Many actors from Marvel adaptations have been a part of Star Trek, even if it was in a small capacity. One of the biggest common actors among both franchises is Sir Patrick Stewart, who first became a global star as Captain Jean-Luc Picard before he played Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise.

The Marvel and Star Trek connection goes beyond common actors. The comic book company also published several comics based on the Star Trek franchise before IDW Publishing took over. Kevin Feige even employed Picard showrunner Terry Matalas to develop and lead the Disney+ series VisionQuest (via Inverse).

Here are ten actors who have played roles in both Star Trek and Marvel.

10. Kurtwood Smith

Kurtwood Smith is best known for playing Red in That ‘70s Show, but he played multiple characters in Star Trek. In Deep Space Nine’s season 5 episode, Things Past, he played Thrax, a Cardassian security officer on the Promenade before Odo. In Voyager, he played Annorax, a Krenim officer, and he played the Federation President in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Kurtwood Smith played Vernon Masters, the war veteran who is part of the Council of Nine and is Jack Thompson’s mentor. He had a recurring role as Masters in the second season of the show, and while he was supposed to be killed off at the end, the writers reportedly loved working with him and hence, kept it ambiguous (via IGN).

9. Alfre Woodard

Alfre Woodard was known for her Oscar-nominated role in Cross Creek when Jonathan Frakes onboarded her to play Lily Sloane in Star Trek: First Contact. Frakes’ directorial debut had plenty of great actors, including James Cromwell and Alice Krige, but Woodard’s role stood out. She reportedly claimed that Lily’s character was similar to her own. She was also injured while filming.

Woodard had two roles in the MCU. Her first was a short part in Captain America: Civil War, where she played Miriam Sharpe, whose son dies at the hands of the Avengers in Sokovia. However, her most important part was Black Mariah in the Netflix series Luke Cage, where she shared the screen with Mahershala Ali and Mike Colter.

8. Faran Tahir

The opening of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek has two Marvel stars, but we will get to the second one in a bit. Faran Tahir played Captain Rombau, the captain of the USS Kelvin in the 2009 reboot. He sacrifices himself in the opening minutes of the movie to go meet the Romulan captain Nero. It is a short but extremely important role in the movie.

Tahir is best known for playing Raza in the first MCU film, Iron Man. He is one of the terrorists who is part of the Ten Rings in Afghanistan, where the organization kidnaps Tony Stark to build nuclear warheads, but he builds the Mach 1 suit instead. He is reportedly set to return in VisionQuest.

7. Idris Elba

British actor Idris Elba has been in multiple franchises and is one of the most popular stars working right now. He has been in Pacific Rim, Hobbs & Shaw, The Suicide Squad, The Office, Prometheus, and more. In the MCU, he is known for playing Heimdall, the protector of the Bifrost, starting with Thor.

Elba played the antagonist Krall in Star Trek Beyond, which was the last Star Trek film to be released in theaters. His performance was praised.

6. Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy is one of the biggest stars in the world right now and has played several iconic characters in the recent past. While he is best known for playing Bane in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, he played Eddie Brock in the Sony Spider-Man Universe’s Venom trilogy. He also appeared as the character in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

One of Hardy’s earliest roles was as Shinzon in the final Star Trek: TNG movie, Nemesis. The actor was young at the time and was given the chance to play the antagonist of the movie, which was part of the reason for the franchise to go on hiatus at the time. It is not one of Hardy’s strongest roles, but it is still notable in his filmography.

5. Karl Urban

Karl Urban is no stranger to franchises. His current most popular role is Bill the Butcher in The Boys, but he has had roles in The Lord of the Rings franchise, Doom, Dredd, and The Bourne series, among others. He played Dr. Leonard McCoy in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek reboot, reprising the role in all three movies of the trilogy.

Urban entered the MCU as Skurge, the Executioner, in Thor: Ragnarok. The character was well-received by fans, as he gets a heroic moment near the end of the movie. It was a blockbuster, but there are very few chances of him returning to the franchise in the same role.

4. Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña has been in the top two highest-grossing films of all time, due to her roles in Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. The actress played Gamora in the MCU, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy. Though she had a tragic end in Infinity War, she returned in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Saldaña played Lt. Uhura in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek movies.

3. Chris Hemsworth

Chris Hemsworth is synonymous with the God of Thunder, Thor, in the MCU. He has been a founding Avenger and is the only one of those members to get a fourth movie that he starred in. Hemsworth will be joining the MCU again with Avengers: Doomsday, and while it is unlikely he will return for a fifth movie, he has been an irreplaceable asset.

Before he became the God of Thunder, he was the father of Captain James Kirk in the Star Trek reboot by J.J. Abrams. The actor played George Kirk in his first credited film role, appearing in the first few minutes of the movie. There were rumors of Hemsworth returning to the role in a future sequel, but that seems to be a no-go at the moment.

2. Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch is one of the most popular actors in the world and has been a part of franchises like The Hobbit, Sherlock, and more. He played Doctor Strange in the MCU, starring in two solo movies, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, and in Spider-Man: No Way Home. He is one of the most important characters in the MCU at the moment.

Cumberbatch played Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek Into Darkness, replacing Ricardo Montalban, who played the part in Wrath of Khan and TOS. Khan was one of the most formidable villains in the Star Trek franchise, and while Cumberbatch’s performance was great, the marketing of the movie seemed to work against his performance.

1. Patrick Stewart

Sir Patrick Stewart is the most popular actor to come out of Star Trek, as he led The Next Generation. He played Captain Picard, following up on William Shatner’s legendary performance with his own Shakespearean glory. The show made him a global star as the series revived the franchise. He returned to play the role in Star Trek: Picard.

Stewart then went on to play Professor Charles Xavier a.k.a. Professor X in the X-Men franchise. He bid goodbye to the role along with Hugh Jackman in Logan, before returning in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He is set to reprise his role in Avengers: Doomsday.

Are there any other Marvel stars who have crossed over from Star Trek? Comment your answers below.

All Star Trek shows and movies are available to stream on Paramount+.
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