The drafts that come out of Marvel Studios are usually filled with all varieties of Easter eggs and special references to the existing canon, but some have a few more “layers” than others. This story is about one of them.
For the upcoming Marvel Studios special presentation werewolf at night, director Michael Giacchino has assembled a wonderful and talented cast of actors, including Gael Garcia Bernal, Laura Donnelly and Harriet Sansom Harris, but if you’re a die-hard Marvel fan, there’s one name that might stand out from the cast: Kirk Thatcher . In the horror-centric Disney + original, Thatcher plays a monster hunter named Jovan, but some of you may notice that this is the second time he has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (after appearing in spiderman: homecoming), and his first appearance in the franchise has a weird and funny connection with star Trek.
Last weekend I attended the virtual press conference of werewolf at night (opens in a new tab), and it was during the interview with Michael Giacchino that I asked him about Kirk Thatcher’s involvement in the project. It turns out that the songwriter-director and the actor are close friends, and it was precisely because of their pre-existing relationship that Thatcher made her aforementioned cameo in spiderman: homecoming (film for which Giacchino composed the soundtrack). Says the director,
Well, Kirk and I are best friends. We’ve known each other for a long time and I’ve always thought he was a great actor … It’s actually funny because when Kevin Feige found out I was friends with Kirk Thatcher, Kevin was blown away, because Kevin is a huge Star Trek fan. . He loves everything and knew everything Kirk had done. And I think: ‘What? Church? In reality?’ So Kevin is the one who said, “Do you think I’d like a cameo in Spider-Man?” and this and that. And I was like, ‘Sure!’ So I put them together and Kirk took it upon himself to do it.
For those of you who don’t remember Kirk Thatcher well spiderman: homecoming, no one has the right to blame your memory. He appears in one of the early cuts of the Marvel blockbuster as the web-slinger performs friendly neighborhood hero duties. He appears at that moment with Zach Cherry, who specifically asks Spider-Man to do a somersault while he is on a nearby rooftop. You can see him in the screenshot below with a big white beard:
You will notice that the character, credited as “Punk on Street”, wears a boombox on his shoulder, and this is where the star Trek the connection occurs. In 1986, Kirk Thatcher made his film debut with a small role as Punk On Bus in Star Trek IV: The Journey Home (Walter Koenig’s favorite Star Trek movie). He introduces himself as a punk who annoys other passengers in transit with loud music, and Leonard Nimoy’s Spock makes him memorably numb with a nervous Vulcan pinch:
years after the spiderman: homecoming cameo, Michael Giacchino was hired by Marvel Studios to direct werewolf at nightand his high opinion of Kirk Thatcher’s acting skills prompted the director to personally ask Kevin Feige if he could choose his friend:
When I raised him for this, Kevin said to me, ‘Oh yeah, sure! We have to.’ And I think Kirk did a great job. I thought you were great. And I’m really excited that the world can see this other side of Kirk, which is a little more than just a note, you know? Kirk did a great job, we had a great time and it’s always fun to work with your friends too. So, it’s also a really wonderful thing.
That leaves us with the last big question: Kirk Thatcher’s Punk on Street spiderman: homecoming actually giovan de werewolf at night in disguise (maybe on the streets of New York on the hunt for monsters)? I asked Michael Giacchino what he thought and he said:
I do not know. It’s a different conversation. I feel like it would … it makes sense to me that the thug on the bus is the guy from Spider-Man. You could argue it in a way. I think it would be harder to relate them to that. But we’ll let the internet do it for us! We will see what happens.
Fans will have the option to merge points when werewolf at night arrives October 7th exclusively for Disney + subscribers.
Check out our guides on upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming Marvel TV movies for all the information you’re looking for on the future of the MCU, and our Marvel Movies In Order feature is a perfect tool for your next nap.
Source: Cinemablend
