3. Does Khan Return?
One of the most memorable aspects of
Into Darkness was Benedict Cumberbatch's "John Harrison," who is revealed to be the alternate reality's version of Khan. It makes a lot of sense for Khan to show up in the Abrams Universe, since he is one of the most recognizable
Star Trek villains in the franchise's history. Khan was certainly an upgrade over Nero in terms of using a villain to elevate the movie to another level. He was menacing, cunning, a physical threat, frightening, and even a little sympathetic. He's responsible for some of the movie's standout moments. While it would have been nice to see Cumberbatch have more screen time, the actor was used very effectively and the
Sherlock star should only see his profile rise as more people flock to see the
Trek sequel. Now that Khan has been introduced, the writers and director will have to decide how to handle the villain down the road.
Into Darkness ends with Khan in his cryogenic pod with the rest of his crew. Technically, he survived the film's events, but with him stored away in a (presumably) undisclosed location, it seems rather unlikely he will return for the third film, as fun as that could be. Film franchises such as Christopher Nolan's
Dark Knight trilogy and the James Bond movies have had enormous success by using a new bad guy in each installment. This allows the filmmakers to give their heroes a new challenge and push them in different directions. Khan certainly had a major impact on both Kirk and Spock, forcing them to develop as characters. Spock learned about the value of friendship and how to embrace his human emotions while Kirk stepped up and became more of a leader, willing to sacrifice himself for his crew ("Is there anything you would not do for your family?"). After all that took place during
Into Darkness, I'm wondering how much more you can do with Khan against Kirk and Spock. As terrific as Cumberbatch is, it might make more sense to give the third film a new adversary that poses a new challenge to deal with.