# So why are the male leads of Marvel movies such studs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915 "2014-08-06T02:29:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/1 "2014-08-06T02:29:54Z")
I was going to be a bit more graphic in the thread title but managed to restrain myself. Seriously though, does woman know who acted as Superman in the last movie? Or Batman? But it seems all the attention from the ladies I see online are directed at Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Loki (wow that guy gets all the ovaries jumping), Iron man (Tony Stark)… well, no Mike Ruffalo, nobody like ragey nerds. Also not so much Captain America (Chris Evans) which kind of surprises me. But now with GOTG, Chris Pratt seems to be headlining all the time for grievous ovarian assault, and apparently 40% of the moviegoers for GOTG were female. Now, I don’t know if that’s a good number, but it seems pretty good for what really is a sci-fi comic book movie. Is it just me? ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/2 "2014-08-06T02:36:37Z")
Because that’s how they are portrayed in the comics? FTR, I just watched the latest Captain America movie and holy crap Chris Evans has been living at the gym! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/3 "2014-08-06T02:41:44Z")
Mark Ruffalo can get it. And so can Chris Pratt. And Chris Evans. And Tom Hiddleston. And all the rest of them. _drool_ ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/4 "2014-08-06T02:52:16Z")
Well sure, but I don’t see any fangirling going on about Superman or Batman, or Green Lantern… or Spiderman, or Cyclops (well maybe Wolverine a little bit, but nothing near Robert Downey Jr levels) or any of the other superhero genre, but Marvel seems to be churning out the studs. Am I wrong? Even the office ladies, whom I never expected to be interested in superheroes, are fangirling over Thor. What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![danhanegan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb9ed0/32.png) [@danhanegan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danhanegan)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/5 "2014-08-06T03:05:36Z")
Chris Helmsworth’s Thor is a classic unobtainable fantasy, a hot bad boy who gets turned good through the influence of a woman. Women love thinking men will change to please them. The fact Helmsworth is a mass of cut muscles and flowing blonde hair doesn’t hurt, but is secondary. [ducks for cover] ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/6 "2014-08-06T03:11:05Z")
Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt are both tall (6’4" and 6’2" respectively), very muscular, masculine and handsome guys. They’re pretty much the male equivalent of Kate Upton. Tom Hiddleston is cleaning up the remainder by being the skinny, nerdy intellectual one that the remainder of the ladies go for. Mark Ruffalo? Don’t see it; he’s just kind of odd and to this straight male’s way of thinking, probably not too sexy to the ladies. (don’t worry; my wife and I have frequent discussions of male and female beauty; she’s convinced I’m more or less a caveman and a pig, but I have a pretty good idea of what makes women who go for masculine looking men swoon, and that is Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and to a slightly lesser extent, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill) ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/7 "2014-08-06T03:19:26Z")
Well sure, but what about Henry Cavil (Superman)? As hunky as they come, but somehow, nothing. A little bit about Christian Bale, but certainly nowhere near Tom Hiddleston, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/8 "2014-08-06T03:26:06Z")
Superman is boring as hell and Batman is just a broody asshole. Both the character and actor have to be interesting and charismatic. Non-conventional hotness is all the rage these days. And I personally do not know any fangirls who don’t think Mark Ruffalo can’t hold his own with the others. If you took a poll, I expect you would find more women interested in Loki than Thor. There’s eye-candy, and then there’s sexy, and it is not always the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/9 "2014-08-06T03:44:50Z")
> [@Mrs.Cake](#): > > Superman is boring as hell and Batman is just a broody asshole. There’s no indication that either of them really enjoys what they’re doing - Superman is all Jesus-y and Batman is, well… a broody asshole. The Marvel characters, in contrast, seem to be having at least a little bit of fun. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/10 "2014-08-06T03:55:53Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Mark Ruffalo? Don’t see it; he’s just kind of odd and to this straight male’s way of thinking, probably not too sexy to the ladies. Are you kidding me? Do you know how much Mark Ruffalo/Robert Downey Jr. Fan-made porn is on the Internet? Because I do. I know _exactly_ how much. ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/11 "2014-08-06T04:43:50Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Are you kidding me? Do you know how much Mark Ruffalo/Robert Downey Jr. Fan-made porn is on the Internet? > > Because I do. I know _exactly_ how much. Yeah, and hilariously, [Ruffalo knows about it](http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/mark-ruffalo-science-bros-avengers-robert-downey-jr.html), too, now, and think it’s awesome! [This car. I want to ride in this car!](http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/532/167/534.jpg) Also, from the “Out of the mouths of babes” division of anecdotal anthropology: I was shopping for stickers today. School is about to start, we have a Superhero Theme this year, and I decided to buy some sticker packs to hand out to the teachers during our meetings next week. My 12 year old son was with me and we found a huge pack of Marvel Superhero Stickers. Great, but because I wanted to be fair, I asked him, “Hey, look around and see if you can find the DC stickers, too” His response, “Mom, there aren’t any. Nobody cares about DC” And he’s more right than he realizes, I think. I will watch Superman, and I will watch Batman, but I don’t care about them like I seem to care about the Marvel heroes. The DC leading heroes are just not likable. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/12 "2014-08-06T04:59:31Z")
I imagine it’s the same reason they find leading ladies who have hooters from here to tomorrow. Sex sells. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/13 "2014-08-06T09:35:24Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I imagine it’s the same reason they find leading ladies who have hooters from here to tomorrow. Sex sells. I wouldn’t say that Zoe Saldana, Natalie Portman, nor Gwyneth Paltrow are particularly chesty. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/14 "2014-08-06T11:34:57Z")
Does anyone really want to see Steve Buscemi as Superman? ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/15 "2014-08-06T12:01:42Z")
> [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](#): > > Does anyone really want to see Steve Buscemi as Superman? Yep ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/16 "2014-08-06T12:16:50Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I imagine it’s the same reason they find leading ladies who have hooters from here to tomorrow. Sex sells. I was going to make the same point, though I might have phrased it differently. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/17 "2014-08-06T12:17:32Z")
> [@FaerieBeth](#): > > Yeah, and hilariously, [Ruffalo knows about it](http://www.vulture.com/2013/04/mark-ruffalo-science-bros-avengers-robert-downey-jr.html), too, now, and think it’s awesome! > > [This car. I want to ride in this car!](http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/532/167/534.jpg) Well, it’s a two-seater, so you’d have to sit on Mark’s lap. I’m thinking you’re okay with that… ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/18 "2014-08-06T12:29:52Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > I was going to make the same point, though I might have phrased it differently. I think you’re missing the point. Superman and batman are just as hunky, but they aren’t seen as sex symbols, not like how Thor and Loki (and the science bros) are. I mean, is there even Superman/Batman fan art out there? (I don’t need to see it thanks) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/19 "2014-08-06T14:29:25Z")
Marvel’s leading ladies don’t necessarily all have “huge hooters”, but they have done a very good job of casting genuinely attractive actresses. Which, really, is a lot more difficult than “actresses with huge hooters”: Those are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2014, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915/20 "2014-08-06T14:46:07Z")
I think one reason is these actors (Robert Downey Jr, Tom Hiddleston and especially Chris Hemsworth) have tremendous charisma. I saw Chris Hemsworth’s brother Liam in another movie and that guy was really bland. Good-looking, but no charm whatsoever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-are-the-male-leads-of-marvel-movies-such-studs/694915.md?page=2)