He's fought orcs from horseback in Middle-earth , explored the final frontier on the Starship Enterprise , and wielded dual machine guns in the Marvel Cinematic Universe , but now Karl Urban is really in the thick of it. This May, he leads one of the first blockbusters of the summer as martial artist Johnny Cage in the video game movie sequel Mortal Kombat II , and he's back for one last round as grizzled superhero slayer Billy Butcher in the final season of the raunchy spoof The Boys . That Urban is the lead of two of the biggest titles in geeky pop culture in the same month is a result of scheduling happensance— Mortal Kombat II was originally supposed to come out last year . Even so, the coincidence feels like an anointing, long overdue for someone who has spent decades in just about every beloved franchise, quietly establishing himself as the most important—or at least prolific—person in genre entertainment.

"What makes Karl so special is that he is a fan first," says his Star Trek co-star Chris Pine .…