At 53 years old, Sacha Baron Cohen has managed the improbable: becoming a mid-life thirst trap. Gone is the Borat mankini played for laughs. In its place? A shredded, glistening physique now plastered across the cover of Men’s Fitness UK. The transformation comes on the heels of his brief but memorable turn as the Marvel supervillain Mephisto, a character who may or may not appear for more than a few seconds in the upcoming series Ironheart.
The actor, best known for outrageous comedic personas like Ali G and Brüno, has been jokingly calling the transformation his “mid-life crisis,” crediting it to the trifecta of modern reinvention: Ozempic, a private chef, and 25-minute workouts guided by celebrity trainer Alfonso “The Angry Trainer” Moretti. Cohen even made a point of telling fans that the photos weren’t generated by artificial intelligence, but rather by vanity—and maybe, just maybe, a little midlife madness. “Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs… I did all three,” he posted. And while the abs might seem to come out of nowhere, the Marvel brass reportedly liked his new look so much they scrapped plans to add prosthetic muscles. Real ones, it turns out, were ready for their close-up.
Or were they? Ironically, despite the hard-earned gains, Cohen’s Mephisto only appears in one episode, and even then fully clothed. No shirtless scenes, no dramatic reveals—just a few ominous lines delivered in a T-shirt and blazer. It’s the sort of anticlimax that makes you wonder if Marvel hired him for the biceps or the Instagram buzz.
Still, the glow-up hasn’t gone unnoticed. Fans were stunned by his transformation, many assuming the image was digitally altered or AI-enhanced. Others saw something deeper: a comedic actor quietly pivoting into a darker, more enigmatic space. Post-divorce, with fewer prankster headlines and more attention on acting craft, Cohen’s new image may be a signal of creative reinvention—not just physical.
Industry observers have already drawn comparisons to other comic actors who underwent superhero-style body makeovers. Chris Pratt parlayed his Parks and Rec weight loss into blockbuster stardom. Kumail Nanjiani’s transformation for Eternals became the meme fodder of a thousand thinkpieces but never quite matched the onscreen impact. Now, Cohen steps into that lineage—with better abs and far more sarcasm.
Whether Mephisto becomes a lasting fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or a blink-and-miss cameo, Cohen’s body will live on as a post-divorce glow-up for the ages. The transformation was real. The role? Less so. But as far as reinventions go, it’s hard to argue with the results—especially when the results come with a six-pack and a punchline.
