The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a habit of casting real martial artists in the franchise's abundance of feature films. To date, Marvel Studios has churned out 23 installments, and with Phase 4 gearing up to debut soon, that number will soon increase. Seeing as figures stemming from Marvel Comics are known for facing off against villains or fellow heroes, a variety of fighting styles has come into focus. Among those techniques is a heavy dose of martial arts.
Martial arts are often associated with combat traditions of East and South Asia, but many other areas around the globe have adopted their own fighting art forms. Practicing styles of martial arts are commonly connected to self-defense tactics, law enforcement, military training, competition, physical fitness, and of course, entertainment. While many different styles fall under the martial arts umbrella, some of the most popular include karate, wrestling, boxing, Wing Chun, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Various forms of martial arts also involve armed combat, which fits in with many members of the MCU.
Since the MCU relies heavily on fighting and action sequences, incorporating trained cast members was crucial. A handful of key figures in the franchise were made possible by adding trained martial artists with professional backgrounds. Several other major actors also have a history of training in multiple forms of martial arts before or after their MCU casting, even turn it into a side hustle, like Chris Hemsworth. That said, here are the most notable martial artists in the MCU thus far.
Georges St-Pierre is revered as one of the best fighters in the history of MMA. The two-time UFC champion carried a 26-2 record in the ring after growing up practicing Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and wrestling. St-Pierre started his career in 2002 and retired in 2013, taking a few years off before a grand return in 2017. During that time away, he got into acting, portraying Georges Batroc, a.k.a. Batroc the Leaper in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The character notably served as a mercenary that held a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship hostage before facing off with Steve Rogers. St-Pierre is set to reprise his role as Batroc in Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which is set to debut in March 2021. Other than that, the retired MMA fighter has appeared in Kickboxer: Vengeance and Cartels.
Dave Bautista has emerged as a fan-favorite in the MCU for his portrayal of Drax the Destroyer since 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. Before that, however, Bautista was a famous professional wrestler. His wrestling career started in 1999, and by 2010, Bautista was awarded the WWE Championship on two occasions. Though he came out of retirement twice, Bautista switched his focus to MMA, becoming a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. By then, Bautista already had a few acting credits to his name with appearances in Chuck, House of the Rising Sun, and Riddick. Playing Drax turned out to be a gamechanger for the former wrestler, considering he's appeared in three other MCU installments to date and his career has taken off since. His performance and physical attributes opened up many other acting opportunities with notable roles in Blade Runner 2049, Hotel Artemis, Stuber, and My Spy. Before returning to the MCU, Bautista will be seen in Dune and Army of the Dead.
Shad Gaspard was best known for his professional wrestling career, which started in 2003. As part of the tag team Cryme Tyme, Gaspard was promoted to the WWE's main roster, before bouncing in and out of the entertainment company. When his WWE career came to an end, Gaspard dove into acting. Aside from appearing in TV shows like Big Time Rush, Key & Peele, and From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, Gaspard had roles in films like Get Hard, Bolden, and Birds of Prey. He also had an uncredited role in 2018's Black Panther since he performed the stunts for Winston Duke's character, M'Baku. Aside from wrestling, Gaspard had extensive training in Judo, Jeet Kune Do, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. Sadly, Gaspard died at the age of 39 after a drowning accident in May 2020.
When plans for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was announced by Marvel Studios, the titular part understandably became a highly coveted role. Canadian actor Simu Liu won the gig and considering his background in martial arts, he already seems like the perfect fit. While Simu Liu has starred in Kim's Convenience with other appearances in shows like Orphan Black, The Expanse, and Fresh Off the Boat, he also has extensive stunt work. Liu worked as a stunt double on Heroes Reborn based on his background in Taekwondo, Wing Chun, and gymnastics. Considering Shang-Chi is a skilled martial artist in Marvel Comics, it was imperative to cast an actor who fits the bill. Shang-Chi, who is also referred to as the "Master of Kung Fu," marks the first MCU installment with an Asian lead.
Simu Liu isn't the only skilled martial artist set to be featured in Shang-Chi. Romanian boxer Florian "Big Nasty" Munteanu has been tapped for the forthcoming MCU installment in a villainous role. Munteanu grew up in Germany before becoming a professional heavyweight boxer and a fitness model. Due to his enormous physique and boxing experience, Munteanu was cast as Ivan Drogo's son, Viktor, in 2018's Creed II. In Shang-Chi, the 30-year-old will portray Razor Fist, a Marvel supervillain who has extensive training in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts. More notably is the fact that the villain's hands were surgically replaced with sharpened blades, hence the name.
Robert Downey Jr.: The actor who launched the MCU with 2008's Iron Man has extensive martial arts training. As part of his sobriety, Downey took up Wing Chun, and he continues practicing the Kung Fu form for recent movie roles.
Scarlett Johansson: As a skilled spy and expert in hand-to-hand combat, Scarlett Johansson turned to martial arts to train for the role of Black Widow. The actress took up boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, and wrestling to prepare for the physical part.
Clark Gregg: Before starring in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Gregg made his MCU as Phil Coulson in Iron Man. The actor, who has appeared in four other installments, is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Chris Hemsworth: The Thor actor has put a lot of effort into his fitness regime. Aside from traditional weightlifting and cross-training, Hemsworth has been known to dabble in martial arts, particularly Muay Thai.
Jeremy Renner: The actor has been working on-screen since the mid-'90s, but to prepare for major franchise roles like Hawkeye in the MCU, Renner took up different forms of martial arts. Aside from Arnis (Filipino martial arts), Renner practices Muay Thai.
Chris Evans: As one of the MCU's most featured heroes, Evans took his training for Captain America very seriously. He trained in parkour, Jiu-Jitsu, karate, and boxing to learn fighting techniques for the role.
Chris Pratt: To gear up for the role of Star-Lord in the MCU, Pratt turned to a strict diet and a new workout plan. His workouts focused on martial arts, specifically boxing, Muy Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and wrestling.
Chadwick Boseman: The beloved Black Panther actor recently passed away from colon cancer, but during his brave fight, he continued extensively training for his on-screen roles. The different forms of martial arts he trained in capoeira, karate, Kung Fu, and Jiu-Jitsu.
Tom Holland: Seeing as the portrayal of Spider-Man requires stunt-heaving work, Holland greatly increased his workout routine. After turning to martial arts, the young actor enjoyed boxing, in particular.
Christian Bale: The acclaimed actor will make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder as Gorr the God Butcher. Bale, who previously played Batman, actively trains in Wing Chun to prepare for physical roles.
Scott Adkins: Well known for playing Yuri Boyka in the Undisputed series, Adkins has been the star of many other popular martial arts films, such as Triple Threat and the Ninja movies, and played the strong zealot Lucian in Doctor Strange. Adkins has an extensive background in a wide range of different martial arts, including Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Judo, and Wushu.
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