Marvel actors tend to achieve a perfect superhero movie physique in record time. Medical expert provides his opinion on how they may achieve it.

Marvel actors are known to bulk up to impressive levels for MCU movies, but a medical expert explains that many of them don’t achieve it 100% naturally. In order to portray Marvel’s invincible superheroes and literal gods, actors are expected to embody their physical strength and athleticism. There have been dozens of MCU actors who have showcased their fit physique across Marvel’s 40+ MCU movies and shows, and quite a lot of them have attained it in record time. Their impressive efficiency has raised doubts about the methods they use to accomplish it.

According to Clinical Physiotherapy expert Dr. Todd Schroeder (via Variety), the ease and speed with which Marvel actors usually attain their physique for MCU productions are often the result of performance-enhancing drugs. However, this estimate is an educated guess. Read the quote below:

• “Though forbidden by sports leagues, many steroid treatments are perfectly legal. Dr. Todd Schroeder, associate professor of clinical physical therapy and director of the University of Southern California Clinical Exercise Research Center at the USC Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, estimated that over half of Marvel’s stars use some form of performance enhancing drug (PED) to get the physiques they want. ‘At least for the short term,’ he said. ‘I would say that fifty to seventy-five percent do.’”

Medical Expert Explains Why Marvel Actors Use Performance Enhancing Drugs

There hasn’t been a single Marvel actor who has admitted their use of performance-enhancing drugs, but the concept of performance-enhancing drugs itself has changed over the years. Whereas they were a rather hush-hush, quick, and dangerous aid to build up muscle and strength just a couple of decades ago, their prevalence in athletes, bodybuilders, and other performers has led to an increase in research and technique. The dangers of prolonged PED use are still the same, but PED users and medical professionals are now much more informed about all their effects and side effects. As Dr. Schroeder explains,

• “Nowadays, it’s kind of expected and, working under a doctor’s care, it’s really been accepted. A lot of actors won’t talk about it openly, but they will work with a physician as well as a nutritionist and a trainer, and it’s a team. It’s not smart for an actor to do that alone. The big thing is, you can take steroids, testosterone, different androgens, growth hormone for a short period of time without any lasting effects on the body. It’s not like you become addicted to it.”

Guidance from professional trainers, nutritionists, and personal assistants is key to an A-list actor’s physical makeover. These elite professionals are equipped with first-class knowledge and equipment to help the actors achieve their fitness goals without the negative side effects commonly associated with lower-impact performance-enhancing substances (PES) such as protein powder and dietary supplements, as well as the stronger class of performance-enhancing drugs (PED) like anabolic steroids. Of course, the controlled use of these substances is by no means a natural way of training, but it does lower their health risks and helps avoid their negative reputation. Dr. Schroeder illustrates,

• “There’s long-term health concerns, but short-term, there really isn’t,” Dr. Schroeder said. “So if you’re preparing for a role, and you’re going to get paid ten million dollars to look a certain way for a role? Then why wouldn’t you do it under a doctor’s care? Take some things that aren’t natural but will change your body to look the way they want it to look, and gets you the recognition?”

The use of performance-enhancing drugs is still denied or unconfirmed by the actors themselves, but that doesn’t mean they’re lying. Although there’s a chance that Marvel actors get so shredded by employing these substances, it’s quite likely that many of them are also putting all their efforts into natural diets, exercise, and healthy habits while avoiding all kinds of artificial assistance. As usual, genetics also plays a key role in physical fitness, and a wide variety of biological factors take part in the process. Dr. Schroeder clarifies that his comments are based on his professional observation, and takes Thor actor Chris Hemsworth as an example of a possibly all-natural physical transformation, saying,

• “He’s always been in really good shape. His family, his genetics—they all, if they work out a little bit, they get in really good shape, and so he’s taken it to the next level. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, he does steroids, for sure.’ And my opinion? I would say, ‘No, he does not.’ ”

How Superhero Movie Role Expectations Have Changed Since The MCU Began

The superhero genre’s domination over popular culture has emphasized the idealization of a perfect physique. Shirtless scenes and form-fitting costumes are common in superhero movies and shows, and feats of superhuman power are the foundation of their plots. As actors continue to reprise the same role, each new installment demands real-life physical enhancements. For instance, Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth began their Marvel journey as Wolverine and Thor, respectively, sporting much less muscular and defined bodies than they did more than a decade later down the line.

However, bulking up for every single appearance isn’t sustainable in the long term, as the actors’ bodies reach their limit, age prevents them from pushing the boundaries without negative side effects, and the use of performance-enhancing substances becomes an increasingly dangerous option. Fortunately, the superhero genre has been quite open around aging heroes and villains, with a significant number of Marvel and DC actors reaching their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and even 80s while still portraying larger-than-life characters. In this age of live-action superheroes, the suits and masks have become a stronger symbol of power than the actors’ bodies underneath.

The oldest actor to play a superhero in a Marvel movie is Patrick Stewart, at 82, portraying Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Female superheroes are also expected to be in perfect shape, and actors like Brie Larson and Scarlett Johansson have demonstrated their determination to achieve it with intense physical training. Fortunately, another highlight of superhero movies is that female characters are able to wear practical clothing. Unlike many outfits and costumes from the source material, Marvel and DC movie costumes help convey the female characters’ physical skills without exposing their bodies or oversexualizing them, and actors such Elizabeth Olsen, Gal Gadot, and Tatiana Maslany can showcase Scarlet Witch, Wonder Woman, and She-Hulk’s superhuman power without being required to maintain an exaggerated physique for several continuous years.