7 Actors Who Underwent Dramatic Transformations For Their Marvel Role

Sometimes it’s hard to motivate yourself to hit the gym. But a six and even seven-figure salary might just do the trick. Recently, a Marvel fan compiled photos of actors before and after they got to play their badass superhero roles and their body transformations are incredible. Of course, many demanding roles have actors working way before they even step foot on the set, but if you’re beating up bad guys for breakfast, there’s no question about it. Bulking up is a must.

Image credits: Thenerdyuniver1

Robert Downey, Jr.

Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt, for example, went through “three or four hours a day of consistent, ass-kicking hard work” to be able to star in Guardians of the Galaxy. Before ditching 60 pounds in six months, he weighed around 300 pounds. Marvel paired Pratt with personal trainer Duffy Gaver and nutritionist Phil Goglia. Goglia revamped Pratt’s diet, hiking his caloric intake to 4,000 calories a day and adding lots and lots of water— one for every pound he weighed. “I was peeing all day long, every day. That part was a nightmare,” Pratt said. Pratt said he purposely gained weight for his Parks and Recreation character Andy Dwyer, but now he’s committed to remaining ripped: “It gave me a sense of absolute control,” he said.

Chris Hemsworth

Out of all the actors who had to pack on mass for their Marvel movie, few have taken up the task with such dedication and success as Chris Hemsworth when he landed the part of Thor. For the first film, Hemsworth teamed up with trainer and former Navy SEAL, Duffy Gaver, who applied an old-school bodybuilding approach — with careful attention given to Hemsworth’s arms and shoulders. Thor, after all, often appears sleeveless but rarely shirtless. All in all, Hemsworth gained 20 pounds, laying the foundation for a physique he’s maintained at or close to peak condition for Thor’s recurring role in The Avengers and the solo sequel, Thor: The Dark World.

Eventually, Hemsworth became a model of consistency and the physique he built has made the “Chris Hemsworth Workout” the top search suggestion when you type his name into Google. “People see Chris and they think he was on steroids but he didn’t touch a single substance,” Gaver says. “It was just red meat, heavy weights, and some protein powder. He crushed every single workout. He simply decided to look like Thor.”