade and Logan in Deadpool & Wolverine. Ironheart
The 2025 Disney+ MCU series Ironheart contained not just one line of dialogue alluded to the Star Trek Franchise, but many references that unfurled over the course of the show's debut season. The first was in the second episode, 'Will the Real Natalie Please Stand Up?' In a conversation with Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), Xavier (Matthew Elam) makes a reference to Star Wars. Riri responds, 'I just thought it was, you know, Trekkies for life…'
And the Star Trek references continued in episode 4, 'Bad Magic.' In that episode, Xavier compares Riri to Spock. However, Riri answers that she always thought of herself as more like Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols).
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But the Star Trek allusions don't stop there. Several appear in episode 5, 'Karma's a Glitch.' After a fight with Xavier, Riri reconnects with him by leaving him a note. The envelope in which this note is delivered has the TOS era Starfleet Delta insignia drawn on it. In the letter itself, Riri borrows a phrase from The Wrath of Khan: 'Of all the souls I've encountered on my travels, hers was the most human.' The letter wins Xavier over and he reunites Riri and the rest of her allies, bearing coffee as a peace offering. And the name on Riri's cup? 'James T. Kirk.' Xavier even refers to her as 'Captain' in this scene.
So why all the Star Trek references in Ironheart? It's because the series creator, Chinaka Hodge, is 'of The Body.' In other words, she's a Trekkie just like us. Star Trek and the Marvel Cinematic Universe
In the AAFCA Virtual Roundtable with Ryan Coogler and Hodge, posted to YouTube on June 27, 2025, filmmaker, writer, poet and Trekkie Kimberly Singleton shared her excitement about Riri being a Trekkie in Ironheart.
Hodge confirmed that Riri was a Trekkie in the original Marvel Comic, written by Eve Ewing. Then she continued that her mother, a scientist from Illinois who graduated from Northwestern with a degree in mechanical engineering, is a Trekkie as well. According to Hodge, a picture of Nichols was posted in the Ironheart writer's room throughout the scripting process. She further stated that Uhura was as much a character predecessor to Riri as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Finally, Hodge confirmed she herself is a 'Trekkie for life.'
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And is there a more foundational connection between the MCU and Star Trek? The answer lies in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry. In the introduction to the book, Marvel Studios Head Boss in Charge Kevin Feige writes that movies were 'a magical experience' for him growing up, specifically citing the Star Trek films.
There are a few other references to Star Trek in the book, as well. Chris Hemsworth's performance as George Kirk in Star Trek (2009) is cited as one reason the actor was cast as the titular character for 2011's Thor. Also mentioned is Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Khan in 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness ahead of his appearance as the titular character in 2016's Doctor Strange. And the book also states that Star Trek: The Next Generation's series finale, 'All Good Things…,' was an influence on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The Final Frontier
But there's one other significant Star Trek influence on the MCU. According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales and Gavin Edwards, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a key cinematic inspiration for Feige. No, seriously.
The information comes from a quote by C. Robert Cargill included in the book. A writer for Doctor Strange, Cargill had this to say about Feige and Star Trek V: Feige 'made the argument that Star Trek V is better than Star Trek: The Motion Picture. You cannot find a great character moment in The Motion Picture that comes close to matching anything with the campfire scene, and the campfire scene gives us our three favorite characters from the show together, outside of the norm, and lets us experience who they are as people and not legends.'
RELATED: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds : 'Ad Astra Per Aspera,' A Trans Rights Allegory
Cargill continued: '[T]he DNA of that campfire scene [is] in every Marvel movie. He wants to take your favorite characters and give you the campfire scene, and give you that sequence in which you just love these people for who they are as people, regardless of their powers, so that when the big stuff happens, you really care about it.'
Did we include your favorite Star Trek allusion in the MCU? If not, be sure and let us know in the comment section or over on social media.
Star Trek is currently available for streaming on Paramount+. Meanwhile, the MCU is currently available for streaming on Disney+.
Hailing Frequencies Open: 3 STAR TREK Podcasts Avery Kaplan (she/her) is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. With her spouse Ollie Kaplan, Avery co-authored the middle school textbook on intersectionality Double Challenge: Being LGBTQ and a Minority. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 - 2024 Cartoonist Studio Prize Awards and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, the Gutter Review, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in the Comics Courier and in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.
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