See Sacha Baron Cohen's shredded physique as actor transforms into Marvel's Mephisto: 'This is not AI'
Sacha Baron Cohen has gone through some changes and he's ready to share the results with the world.
Ahead of his buzzy role as Marvel's newest supervillain, Mephisto, the 52-year-old actor has undergone a dramatic transformation. Debuting his new muscles on the cover of Men's Fitness U.K., Baron Cohen proves that he is taking his menacing new job very seriously.
"This is not AI," Cohen wrote on Instagram Stories, alongside a photo of the cover. "I really am egotistical enough to do this."
Coming a long way from his days as the slim and hairy Borat, Cohen's routine involved consistent training and a high fiber and protein diet… among other things.
In a subsequent post, Cohen wrote, "Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, others use personal trainers. I did all three."
Cohen even alluded to the fact that he finalized his divorce from longtime partner Isla Fisher back in June, captioning another buff photo, "Hard launching my mid-life crisis."
The actor went on to thank personal trainer Alfonso "The Angry Trainer" Moretti "for doing the unthinkable — putting up with me for 25 mins a day."
Over on his own Instagram page, Moretti shared several photos of the now-ripped Cohen, writing that he "could not be more proud" of the actor's work with him.
Meanwhile, Cohen doubled down on his newfound dedication to physical fitness for the magazine's cover story. "I now believe that just 20 to 30 minutes of movement a day can make a real difference," he told the outlet. "And it's something anyone can fit into their routine, especially celebrities with personal assistants to do all the boring stuff like shopping and attending friends' funerals."Baron Cohen made his Mephisto debut in the season finale of Ironheart, marking the first appearance of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after years of speculation from fans. Ironheart creator Chinaka Hodge told Entertainment Weekly that the appearance of the devilish comic book character was not hers alone.
"I was empowered by Marvel to make that decision," she said. "I don't know what will happen next with the character or with Sacha in the MCU. But as a fan, I'm really hoping to see him make lots of appearances."
Created by Stan Lee and John Buscema in 1968, Mephisto is a magic-manipulating demonic entity who acquires souls by making pacts with mortals. He's been a major villain throughout the Marvel comics universe, often battling heroes like Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Viewers have been speculating about his MCU debut ever since WandaVision but despite the many, many theories, MCU boss Kevin Feige insists Mephisto's introduction was always going to come much later in the game.
"He was never part of WandaVision. We've talked about that," Feige told CBR during a recent roundtable. "But the enthusiasm with which he was theorized on that certainly was cool, and was fun to watch."
He continued, "He's another character that, pre-MCU, it would have been, 'How do you [do Mephisto]? He's the devil, how do you do that character?' But he's a formative character! He was a big part of Thanos's storyline in the comics. So again, now that he's here, the potential is- the plan is clear, theoretically, to use more of him."
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