What Superhero Stunt Doubles Really Look Like

Unlike our favorite comic book characters, the origin stories of silver screen superheroes often involve more steamed chicken breasts and HGH than kryptonite and dead parents. But while the actors get paid to look the part, it's the stunt doubles who take the hits, the falls, and the rubber bullets, all without any of the glory. Let's go behind the scenes to highlight some of these brave performers who toil in the shadows to bring the Earth's mightiest heroes to life.

Ingrid Kleinig has taken the long road to the top of her profession. Despite possessing movie star looks, this badass babe knew she was born to chase the thrills. In fact, she told The White Space that her brother used to take her on motocross jumps when she was still just a baby. That led to a long journey through some of the more forgettable Hollywood projects of the last ten years, including shows like Cops LAC, Panic at Rock Island, and Sea Patrol, before Kleinig broke into the big-time with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Still, if she has had one defining part, it's her work as Margot Robbie's stunt double on Suicide Squad. Robbie is a classically trained dancer and comfortable with her body, and the two became friends while tag-teaming the stunts for Harley Quinn. They even held a long-running contest, under the supervision of free-diving instructor Kirk Krack, to see who could hold their breath the longest underwater. In the end they both topped five minutes and bested all comers from the crew who tried to take them out.

Some actors have a new stunt double on every set, while others find someone who works and then keep the relationship going for years. For Michael Douglas, his collaboration with his double, Mike Runyard, dates back 28 years. A professional motorcycle racer, Runyard got into stunt work in the late '70s. He first worked with Douglas on Black Rain, and the two clicked. They quickly became golfing buddies and close friends, and have worked on countless movies over the years, including Falling Down and Basic Instinct. In fact, Runyard actually beat Douglas to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having worked on the first Iron Man movie. When it came time for Douglas to bring the first Ant-Man, Hank Pym, to life, he knew exactly who he wanted backing him up.

Since 2011, Alex Armbruster has become one of the most in-demand movie stuntmen, appearing in dozens of films and television series, including the RoboCop remake, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Nikita, and many more. He's pictured above (right) alongside Jay Hernandez, who Armbruster stunt-doubled for as El Diablo in 2016's Suicide Squad. This Canadian stunt expert is also an extreme sports enthusiast, spending his spare time performing live rollerblade and BMX biking shows around the globe and jumping out of planes for fun.

Armbruster revealed in a January 2017 interview that it was actually the Disney Original Movie Brink! that got him interested as a youngster in inline skating and, subsequently, stunt performing. If you head to the movies anytime in 2017, you'll probably see his work; Armbruster is slated to appear in over a dozen stunt roles this year, including xXx: Return of Xander Cage, American Gods, and Saw: Legacy.

Growing up in the '70s and '80s in the English market town of Huddersfield, Buster Reeves cut his teeth on 1980s action movies, idolizing martial arts stars like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. That interest would grow into a passion as Reeves started studying karate at age 11 and earned a Guinness World Record when he was only 13, for "most kicks done at head height in a minute," which he broke with an amazing 218 kicks. He still holds that record today after beating his previous record with 256.

Reeves started his stunt career in the late '90s, and has since picked up a number of high-profile gigs: he trained Brad Pitt how to use a sword while serving as his double on the set of 2004's Troy, and worked as the stunt coordinator on the set of Game of Thrones during its first season. He also served as Tom Hardy's stunt double for the part of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (he's pictured on the left), and his career has continued unabated in Warcraft, Jason Bourne, and the 2017 releases CHIPS and American Assassin.

Born in 1958, Tracey Eddon has come a long way from her childhood in Harrow, England. Since the 1970s, she's worked as a stunt double and performer in some of our most beloved movies, helping make cinematic history from Return of the Jedi to Labyrinth, and Mission: Impossible to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. In 1984, Eddon showed off her super-powered stunt abilities when she served as the stunt double for Helen Slater in Supergirl. You can see her on the left alongside her superhero twin. Despite being nearly 60 years old, Eddon is still going strong today; some of her most recent stunt work can be seen in the 2016 Marvel blockbuster Doctor Strange.

Since 2003, Aaron Toney has proven himself to be one of the most versatile stuntmen in the business. He's been a stunt double for Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker, Chiwetel Ejiofor and many more of Hollywood's top stars—and just like Tony McFarr with Chris Pratt, it seems Toney has carved out a niche serving as a double to one actor in particular: Anthony Mackie. Toney's first stint as a stunt double for Mackie came in 2012 for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, and the two have worked together ever since.

Toney was Mackie's double for the role of Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and reprised his job in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, and Captain America: Civil War. But flying high as Falcon isn't Toney's only superhero skill. You can also spot him doing stunts as Black Panther in Civil War, and he was both a fight coordinator and stunt double for the Blue Ranger in 2017's Power Rangers.

Scott Leva got his start as a champion gymnast before making the transition to stunt work in the early 1980s. Since then, this prolific stuntman has been in over 200 productions as a stunt double, stunt rigger, or stunt coordinator. You can see him here alongside Dean Cain, whom Scott doubled for in the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. His stint as the Man of Steel wouldn't be his only time portraying a superhero, however. Leva's also been the stunt double for The Toxic Avenger as well as the Red Ranger on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV series.

In an interesting "might-have-been" scenario, Leva was also tapped in 1987 to be the actor to play both Peter Parker and Spider-Man for a proposed Spider-Man film in development by Cannon Films. Leva was even used on promotional photos and a photo cover by Marvel for the ongoing comic series. Alas, it was not meant to be. The project fell into development hell until the late '90s, and by the time Sam Raimi made the movie in 2002, Tobey Maguire had stepped into the role.

With a name like Sam Hargrave, it's a wonder this stunt double isn't a comic book character himself. But he doesn't have an alter-ego, let alone much of a real-life ego. Hargrave told CBS News, "I exist because I am expendable. In all honesty, it's because if I get hurt, I can be replaced." While Hargrave's modesty is refreshing, this stunt team superstar is far from expendable. When he isn't acting as the man behind Captain America's mask, he's also serving as Marvel's resident stunt coordinator and choreographer, designing some of the most memorable blowouts from Captain America: The Winter Solider, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War. Chances are if one of your favorite Marvel superheroes takes a knuckle to the face, Hargrave is responsible for it on some level.

In the Moneymaker family, stunts must run in the blood. Meet Renae, Heidi Moneymaker's younger sister. After some words of encouragement from big sis, Renae auditioned as a stunt double for the show Make it or Break It. She got the part, which opened the door to a stunt career of her very own. Renae ended up joining the legendary 87 Eleven stunt team thanks to her sister's recommendation, and she soon began piling up gigs in hits like John Wick and The Wolverine. But it was while doubling for Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games that Renae found her superstar doppelganger, and she's been working with the Oscar-winner ever since.

When Jeannie Epper broke through the glass ceiling, she really broke through a glass ceiling. Back in the 1970s, she was one of the few female stunt doubles regularly working in the field, most famously as Lynda Carter's double on Wonder Woman. Leaping over tall buildings, dodging crashing cars, and fighting off leering men, Epper spent the better part of a decade putting the "Wonder" in Wonder Woman, and all for just $250 a day. She's gone on to have a long and varied career, most recently appearing alongside Reese Witherspoon and Sofía Vergara in 2015's Hot Pursuit at 74 years young. And, as she told CBS News, she's still looking for a good gig, saying, "I know it's not just for the money. I mean, we do make good money, but I love it. It's where I'm the most alive."

As a child growing up in Berkeley, California, Kelly Richardson spent her time competing in gymnastics and performing in theater and dance. Later, Richardson immersed herself in travel and sports, working as a Divemaster on scuba boats, and as a ski/snowboard instructor, before joining a circus in Brazil as an aerialist and acrobat. In 2012, with the support of a Fulbright scholarship, she wrote and directed Without a Net, a documentary about Brazilian youth who train at the circus to get out of the cycle of drugs and crime, which won several awards at U.S. film festivals. Following the release of her film, Richardson moved back to California to pursue a career as a stunt performer, and has since compiled a considerable stunt and acting résumé. Most recently, Richardson appeared as the stunt double for Karen Gillan as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.