New Marvel star Kumail Nanjiani unveils Etern-abs and the internet goes interstellar

All new Marvel movie stars with a comedic background are apparently required, by law, to get shredded like carne asada. Even if that funny, charming character never needs his muscles — Star Lord, Ant-Man, etc. — the very act of being on screen in the MCU means that it’s time to pack on the muscle. Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson got so strong that she went on her press tour talking about pushing entire vehicles. The Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani has a decidedly different tactic to show off his transformation: internet-destroying thirst pictures.

Nanjiani, the Oscar-nominated comedian/podcaster/writer who will star as Kingo in director Chloé Zhao’s upcoming MCU film, took ownership over getting a superhero’s physique — even if his comic character typically fights underneath a samurai’s traditional garb. That said, even if Kingo is being tweaked to fit Nanjiani (moving the character away from his Japanese heritage), he could still have used his powers to become an action movie star as in the source material. That increased chance for shirtlessness would explain Nanjiani’s impressive transformation that has set the internet aflame.

Take a look:

The actor was clear in his Instagram post that this near-supernatural transformation was thanks to the trainers and nutritionists employed by Marvel, but it still had some genre fans speculating about what kind of cosmic powers were truly at play:

Nanjiani stars alongside Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Gemma Chan, Barry Keoghan, and Kit Harington in the upcoming Phase 4 film scripted by Matthew K. and Ryan Firpo.

The Eternals releases Nanjiani’s abs upon the public on Nov. 6, 2020.