Superhero movies have been the most popular and successful movies for decades now. Even in these past few years, superhero movies have been pure blockbuster gold. With today’s technology, they could make some pretty realistic effects and CGI which would make you feel like you’re living in a comic book. One of the biggest players in the comic book business is Marvel Comics and they are also one of the biggest names in above-mentioned movies, with their whole franchise grossing over $12.5 billion at the global box office, making them the highest-grossing film franchise of all time! The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) first started in 2008 with the release of Iron Man and is still going strong. With Thor: Ragnarok right around the corner, we will take a look at how our favorite Marvel superheroes looked before they got cast for their iconic roles. Becoming a Marvel superhero is a pretty big deal since you need to have acting skills and the body to portray it. You would have to fill some pretty big shoes or in this case, a pretty big costume. Here are your favorite Marvel superheroes before and after they took on the cape.

Chris Evans – Captain America

The Human Torch and Captain America

Even before becoming the First Avenger, Chris Evans already played another Marvel superhero. He already portrayed Johnny Storm or better known as The Human Torch in two Fantastic Four movies, which weren’t a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that started in 2008. Evans already had an athletic body, but when he landed his iconic role as Captain America, he needed to gain a lot more muscle mass. If you’ve watched Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011, then you know how skinny Steve Rogers was chosen to undergo an experiment which turned him into peak human condition, but in real life, Chris Evans didn’t have a super-soldier serum to make him buff.  He had to do months of rigorous training and undergo strict diets with the help of the Hollywood personal trainer Simon Waterson. Evan’s routine consisted of high-weight/low-rep sets of compound lift exercises like incline bench presses, deadlifts, squats and weighted dips and chin-ups which were all focused on him gaining lean mass in a short period of time. Want a body like Captain America? Then this may help you.

Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. was working out 4 days a week before filming Iron Man.

Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t exactly muscular before he landed the role of the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark or better known as Iron Man. He only weighed somewhere around 150 pounds when he landed the role which made him a superstar/superhero. He was paired with personal trainer Brad Bose, which made Downey go on an intense training program of alternating periods of heavy weight/low reps then lighter weight/high reps workouts. He trained for 4 days a week with sessions differing from 40 minutes up to 90 minutes. The alternating training sessions were in order for Downey to be always on his toes and always give his all. Bose says, “We really focused on the old-school heavy lifting. Military presses, dips, and bench presses. Keep him ripped but maintain the muscle mass.”

RDJ was put on a 30-30-40 calorie dense diet. 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbohydrates. For nine months RDJ had to eat every 3 hours and consume around 5,000 calories every single day. He put on 25 pounds of lean mass by the start of filming, and you can see the results below.

Iron Man, 2008.

Chris Hemsworth – Thor

Before and After becoming Thor

Chris Hemsworth is one of the most impressive Marvel superhero transformations out there. Hemsworth already has an impressive athletic body even before landing his role as the prince of Asgard, Thor in 2011. Hemsworth was paired with celebrity personal trainer Duffy Gaver. He trained for 5 days a week for 90 minutes each day. They focused on weight lifting workouts and had to adjust his protein intake and calorie intake. The workout was so effective that Hemsworth even got too big to fit in the costumes and that’s why he needed to lose some mass and develop a more lean body and defined cuts. What’s more impressive is that after filming The Avengers, Hemsworth had to lose 30 pounds in 4 months in order to play his role in the movie Rush, then had to gain back all the muscle he lost for the filming of Thor: The Dark World. Now that’s some serious dedication to the role, right there.