Over the last two decades, audiences have grown accustomed to watching blockbuster films starring men so sculpted that Michelangelo himself would struggle to capture their majesty.
Show business has a long history of muscle-bound idols, but the rise of the superhero genre – where actors routinely appear as something more than human – prompted an escalation that seems to have swept across the western world.
It would be reductive to declare the 'gym bro' a product of cinema alone, but we shouldn't underestimate how influential some of our most widely watched entertainment can be.
Is it possible that the reveal of a transformed Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in Captain America: The First Avenger was actually a tiny domino, eventually leading us to the viral appeal of raw meat-guzzling influencer The Liver King? Erm, I don't know.
But one thing is clear: the superhero body is now highly desired by men around the world, despite big questions looming over its practicalities, health benefits and sustainability.
With comic book adaptations losing fans faster than an Infinity Gauntleted snap, perhaps its time that the archetypal male protagonist comes back to Earth – and shows audiences that there is more than one way to live well.
After all, the current crop of leading men are arguably doing the opposite.
Let's recap: Channing Tatum has described his Magic Mike physique as "not natural... not even healthy", Benedict Cumberbatch said his Doctor Strange diet was "horrific" and "grossly wasteful," while Henry Cavill recalled a "miserable" induced dehydration for The Witcher's shirtless scenes.
These comments represent an all too, often ignored side of blockbuster cinema's relentless flow of pecs, abs and biceps, which are a "full-time job" for A-list actors – in the words of This Morning's resident GP, Dr Zoe Williams.
"I think the dangers are when people see that and believe that it's achievable," she told RadioTimes.com. "That they can do it without the support of doctors; without all the correct supplements being provided for them; without the dieticians, nutritionists [and] exercise experts being involved."
And even with such an elaborate support network, actors aren't without "risk" of complications. Both Cavill and Hugh Jackman warned fans not to try dehydration regimens at home as the torturous practice can cause dizziness, kidney damage and heat stroke, among other side effects.
"They're choosing to [take that risk] for the cause," acknowledges Williams; a cause that encompasses not just the crowd-pleasing artwork itself, but also the several millions of dollars often paid out for these performances.
Any admirers taking such extreme measures in order to resemble some kind of mythological being are taking on all of that jeopardy, with none of the reward – and the age of entry seems to be getting younger by the day.
Both BBC News and Men's Health have reported boys getting into bulking and bodybuilding from the age of just 13.
In the former investigation, an 18-year-old interviewee spoke of his "ancestral... primal" diet involving raw steak and raw milk, popularised by influencers such as the self-proclaimed Liver King (also known as Brian Michael Johnson).
However risky Hollywood's professional body sculpting might be, social media is comparably a wild west of unqualified advice and theories, that have taken the baton from Marvel's godlike hunks and scarpered into a warped alternate universe.
"We know that when young people are looking for information as to how to achieve a certain physique, the first place they actually go to is TikTok, social media, maybe YouTube videos, etc.," explained Dr Williams.
"And the people educating them are not likely to be healthcare professionals or even fitness professionals, but just other people who have maybe succeeded in achieving a certain physique in a way that works for them.
"But we're all different... what works for one person won't work for another; what's safe for one person, won't be safe for another."
The risk of illness from bacteria and parasites in raw meat and unpasteurised milk is well-documented, while the health benefits are debatable at best.
Notably, Johnson's gains were revealed to be the result of steroids, as opposed to the staggering amount of uncooked organs he consumed; he later conceded that he was "wrong" about the diet that he once championed (see Netflix's Untold: The Liver King, if you have a strong stomach).
Of course, that hasn't stopped a growing number of young men from pursuing a similar "carnivore" lifestyle, spurred on by Johnson and creators of his ilk – including those from the so-called 'manosphere' addressed by recent miniseries Adolescence.
The powerful show focused primarily on the rampant misogyny found in this online subculture and its misguided ideas around masculinity, which encroach upon an ongoing culture war over our wider eating habits.
Scientists and environmentalists have long called for reducing our consumption of meat and animal products, due to their sizeable impact on climate change; in total, food systems produce one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
This has been misconstrued by influential 'alpha male' voices as an attack on men, including those pushing to attain a superhero body by adopting what nutritionist Federica Amati describes as "unnecessarily high protein targets" (via The Guardian).
Not all gym diets are certifiably prehistoric (bull and goat eyeballs for breakfast, anyone?), but many rely heavily on chicken, eggs, dairy and processed meat at a time when our planet is crying out for a meaningful shift towards greener diets.
In particular, the effects of chicken farming seem to go underestimated; although they do create less carbon per unit than cows or lambs, the ever-increasing number of chickens being reared poses other problems, including massive antibiotic use and deforestation in the production of animal feed.
Encouragingly, recent polling by Savanta suggests that two-thirds of Brits are willing to reduce the amount of meat in their diet – and sportsmen like Lewis Hamilton prove that this doesn't have to be at the expense of fitness – but retaliation from manosphere voices, shock jocks in traditional media and inflammatory politicians feels inevitable.
That last point is especially worrying, as Clare Oxborrow, food campaigner at Friends of the Earth, highlights that individual citizens attempting to take "ownership" over their dietary habits shouldn't be left to do so "on their own".
"A lot of the impacts from the way people eat – whether on [personal] health or the planet – will, in large part, be dictated by the food environment that they're living in," she said. "And obviously, food companies are particularly responsible for creating that environment, but also governments for failing to regulate them properly."
Amid this heated dinner plate discourse and obsessive body awareness, the ostensibly environmentalist entertainment industry could help de-escalate by presenting realistic, yet still admirably fit, role models for today's young men – as opposed to cartoonishly jacked towers of muscle.
The prominence of such figures, across pop culture and social media, are surely a contributing factor to the sharp rise in body dysmorphia among men, which has driven some to steroid usage in pursuit of a demigod build.
"I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with wanting to look good and wanting to look strong," said Dr Williams. "But if it's got to a point where you feel that it's consuming your thoughts – you're worrying about how you look, you're worrying about how other people feel you look – these are all signs that it may have pushed beyond the boundary of being healthy.
"One of the key things here is that a healthy body and an aesthetic body are not the same thing. There's this belief we've been fed that a 'six pack' equals health and it doesn't, actually."
She explained: "There are huge benefits to having a certain amount of muscle and strength in your body – I can't deny that. But having a body fat percentage that's low enough, so that you can actually see your abdominis rectus muscles showing, doesn't actually have any health benefits."
Nor was it taken for granted in decades' past; looking back to the action men of the '80s and '90s, there was more diversity in build sizes than there is today.
For every Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, who built a career on their imposing physiques, there was a Harrison Ford, Kurt Russell or Bruce Willis; every bit as masculine and aspirational, but in a far more reasonable package.
A return to action heroes with genuinely attainable bodies could provide reassurance to those in the grip of (or on the path towards) crippling insecurities or extreme gym habits – which brings me back to Mr Benedict Cumberbatch.
There's some value in an established Marvel icon speaking out about the wastefulness of his Doctor Strange diet, remorsefully admitting that it could "feed a family" in a conversation with Michelin star chef Ruth Rogers.
But it leaves us with questions. Chiefly, why do it then?
Is Cumberbatch not established enough in the role – after five blockbuster films released across almost a decade – to hold some negotiating power over his own body? Isn't Doctor Strange usually kitted out in thick full-body robes anyway?
Would the Sorcerer Supreme's sparkly little spells be deemed simply too far-fetched if he was as slender as past screen magicians, like Colin Morgan's Merlin or Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter?
In so many cases, the entertainment industry, and particularly Hollywood, wants to have its cake (or in this case, its high-protein meat stick) and eat it too.
Banning single-use plastics on set or installing a green energy generator are valid steps in lessening the impact that production has on our planet, but sustainability bosses can't keep looking away from the engorged diets of their stars.
The intense focus on this very particular physique feeds into an atmosphere that tells young men they need to keep getting bigger; or that they are, in some way, lesser for not being able to reach the same extraordinary size.
Also, as long as the superhero body is held up as the apex of male accomplishment, it will be harder to defuse unhelpful notions that (meat-derived) protein is inherently tied to manliness, thus making the transition to greener diets more painful than it need be.
So, as it prepares to pump out another Avatar film with, presumably, the same misty-eyed message about protecting the natural world, perhaps the industry could put some more thought into areas where its own practices have something to answer for.
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