Summary
InStar Trek Into Darkness, English actress Alice Eve plays a controversial version of Dr. Carol Marcus in the Kelvin Timeline of J.J. Abrams’Star Trekmovies.Star Trek Into Darkness’Dr. Carol Marcus is a Starfleet physicist who specializes in weaponry,and a potential love interest for Chris Pine’s Captain James T. Kirk. To hide the connection between herself and Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), who released Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch) from stasis, Alice Eve’s Carol Marcus goes by Carol Wallace when boarding the USS Enterprise.
Star Trek Into Darknessisn’t a direct remake ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but instead reinterprets the Prime Timeline version of Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) with a twist on her original concept. InStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Bibi Besch’s Dr. Carol Marcus is a civilian scientist who works on developing the Genesis Device to solve hunger and overpopulation in the United Federation of Planets. Carol is also the mother of David Marcus Merritt Butrick), her son with Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner).There are few similarities between the two versions of Carol Marcus inStar Trek,but that is only the start ofStar Trek Into Darkness' controversy.
Alice Eve’s 8 Best Acting Roles (Including Star Trek’s Carol Marcus)
Alice Eve memorably played Dr. Carol Marcus in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek into Darkness, but it was just one of many roles from the MCU to Belgravia.
Alice Eve Played Carol Marcus In Star Trek Into Darkness
Carol Marcus Makes One Appearance In Star Trek’s Kelvin Timeline Films
InStar Trek Into Darkness,Alice Eve played Dr. Carol Marcus, the daughter of Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller). Carol is a weapons scientist with an interest in a cache of experimental photon torpedoes that went missing from official Starfleet records. After tracing the torpedoes to the USS Enterprise,Dr. Marcus finds the bodies of Khan’s Augment followers stowed in the torpedoes. By the end ofStar Trek Into Darkness,Carol joins the crew of the USS Enterprise, butCarol Marcus isn’t inStar Trek Beyond, suggesting Dr. Marcus transferred off of the Enterprise in the intervening years.
Rather than hide the identity of her son’s father, as Bibi Besch’s Carol Marcus did inStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Alice Eve’s Carol Marcus hid the identity of her own father. This preserves the deception from the original film, but loses the original motive of protecting Kirk’s emotions.
Alice Eve is no stranger to sci-fi roles, having also played a younger Agent O inMen In Black 3prior to playing Dr. Carol Marcus inStar Trek Into Darkness. Alice Eve’s notable turns as romantic leads include Molly in 2010’sShe’s Out of My League,as the love interest to another character named Kirk (Jay Baruchel), and 2014’sBefore We Go, opposite Chris Evans.Alice Eve continues to work in film and television,with recent leading roles including Anne Calder inHaunting of the Queen Mary(2023), and Cassie Holt inCult Killer(2024).
Why Alice Eve’s Carol Marcus Was So Controversial
Dr. Carol Marcus Did Not Need To Be So Sexualized In Star Trek Into Darkness
Alice Eve’s Carol Marcus was controversialbecause of the hypersexualized way that Dr. Marcus is portrayed inStar Trek Into Darkness. Rather than focusing on Dr. Marcus as an accomplished scientist,Star Trek Into Darknessviews Carol Marcus through the lens of Chris Pine’s more immature Captain Kirk, who is quick to objectify Carol. When Carol has to change out of her uniform, Carol asks Kirk not to peek. Instead of obliging her request, Kirk ogles Carol — and the camera pulls the audience along for the lingering looks at Dr. Marcus in her underwear.
Alice Eve had no qualms about appearing in her underwear forStar Trek Into Darkness,and has gone on record saying, "I don’t have any aversion to flesh or showing it. I think if you’ve got flesh, then it should be shown.“The character of Carol Marcus, however, doesn’t share that sentiment.
Star Trekhas never really shied away from sexuality, so the bigger problem with Carol Marcus inStar Trek Into Darknessis with Carol’s lack of agency.Carol Marcus is not defined as her own person, but who Carol is to men: Admiral Marcus' daughter, Khan’s victim, or Jim Kirk’s love interest. Encountering Kirk earlier in theStar Trektimelinemeans the bond between Carol and Jim isn’t there, so the stakes aren’t that high. Dr. Marcus doesn’t have much to do inStar Trek Into Darkness, compared to the men in her company, but Alice Eve does the best she can with the material given.
