We live in an age of countless amazing fictional universes, as well as the inevitable debates between the assorted fandoms: which characters from one universe could beat up the best and brightest from the other? Sometimes, even famous actors get in on the fun, such as when Oscar Isaac reckoned his Moon Knight from the eponymous Marvel Cinematic Universe show would likely beat his Miguel “Spider-Man 2099” O’Hara from “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
The various fandoms’ supremacy debates are arguably at their most entertaining when the franchises in question are so different that few would even think of comparing the two … like, say, Marvel’s “X-Men” and “Star Trek.” Surprisingly enough, the two iconic properties actually crossed streams back in 1996, courtesy of the crossover comic “Star Trek/X-Men.” Among many other things you’d expect from such an encounter, the comic reveals just how the X-Men’s resident adamantium-laced, knife-knuckled wrecking ball, Wolverine, would fare in one-on-one combat against Mr. Spock. The answer? Not very well.
As the X-Man and the Enterprise’s first officer come face to face in one of the most enduring comic book traditions (i.e. a misunderstanding that causes a fight between two protagonists before they team up), it might seem like a mismatch. After all, Wolverine has his adamantium claws, a massively powerful healing ability, and fighting experience to spare. However, Spock immediately proves that none of this means anything in the face of his patented Vulcan nerve pinch, which handily takes out the mutant.
The X-Men and the USS Enterprise crew have met more than once
1996’s “Star Trek/X-Men” tells a story of the USS Enterprise crew encountering many characters familiar from the Marvel mutants’ adventures, from an X-Men team of Cyclops, Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Phoenix, Bishop, and Gambit to several notable members of the Shi’ar alien race. The villain of the story is, fittingly enough, a hybrid of the “Star Trek” character Gary Mitchell and the X-Men villain Proteus, both of whom are associated with great reality-bending powers.
Of course, the heroes save the day after the initial misunderstandings, but this isn’t the only time the two groups meet … although their next encounter comes with a twist. In 1998, Marvel published “Second Contact,” a follow-up comic to the 1996 film “Star Trek: First Contact” where a group of X-Men and the Enterprise crew from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” team up to battle none other than Kang the Conqueror.
While the X-Men themselves are still taking their first fumbling steps in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s fascinating to know that they come with a pre-established crossover history with multiple “Star Trek” shows. 2024’s R-rated “Deadpool & Wolverine” shows just how wild the MCU is willing to get with its mutant characters, so should the stars behind the scenes align, who knows? One day in the (no doubt distant) future, it might be possible to see Wolverine lose to Spock in glorious live action.
