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Kumail Nanjiani Shows Off Marvel Body Transformation in 'Thirsty Shirtless' Pic

By Rachel McRady‍
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Kumail Nanjiani is showing off an entirely new side of himself.

The 41-year-old Big Sick funnyman went full thirst trap on Monday, posting two shirtless photos that flaunt his chiseled abs and rippling biceps. 

The shocking new look was done over the course of a year in preparation for Nanjiani's role in Marvel's Eternals, which hits theaters next November. 

"I never thought I’d be one of those people who would post a thirsty shirtless, but I’ve worked way too hard for way too long so here we are," Nanjiani captioned the photos. "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I found out a year ago I was going to be in Marvel’s Eternals and decided I wanted to transform how I looked." 

The writer and actor went on to note that he was only able to undergo this impressive transformation because he worked with "the best trainers and nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world." 

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I never thought I’d be one of those people who would post a thirsty shirtless, but I’ve worked way too hard for way too long so here we are. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. I found out a year ago I was going to be in Marvel’s Eternals and decided I wanted to transform how I looked. I would not have been able to do this if I didn’t have a full year with the best trainers and nutritionists paid for by the biggest studio in the world. I’m glad I look like this, but I also understand why I never did before. It would have been impossible without these resources and time. So big thanks to @grantrobertsfit who started working with me at the beginning of the year and made me understand true physical pain for months and months. Then, once we started shooting, a massive thanks to @davidhigginslondon and his team (@ellispartridge, @thebeardypt, @tomcheesemanfitness) for training me almost every day and making me strong, limber and injury free. I can almost touch my toes now. (And thank you for forcing me to do cheat meals David.) Matthews Street Catering for their delicious and healthy meals. And finally, the biggest thanks goes to @emilyvgordon for putting up with me complaining and talking about only working out and dieting for the last year. I promise I’ll be interesting again some day. #thirstyshirtless (Photo by @markupson.) (edit: I left off one very important person: @lancecallahan who trained me for 6 years and helped me build the foundation I could use to do this. Thank you!)

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He also thanked his trainers who "made me understand true physical pain," and concluded by thanking his wife, Emily V. Gordon, who was his Big Sick writing partner. 

"The biggest thanks goes to @emilyvgordon for putting up with me complaining and talking about only working out and dieting for the last year," he wrote. "I promise I’ll be interesting again some day. #thirstyshirtless."

For her part, Gordon seemed totally fine with the transformation, commenting on the post, "Worth it."

Nanjiani is playing Kingo in Eternals. In the comic books, Kingo has Samurai skills and hails from Japan, so presumably, Nanjiani, being of Pakistani-American descent, will have a different take on the action star. 

Other big names in the upcoming Marvel film include Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Richard Madden and Gemma Chan. 

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