A medical expert shares his view on Marvel actors using performance-enhancing drugs.

Marvel actors have always been transparent about their diet and workouts when it comes to bulking up for their roles. However, a medical expert recently exposed that not all on-screen superheroes achieve their robust physique naturally. That means they had some sort of performance-enhancing drug to help them attain the required body shape.

Chris Evans as Captain America

Dr. Todd Schroeder, associate professor of clinical physical therapy, revealed that “fifty to seventy-five percent” of MCU stars used supplements.

Half Of Marvel Actors Use Substances To Achieve Their Supreme Bodies

In his interview via Vanity Fair, Dr. Todd Schroeder, who is also the director of the University of Southern California Clinical Exercise Research Center, made a hypothesis that about half of Marvel stars did not naturally attain their frame:

“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.”

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel

Dr. Schroeder noted that actors should always do it along with the guidance of a professional expert. More often than not, there will be side effects, and only a medical person can tell them that. It would not hurt to spend a little money to seek doctor’s help.

“There’s long-term health concerns, but short-term, there really isn’t. 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?”

Marvel actors do not usually reveal their secrets when it comes to shaping their bodies. That means there is a reasonable chance that some of them areactually taking substances to speed up their progress.

Chris Hemsworth Has Always Had A Great Physique

Dr. Todd Schroeder singled out Chris Hemsworth when talking about actors who could possibly have achieved their body the natural way. He said in the same interview with Vanity Fair:
“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.’ ”

The dominance of the superhero genre has changed how people view actors playing characters that are supposed to be strong and powerful. However, unlike Earth’s mightiest heroes, their bodies have limitations. Using performance-enhancing substances in excess can easily prove detrimental.

It’s a good thing, though, that as the genre evolves, Marvel also becomes more open to actors keeping their roles even when they are already past their prime, at least physically.