Marvel loves to pack Easter eggs into its movies, and Spider-Man: Homecoming was no exception. But not all of the teases and subtle winks in the Web-Slinger's first MCU movie were connected to the comic book company. One eagle-eyed fan noticed that in one Spider-Man: Homecoming scene, there's a bearded man man with a boombox who is gazing up at the superhero. It turns out that man is being played by Kirk Thatcher, the same actor who played the obnoxious punk from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Take a look at the quick cameo below.
Kirk Thatcher confirmed on Twitter that he does appear briefly in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the fact that he's carrying a boombox just like he did in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is an excellent callback, albeit one that's hard to catch in theaters. But that's not all. In Thatcher's mind, he's not just playing a character that looks like the punk from The Voyage Home. As he told one fan, in a "spiritual" sense, he is playing that same punk again!
We're not even going to try to figure out how the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Trek universe could exist together, but if Dirk Thatcher wants to imagine that he's reprising the punk, all power to him. Maybe he's similar to what Stan Lee was revealed to be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, only this cosmic being hops to different fictional universes to annoy everyone nearby with his music. But in all seriousness, this is a fun Easter egg for the Star Trek fans who are watching Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Check out the below clip to see what happened to the punk in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home when he failed to turn off his music after being asked.
Set a few months after Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming follows Peter Parker's first time delving into with super villain territory, as he's forced to battle a gang of thieves armed with advanced alien technology. The movie has cemented itself as one of Marvel's most positively reviewed movies ever, currently ranking at 93% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Commercially speaking, at the time of writing, it has collected more than $255 million worldwide. When the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is released in a few years, maybe the creative minds could throw in a more direct reference to Star Trek, akin to that Star Wars Death Star LEGO set that Ned builds with Peter.
Whether you've already seen Spider-Man: Homecoming or haven't made it to the theater yet, be sure to read our review of the latest Marvel movie. The young Wall-Crawler will return for Avengers: Infinity War on May 4, 2018, and Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 is scheduled for July 5, 2019.
