Top Actors Who Went Through Superhero Transformations

Superhero movies have changed in so many ways in the last few years. One of the biggest differences between the films made in the 90s and today is how the actors look in the role.

It’s now an expectation that the actors playing these roles actually look like superheroes. Here are some of the top actors who went through superhero transformations for the big screen.

In this post:

Top Actors Who Went Through Superhero Transformations

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman played Wolverine in the X-Men films for over a decade and continued to get in even better shape with each installment. Hugh Jackman credits the change in his diet for allowing himself to bulk up the way he did to play one of the most iconic X-Men characters.

Chris Hemsworth

Before taking on the role of Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Hemsworth was a relatively unknown actor who starred in an Australian soap opera called Summer Bay. Once he became Thor, Chris Hemsworth hasn’t looked back on his fitness journey since—he has even started his own fitness app called Centr.

Christian Bale

Academy Award winner Christian Bale is well known for undergoing massive transformations for his movie roles. One of his most famous is getting bulked up for The Dark Knight Trilogy to play Batman. For Batman Begins, Christian Bale added 100 pounds, which ended up being too much muscle for the batsuit, and he subsequently had to lose 20 pounds.

Ben Affleck

Christian Bale isn’t the only Batman actor who bulked up to play the iconic role. While Ben Affleck already stands tall at 6’4”, the actor managed to bulk up for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The physique Ben Affleck achieved for the Zack Snyder film brought The Dark Knight Returns version of Batman to life.

Henry Cavill

There have also been many actors who have portrayed Superman over the years, but none match his appearance more than Henry Cavill. The British actor trained non-stop for Man of Steel to make himself look like the most powerful superhero of all time.

Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd entered the superhero world with Ant-Man. Paul Rudd might be known as the man who never seems to age, but for Ant-Man, he got in the best shape of his life at 40-years old. He achieved this by doing cardio, lifting weights, and following a strict diet.

Chris Pratt

Chris Pratt was best known for playing Andy in Parks and Recreation before taking on the role of Peter Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy. However, to play Peter Quill, he had to get to look like a superhero. Chris Pratt lost a massive amount of weight over eight months by training and improving his diet.

Kumail Nanjiani

Kumail Nanjiani is another top actor who went through a superhero transformation very recently for The Eternals. Kumail Nanjiani showed off his impressive physique on Instagram as filming was coming to an end on Eternals—and everyone went crazy. Kumail Nanjiani will play Kingo Sunen in Eternals, which comes out later in 2020.

Comixology Unlimited

Comixology Unlimited gives you access to borrow from a large selection of comics, graphic novels, and manga without due dates. According to pcmag.com, “if you’re into comic books but you don’t want to deal with stacks of back issues or the hassle of going to your local comic shop, Amazon’s Comixology is the way to go.”

If you're interested in more character profiles, check out How to Host a James Bond-Themed Party.