Proof 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Is in the 'Star Trek' Universe

All that time travel Kirk and Spock did in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home may have caused an entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kind of. In a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Kirk Thatcher, an actor and former assistant to Leonard Nimoy, reprises his role as the boombox-carrying “punk on bus” from 1986’s Star Trek IV. Thirty years after Spock knocked him out with a Vulcan nerve pinch, the punk can now be seen early in Homecoming as Spider-Man grabs a hot dog during his patrol in Queens. And yes, he’s still blasting music.

In an interview with StarTrek.com, Thatcher said he was able to reprise his role thanks to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who happens to be a Star Trek fan. “I was having a meeting with the guys at Marvel and Kevin Feige had to leave early to catch a plane to New York for the last few days of shooting and wrap on Homecoming. I mentioned that I was going to New York too, only two days later,” said Thatcher. “He got excited and asked if I would be interested in doing a cameo as a punk in Spider-Man? I, of course said, ‘Sure!’”

Thatcher flew a red-eye flight to New York, arriving just a few hours before his call time at 4:30 a.m. “So I grabbed a couple hours sleep, took a taxi to the set and had brought my own wardrobe. They made me look a little grungier, and the whole thing was done by 11:30 that morning!”

Who knows why or how Thatcher’s Punk made the journey from San Francisco to New York. Maybe he felt embarrassed by Spock’s assault that he left San Francisco and hitched a ride heading east. Or maybe the Enterprise crew’s time traveling messed with the timeline. Either way, getting across universes proved easy for a guy who hasn’t changed all that much after three decades.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is in theaters now.