Though it looks effortlessly seamless on the big screen, the fantastic world of Marvel is the result of the hard work of hundreds, if not thousands of people. We never get to see how the films are made, though—all we see is the stunning end result. But that is finally about to change! Ready to see what the MCU looks like from the eyes of those who created it? No movie ticket is needed!
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Fat Thor's appearance in Avengers: Endgame is undoubtedly one of the most shocking aspects of the film, and while Chris Hemsworth was more than thrilled to take on this new form as the Marvel hero, the actor admitted that the shift wasn't easy for him. Although Hemsworth didn't have to gain weight for the role of Fat Thor, as revealed in Endgame's behind-the-scenes photos, he did have to wear a heavy fat suit to accomplish the look.
When it came to filming, the actor shared the fat suit weighed between 60 and 70 pounds — and that was before he put on the layers of gear that his hero wore, including his battle armor.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
In 2004, while working on the teen comedy The Perfect Score, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans met for the first time. At the time, Johansson was 17 and Evans was 23 years old. She admits that she considers herself Evans' 'big sister.' The 37-year-old actress described their bond as "amazing" as they mostly "laugh a lot together." Honestly, we find Chris and Scarlett's friendship totally adorable.
Here, Evans and Johansson can be seen playing a pair of Game Boys together, complete with a link cable, in a set shot released by Mark Ruffalo from Avengers: Endgame.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Is Black Panther holding Rocket's cousin Missile? We all know that no real raccoon is used to film Rocket's parts in Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War, but who would have believed that they have a real-life prop that serves as a stand-in for his role throughout scenes? In all honesty, the stuffed Rocket is a little scary. Thankfully this is not the Rocket we see in the films.
Chadwick Boseman uploaded this photo with a caption, “He kept asking for a selfie.” Boseman, who passed away in 2020, really had a great sense of humor.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Seeing these actors do normal things while wearing their costumes makes us realize that they're actual people. On screen, they are larger than life. In reality, they are ordinary people just like us, in expensive costumes and lots of CGI. It is a pleasing sight to behold, especially for all of the comic book and Marvel fans out there who follow their favorite characters' every move. You can almost feel the fun, relaxed atmosphere in this candid photo.Just
Just look at the Marvel men sharing a meal together. We wish we could join them for a quick bite!
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Gwyneth Paltrow, who has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since the very first film was released in 2008, shared a behind-the-scenes photo with the cast and crew of the original Iron Man 2 to commemorate the release of Avengers: Endgame. In the photo, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, and Robert Downey Jr. pose for a selfie on the set of Avengers: Endgame while they were filming a scene from the film's introduction.
Everyone is smiling and RDJ just wanted to look cool and sexy as always. He really does look like a real-life Tony Stark.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Zoe Saldana shared a video of herself in her Gamora outfit applying green lipstick. The video quickly went viral and even became a meme. But when she shared this cute picture, fans couldn't get more excited. The casting/prosthetic work on the two actresses is so perfect, that they literally look like the same person, years apart. Fans must have been so curious to see what this tiny Gamora had up her sleeve in the film.
Gamora's feet look surprisingly massive, though. Or at least tiny Gamora's ones do. So one could say that young Gamora had some big shoes to fill.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Here's the man, the myth, and the legend known as Stan Lee. It won't be wrong to say that Lee is a legendary figure in the comic book industry, having invented several significant characters that are now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Thor, to mention a few. Even those unfamiliar with comic books are likely to have seen Lee previously, as he has appeared in nearly every Marvel film over the course of the franchise's history.
Since Lee was a truly magical person, it's hard to believe he's no longer with us. Look how much fun he was behind the scenes!
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
In this photo, Mark Ruffalo gave fans an exclusive first peek of his massive mo-cap Hulk swimsuit. Dr. Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Hulk, was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years, and the actor cherished every minute of it. In 2012's The Avengers, he first gained prominence as a young, inexperienced man before becoming a member of the world's first superhero A-team. He has since reprised his role in several MCU films, to the delight of fans everywhere.
Ruffalo's Hulk had his final appearance in Avengers: Endgame, where he demonstrated his ability to combine his intellect and strength to become one unthinkable superhero.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Taika Waititi is a frequent user of social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, and he is also immensely entertaining. He spends a significant amount of time trolling Marvel's actors through his many social media sites. He always finds himself in unusual situations that demonstrate exactly how distinctive he is as a filmmaker and how much he enjoys his work. Here, he shares a photo of a production member drilling a hole into Dr. Strange.
Benedict Cumberbatch's expression in this photo is priceless. Some might say it is a screwy expression. Maybe he's just seen 984 billion outcomes and the only one where he doesn't end up getting drilled.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
During the filming of Avengers: Endgame, Robert Downey Jr. hosted a special lunch for the female members of the Marvel universe. In celebration of the debut of the latest part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he shared a special Throwback Thursday post on Instagram. Everything about the photo is fantastic! First and foremost, they're all dressed in their superhero costumes, so we can easily imagine these superheroes taking a break from fighting Thanos to enjoy some food together.
Thank you, RDJ, for recognizing these accomplished ladies and for everything you have done for your co-stars, crew members, and fans over the years. We Love You 3000.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Here’s a few of our favorite Avengers having a good time on set. Seeing them have a laugh together really makes us smile, too. And did anyone else notice Chris Evan always puts his right hand on his chest when laughing and now it's like his trademark? Evans must be a blast to work with. He looks like he is always having so much fun on and off the set.
For a movie to succeed, the cast needs to develop chemistry and a healthy working environment. That is something we can clearly see in this photo.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Maybe it's just us, but we had never given any thought to how Josh Brolin really looked while portraying the intimidating Thanos in real life. It turns out that over 340 individuals worked on bringing a realistic looking Thanos into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it took them more than two years to complete most of his scenes. But, we love how he's acting normal here, despite having a giant cardboard figure hovering over him.
There’s something really funny about the dichotomy pf his suit's technological innovation and the fact that the actors working with him had to talk to a mounted cardboard cutout attached to a stick.
Wandavision (2021)
Is that you, Vision? There is a lot that goes into making superheroes look believable. Captain America is an example of a character who combines the best elements of both worlds. While some characters are created entirely by computers (like the Hulk), others are a combination of the two. In the instance of Paul Bettany's Vision, this is the case. We can see from this photo that the actor had to go through a lengthy make-up process to get in character.
Moreover, the character's face would eventually be enhanced with visual effects to make it appear more robotic than human.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
When we saw glimpses of Peter Parker's Avengers suit at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, we hoped that the Iron Spider would play a role in Avengers: Infinity War. After all, it turns out that fans weren't let down at all because this is the cool suit that Parker wears in the entire film. And boy oh boy, every aspect of the Iron Spider appeared stunning, and its numerous unique powers further added to the overall spectacle.
If we look at what things really looked like while filming, actor Tom Holland was basically a guy in a grey suit with a bunch of dots on it during the entire shoot. In comparison to Spidey's appearance on the big screen, it's not as impressive.
Guardians of The Galaxy (2014)
Most of our readers would be familiar with Sean Gunn as Ravager Kraglin, Yondu's trusted right-hand man and first mate among his Ravager crew. The fact that Gunn, in addition to playing this pivotal role, also served as the on-set stand-in for Rocket Raccoon is something that a lot of people are unfamiliar with. He is the brother of James Gunn (the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films).
Even though he doesn't get much screen time in the billion-dollar Marvel films in which the character has appeared, Gunn played a truly crucial part on set.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Several members of the Marvel ensemble stated that Dave Bautista's Avengers costume is one of the worst they have ever seen. For the most part, this is because it takes almost 3 hours to apply every single day, and after they are finished filming, he has to go into a sauna and have his body scrubbed down to remove all of the makeup. Even just thinking about it makes us feel exhausted.
With all that hard work taken into account, Bautista seems like one of those genuinely nice guys. Just look at him!
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
We've seen the Hulk rip through the screen countless times previously in numerous Marvel Cinematic Universe films. However, it is difficult to determine his actual size in relation to Bruce Banner. In this behind-the-scenes photo, we can see actor Mark Ruffalo posing with prop Hulk hands for a hilarious photo opportunity. These hands are frequently used as reference throughout the films to ensure that the people and items with which the Hulk interacts are of the proper scale.
However, this does not change the fact that whenever the Hulk appears on-screen, whether roaring or being battered by Thanos, it is still Mark Ruffalo on the other side of the screen.
Black Panther (2018)
Out of all of the Marvel films, Black Panther is actually one of the most successful and influential. With so much respect for the black community, Black Panther stands out as a truly exceptional film in every way. When it came time to apply the scars to actor Michael B. Jordan, the artists had to get up at three in the morning and makeup artists had to press sheet molds onto Michael's skin before peeling them away, leaving the marks. Then it was a matter of blending them into the skin.
It took around three and a half hours, with an additional two hours to remove them all at the end of the day. It was clearly worthwhile, though.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Many surprises were in store for viewers in Avengers: Infinity War, including the introduction of Peter Dinklage as Eitri, the dwarf who fashioned Mjolnir and the Infinity Gauntlet. It also turns out that dwarfs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are actually ten feet tall. However, despite Eitri being a dwarf, he is depicted as a giant next to Thor. So they had to use old-school trickery to make the Game of Thrones actor 10-feet tall.
In this behind-the-scenes photo, we can see the exact procedure that was used to create Dinklage's appearance as a giant among men/gods, sentient trees, and raccoons on the big screen. Dinklage had to perform entirely on his own in front of a blue screen to maintain the illusion.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
We saw how Ebony Maw attacked Doctor Strange early in Avengers: Infinity War. While Iron Man and Spider-Man attempt to help him, his cape is taken away and the alien zips him across New York City. While it was a thrilling experience to see the action unfold, it was a very different story behind the scenes. We can tell from this photograph that Benedict Cumberbatch didn't even move during the action packed scene!
It's not like he was just lying there chilling, though. That stick doesn't look all that comfortable!
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Yes, that is a bust of Groot's head on a blue costume. While Groot is undoubtedly one of the cutest characters we've ever seen in a movie, we really regret showing our readers this image of how they made him in the first place. Unfortunately, Groot is not a legitimate talking tree; instead, he is only a man dressed in a weird purple outfit in the Marvel universe. In the sequel, Vin Diesel provided the voices for Groot and Baby Groot.
According to Entertainment Tonight, just minor changes were made to Vin Diesel's performance for the role of Baby Groot. Interestingly, Vin Diesel has been imitating cartoon characters from a young age.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy is a 2014 superhero film directed by James Gunn and co-written by Gunn and Nicole Perlman. It is based on the Marvel Comics comic book superhero team of the same name. The blockbuster superhero film, which premiered on the big screen in the United States on August 1, 2014, was an enormous success at the box office, raking in hundreds of millions of dollars in worldwide ticket sales earnings. Audiences and critics alike were enthralled by the film's success.
Based on the amazing success of the first film, Gunn followed it up with the sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which was released in theaters in 2017 and received even stronger box office results.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Chris Evans, who portrays Captain America Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, posted a throwback selfie on Twitter. He shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the film with his fans and followers. The photograph shows him about halfway through the process of completing the prosthetics for his role as the Old Steve Rogers. In the last scene of Avengers: Endgame, Steve Rogers travels back in time and spends the rest of his life with his long-time love, Peggy Carter, before reappearing in the present as an elderly man.
In an interview, he said, “It felt like graduating high school or college, you know. For the last month of filming, I was letting myself go to work every day and be a little overwhelmed and a little nostalgic and grateful. By the last day, I was bawling. I cry pretty easy, but I was definitely bawling.”
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
The late Stan Lee has made cameo appearances in all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. In certain situations, he appeared alone, while in others, the famed Marvel creator appeared alongside one of the Marvel heroes on the big screen. However, none of that can compare to the fact Stan "The Man" paid a visit to the filming location. How proud everyone must’ve felt standing next to the legend, right?
In this photograph, we find Stan Lee meeting with actors Robert Downey, Jr., Tom Holland, and Benedict Cumberbatch, who are all portraying amazing characters invented by Stan.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos' enforcers, known as the Black Order, were extremely intimidating in the film. Their individual appearances were adequately terrifying to express the idea that they could go toe-to-toe with the Avengers and to make us feel that they were capable of putting the lives of our favorite superheroes in real danger. Corvus Glaive, one of Thanos' children, appeared to be an exact replica of the character from the comics, along with his tremendously powerful spear.
During the filming, the role did not appear to be particularly intimidating. It was just a regular human that brought the character to life, instead of one of the biggest and savage aliens in the universe.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
What was going on in the set of Avengers: Infinity War? Was Robert Downey, Jr. simply having a good time, or was the film supposed to have a more mystical scenario for the technologically-inclined Tony Stark? This image shows the actor, who looks to be filming a scene within the Q-ship while wearing the Cloak of Levitation on his shoulders. Is it possible that there was a time when Tony Stark was supposed to be donning Doctor Strange's cloak in order to save him from Ebony Maw's clutches?
It certainly would have been an amazing thing to witness. After all, in a certain potential future in the Marvel comic books, an aged Tony Stark becomes the Sorcerer Supreme.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The entire cast of Avengers: Endgame is, in fact, extremely close, and it is this set of co-stars that has fans drooling over them every time they appear together on the big screen together. While we enjoy seeing everyone together on-screen, we enjoy seeing them together off-screen too. As fans continue to express their affection for the actors, the on-screen combination of Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth appears to be enjoying themselves as the best of friends who never stop having a good time.
Mark and Chris provided a behind-the-scenes photo, and in it, we can see how their hair and mustache are styled in a distinctly different way. The due donned wigs that look like they came straight out of the 1980s.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
When Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark managed to snatch the Infinity Stones from Thanos and snap his fingers, that one moment will go down in history as one of the most memorable scenes in the Marvel cinematic universe. Iron Man sacrificed his life in order to defeat the Mad Titan and preserve the universe, and he did it after coming full circle by saying, "And I am Iron Man." On his personal Instagram account, Downey Jr. released some behind-the-scenes photographs from his day on set in Atlanta, Georgia, where he shot that spectacular moment.
Downey Jr. is standing in front of a green screen with his right hand raised in the air, which subsequently had visual effects applied to show his Iron Man outfit and the Infinity Stones coming into position for his Snap shot.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
While Captain America: Civil War served as Tom Holland's introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming was his first solo outing as the web-slinging hero. It definitely set the tone and stage for what was to come next in his journey, with filmmaker Jon Watts demonstrating his interpretation of the character. Due to the fact that No Way Home is in many respects the conclusion to a journey (and, more importantly, the beginning of another), it's a good idea to revisit the relatively simple but quite fun first installment in this trilogy.
This movie is so well shot that this scene never flagged for our suspension of disbelief until now. We hope our readers have already watched Spider Man: No Way Home and fallen in love with it.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Motion capture technology has progressed tremendously over the past decade, and it has proven to be a godsend to the film business in general and the superhero film industry in particular. While Robert Downey Jr. formerly had to put on a bulky armored outfit in order to play Iron Man, he can now do so while wearing a motion capture suit that is relatively light and has the armor brought in with computer generated imagery.
Despite this, according to reports, the actor preferred to wear the upper body of the old Iron Man outfit rather than the motion capture suit because he believes it makes the actions appear more natural.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
It turns out that some characters have more than one stunt double, and some of them are downright frightening to see. For the sake of everyone working on the set, Gamora's stunt doubles are no longer required to wear these masks and are now given the same cosmetic treatment as Zoe Saldana. In order to match Saldana's assassin skills, her stunt double Lee-Anne Telford had to put a lot of time and effort into the action sequences.
She has previous experience with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron as well as Agent Carter and Doctor Strange, among other movies and television shows.
The Avengers (2012)
Why they needed a sculpted sculpture of The Incredible Hulk on the set of Avengers: Infinity War is a mystery to this day. Furthermore, it's not entirely apparent why the figure isn't wearing a pair of The Hulk's signature purple pants. We are glad someone took this photograph of Mark Ruffalo dressed as Bruce Banner shaking hands with his alter ego. Thankfully, the photo was taken from an angle that prevented us from seeing just how articulated and anatomically correct the Hulk figure would be.
Who knows someday we might get to see the Hulk in all his glory (wink-wink). But maybe that’s not what everyone wants to see.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
On Titan, Tony Stark and Thanos fought to the brink of death. One is a super-being with unimaginable strength, while the other is a man who wears a suit of armor that is so magnificent that it may make the extraterrestrial antagonist bleed. Even if Thanos managed to surprise everyone by expressing his admiration for Tony Stark, there was no love lost between the two of them at the time.
Behind the scenes, though, things were different. As evidenced by this photograph, the actors Robert Downey, Jr. and Josh Brolin appeared to be having a great time while shooting this scene. Furthermore, we learn that Thanos is not quite the colossal figure that we see on the screen.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
When Drax, Star-Lord, and Nebula tried to assist Doctor Strange in taking down Thanos, things didn't exactly go as planned for them. However, in the end, it is the effort that makes the difference. This behind-the-scenes photo was taken during the filming of that particular moment, and it demonstrates that the performers who brought these heroes to life did not require any special effects to appear as heroic as they do in this image. A basic shot like this, done on a green set, appears almost as majestic as it did in the film.
In addition to knowing how to make a grand entrance, the Guardians of the Galaxy stars are also well-versed in how to battle as ONE group.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
When we first see Tony Stark in Avengers: Infinity War, he and Pepper Potts are walking through a park together. Tony and Doctor Strange have a quiet moment together before Doctor Strange arrives and departs with Tony. Although Happy Hogan, played by Jon Favreau, can be seen in this behind-the-scenes photo, he was nowhere to be found in the final cut of the film. Maybe he wore an invisibility cloak during the scene.
So, what exactly transpired here? Was Jon Favreau's visit to his pals just a casual one, or was Happy expected to make an appearance in some capacity? This definitely makes us question if there was any more to that scene, or if the scene was omitted entirely from the film.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Approximately half of the events in Avengers: Infinity War took place far away from Earth, in deep space, or both. Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy stars spent much of their time on Titan, where they battled the Mad Titan Thanos in order to save the universe. However, the truth of the issue is that, no matter how spectacular Titan appeared, the film's team did not venture out into space to film these epic sequences in the first place.
Instead, it was shot right here on Earth, with a large number of green screens being used in the background, as shown in this photo of Chris Pratt on the set of the film.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
In this photo, Cate Blanchett did not appear to be wearing a helmet in Thor: Ragnarok, which may come as a surprise to some. Is it just us, or did it appear to be so incredibly realistic? You'd expect Hela's headpiece to be handcrafted as well, given that Loki's helmet in Thor was genuinely created. Her helmet, on the other hand, is significantly more complicated, which is probably why they chose CGI.
When asked why she chose to portray Hela in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – one of the most powerful enemies to ever menace the God of Thunder, who was capable of smashing Mjolnir with a single hand — the actress kept her response brief and to the point. Blanchett made three convincing reasons: A) It was Taika Waititi B) It was the goddess of death and C) There has never been a female villain in the Marvel universe.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Mark Ruffalo is a fascinating performer who has a lot going for him. He is a political activist and an Academy Award nominee who alternates between producing worthy theatrical works and directing big-budget blockbusters. A talented director and stage actor, his recent career has been dominated by his performance as Bruce Banner/Hulk in Marvel Studios. On his Instagram page, Ruffalo has posted a photo in which he and co-stars Tom Holland and Don Cheadle are seen making a triangle of happiness with one another.
The three actors are dressed in their motion capture costumes, and Ruffalo urged his fans to make educated assumptions about what exactly is taking place on the set. Any guesses?
Doctor Strange (2016)
With its cinematic superhero universe, Marvel Studios appears to have discovered the secret to long-term success. It is one of the many reasons that Marvel has been so successful is its willingness to take risks with its characters, and there are few superheroes who are more distinctive than Doctor Strange, who serve as the gateway to the esoteric corners of the studio's fictional universe. Doctor Strange's true power is just the power of CGI.
All of the visual effects and animation work for Marvel's Doctor Strange is done through Visual Effects. The environments, the sophisticated sets are all done through CGI.
The Avengers (2012)
Take a look at those Incredible Hulk Hands! The Hulk was one of the most memorable characters in The Avengers, and this was mostly because of the brilliant acting of Mark Ruffalo, who played both Bruce Banner and his mocapped, angry green alter-ego, the Hulk. In order to complete the mo-cap procedure, Ruffalo and his stunt doubles had to wear the suit for hours on the set.
What a mind-boggling effort it is for them to be able to transform this outrageous suit into the magnificent Hulk. Is it just us or does this outfit have a more Shrek-like appearance than the Hulk?