The MCU has given popularity to a vast number of actors, actors that prior to their roles
as supers may have been swept under the rug or completely ignored.
Think Chris Evans, or even Chris Pratt.
Even Robert Downey Jr was on the outs in Hollywood due to arrests and drugs, but, after Iron
Man, everything changed.
Anyway, in order to play a superhero, you have to have the body to match the role, in
most cases anyone.
Meaning, the actors playing the part are forced to go through some rigorous training in preparation.
So today on Top 10 Beyond The Screen, I’m going to be counting down our list of the
Top 10 Marvel Actors Who Had To Get Ripped For Their Role.
Let’s jump in.
10 Tom Holland - Spider-Man Though he’s the youngest Avenger, and technically
still in High School, Tom Holland didn’t hesitate when it came time to tone up for
his role as Spider-Man in the MCU.
Now, he could have been content with his already slim appearance, but Tom double down and hit
the boxing gym.
According to some, he has been boxing for some time now, prepping for movies such as
Infinity War, Engame, and his stand-alone films.
Not only does he have abs for days, but he can also throw a real punch, lending a cool
air of legitimacy as his character of Spider-Man.
However, as most of us know, we are saying bye bye to Tom Holland and Spider-Man in the
MCU, due to Marvel and Sony not being able to come to a solution regarding rights.
Meaning, Spider-Man no longer exists in the MCU.
Sad times.
9 Elizabeth Olsen - Scarlet Witch Scarlet Witch is one of my all time favorite
Marvel superheroes, and I can not wait for her to star in Doctor Strange 2, which for
those who don’t know, is set to be a horror movie.
Anyway, Elizabeth Olsen is one of the newer additions to the MCU, making her first appearance
in Avengers: Age of Ultron, however, she has come to play a huge role in the movies that
followed.
And, of course, when playing a super, you need the boy to match, in most cases that
is.
Now, according to Olsen, when prepping for Avengers: Infinity War, she didn’t just
focus on exercise, but also diet.
According to her nutritionist, Phillip Goglia, I quote, “She wanted to be dense, heavy
and athletic.
She just really nailed it”.
And that she did.
In order to achieve this look, Olsen’s diet was radically restructured; eliminating gluten,
dairy, and yeast altogether.
Not only that, but she also ate seven to eight meals per day, largely consisting of fruits,
vegetables, chicken and fish.
Honestly, that doesn’t sound too bad.
8 Josh Brolin - Cable and Thanos Josh Brolin has played two Marvel roles in
his career, Cable and of course Thanos.
However, we’re talking Deadpool 2 here.
In order to prepare for the role, Brolin went on a low-carb, no sugar, no bread, no pasta
diet.
An incredibly difficult and gruelling diet, but one that produces arguably the most results
-- I mean, it’s pretty obvious, especially when seeing Brolin in Avengers: Infinity War
and Endgame.
Not only did he embark on an intense diet, but he also clocked in a lot of hours at the
gym, performing drop sets, and other workout moves with trainer, Justin David Lovato.
His techniques proved so effective that he even attracted the attention of WWE legend
and Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Baustista, who was in total shock of how ripped Brolin
has become.
Now, although Thanos is CGI, his single non-CGI arm in Deadpool 2 is real, and pure muscle.
7 Scarlett Johansson - Black Widow Scarlett Johnasson is one of the original
six in the MUC, making her debut as Black Widow back in Iron Man 2, and was instantly
set to become a big part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And that she is...well, was.
Her sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame was what saved the lives of all the heroes, therefore
she is the greatest Avengers...in my opinion.
I love her, okay!
Anyway, Black Widow is of course a deadly super-spy and an assassin, so, you can imagine
you would need to be rocking quite the physique in order to play the part, or at least do
it justice.
Scarlett not only had the physique, but maintained it for over 10 years, that’s insane.
On top of that, she was pulling off the skin-tight catsuit in the process -- not a lot of people
can do that.
She was forced to double-down her efforts for Captain America: The Winter Soldier due
to pregnancy, however, she came back even stronger and more demanding in Captain America:
Civil War -- and honestly, I don’t think enough is said about not just Scarlett Johansson’s
physical role in the MCU, but all of the female supers.
Just saying.
6 Anthony Mackie - The Falcon Anthony Mackie is somewhat of a vertern in
the MCU now, with the actor first appearing alongside Captain America in Captain America:
The Winter Soldier.
Now, although his character of Falcon is not everyone’s favorite, well, he’s not my
favorite, Mackie has worked hard over the years to maintain his physique for the role.
He has always tried to look good, and desperate to remain in peak condition, knowing it will
be beneficial for not just his own self-esteem but also his career.
I quote, “Every now and then you take a role where you can eat po’boys and drink
all day.
I’m at that age now, mid-30’s, where, if you put weight on, it’s most likely going
to stay with you forever.”
Preach.
5 Tessa Thompson - Valkyrie Tessa Thompson is one of the more recent additions
to the MCU, making her first appearance as Valkyrie in Thor: Ragnarok back in 2017.
Now, in mythology, Valkyrie are warriors who choose those who may die in battle and those
who may live.
Now, rather than appearing as merely a beautiful and objectified female superhero, Thompson
wanted her character to appear strong, and a role model for young girls.
So, the actress took it upon herself to gain 15 pounds of pure muscle, I quote, “I like
the idea that a woman can just be ripped, like Valkyrie is in the comics.
Yeah, I found that sort of essential, not really caring about how I looked, but caring
more about how I felt.
I felt so strong, and in my skin.”
So much respect for my Queen.
4 Charlie Cox - Daredevil Charlie Cox has had a few notable roles in
the industry prior to Daredevil, in projects such as Stardust and Boardwalk Empire, two
roles that did not require him to be in peak physical condition.
Enter Daredevil, where Charlie Cox plays blind lawyer/vigilante Matt Murdock, aka, Daredevil.
According to sources, the producer Steven DeKnight told Cox that they needed him to
be at 175 pounds for the role.
And he did just that.
He began by adding carbohydrates to his diet, which included eating chicken, broccoli, rice
and pasta.
During this time, he also worked out with personal trainer Naqam Washington to improve
his physique, and took kickboxing classes to legitimize the role.
3 Brie Larson - Captain Marvel Brie Larson is the newest addition to the
MCU that we have on our entire list, with the actress making her debut in her self-titled
film that came out this year, and then going on to star in Avengers: Endgame which she
played a key role...towards the end that is.
Now, for those who don’t know, Captain Marvel is considered to be the strongest superhero
in the entire MCU, so saying that, you would expect Captain Marvel to be in tip top shape,
right?
Correct.
Larson spent nine months preparing for the part, which included gruelling workouts, and
even pushing a jeep up a hill.
Yeah.
You don’t want to be messing with Brie.
2 Chris Evans - Captain America Chris Evans is one of those rare breeds, an
actor who not only played on superhero, but two: Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, and
of course, Captain America.
While he was in good shape playing The Human Torch, Evans had to step it up a notch when
it came time for Captain America and the subsequent Marvel films, considering he was playing a
man perceived to embody the male ideal.
Evans was forced to put on 30 pounds of pure muscle for his role, and he did it by working
out until he puked.
His workout routine consisted of weighted-exercises and surprisingly very little cario.
Instead he incorporated circuit training.
The actor transformed himself into a hulking body of pure muscle, looking like a man that
was injected with the Super Soldier Serum just like his character.
1 Chris Pratt - Star Lord Prior to the MCU introducing Christ Pratt
as Star Lord in The Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris was known to a smaller audience as the
lovable, goofball, Andy Dwyer on Parks and Recreation.
He went from being the charming, funny, best friend to Lesley Knope, and instead became
a sex symbol overnight.
Now, this is partially due to Pratt shedding 60 pounds and shredding his body into that
of a superhero, and he did that by hitting the gym.
His role as Star Lord launched him into the limelight, with Pratt becoming an inspiration
for what people can accomplish.
More impressive still, he has managed to keep the weight off, and although might not be
as fit as he initially was, definitely still has those muscles going for him.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any ripped marvel actors that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
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see ya later.