So, what's the crazy connection between Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the current hit film Spider-Man: Homecoming?

The answer is Kirk Thatcher, who served as Leonard Nimoy's assistant/associate producer on IV, played the film's hiss-worthy Punk on Bus and even co-wrote "I Hate You," the song blaring from the punk's boom box. In a super-cool Homecoming Easter egg, Thatcher reprises his role as the punk, now credited as Punk on Street. He's much older and disheveled, and he's still lugging around a boom box. Look for the bit early on in the movie, as Spider-Man (Tom Holland) talks to a hot dog vendor (Zach Cherry).

Thatcher confirmed the appearance the other day, writing on Facebook, "Well, the secret is out...Now you all have to see Spider-Man!"

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StarTrek.com reached out to Thatcher to ask how he ended up in Homecoming, and here's what he told us:

"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. 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!' He said the producers would get in contact with me and I changed my flight from a Friday morning flight to a Thursday red-eye. I arrived in Manhattan at around 1:30 in the morning and my call time was 4:30 a.m. the same day... 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! So, it was really only about 48 hours from Wednesday afternoon when he asked if I was interested to Friday lunch time when we had finished shooting the scene!"







"Also, the reason this all happened is that Kevin is a big Star Trek IV fan and he has told me that he was a big fan of the punk scene," Thatcher continued. "So, I guess it just tickled him to include that character, 30 years later! I'm hoping this turns into a long series of 'Punk on the...' cameos that can fund my early retirement."