The Marvel Cinematic Universe contains some of the best depictions of comic book characters ever. The height of the heroes and villains is not always as it seems though. Camera and digital trickery could have audiences believing anything, and considering there are even superheroes that now literally change their size, anything is possible.
Updated on January 21st, 2022 by Ben Hathaway: The past 9 months have been massive for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the release of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Black Widow, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Eternals, the MCU just keeps expanding. This is not even not counting shows like What If?, Loki, Hawkeye, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and WandaVision.
With all of these projects introducing new characters, the already-impressive roster of MCU actors grows larger still and fans are always comparing the performers just as the characters compare themselves to one another. So how tall is Chris Hemsworth and how does that compare to Chris Evans' height? How tall are the Avengers in general? Fans are always asking, so what are the results?
Shortest MCU Actors
Peter Dinklage (4'4")
Despite playing a fifty-foot-tall alien dwarf, Peter Dinklage is actually a little person. Standing at 4'4", Dinklage joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Infinity War much to everyone's surprise. It's a quick but memorable role as he is the one who forges Thor's now-iconic Stormbreaker ax and the Infinity Gauntlet.
This was not Dinklage's first Marvel role: he was also Bolivar Task in 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. Of course, most viewers are likely to know Dinklage by his fan-favorite role as Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones.
Salma Hayek (5'2")
Despite being known for her large presence and capacity to steal any scene she's in, Salma Hayek is not one of the tallest MCU actors; standing just under a foot shorter than Chris Hemsworth. Joining the likes of Richard Madden and Kit Harrington of Game of Thrones fame, Salma Hayek had a critical role in Eternals' narrative.
Playing Ajak was the beloved actor's first foray into the superhero world though Hayek has starred in many films with other MCU stars, such as Samuel L. Jackson, John C. Reilly, Benicio Del Toro, and more.
Natalie Portman (5'2½")
Making a much more muscled return in Thor: Love And Thunder, Natalie Portman is far from god-like height. Whenever Thor and Jane Foster are together, Chris Hemsworth is forced to lean down quite a bit when the two kiss.
Jane Foster is actually shorter than her own intern: Kat Dennings' Darcy stands almost two inches taller. If Jane Foster remains Lady Thor for future crossovers, she will be the shortest Avenger thus far. That likely won't stop her from being a more than worthy Thor.
Scarlett Johansson (5’3’’)
Black Widow changed in a lot of ways since phase one, but one thing has remained constant, she is one of the shortest superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though most likely would not notice this.
With her height coming in at just shorter than five feet and three inches; when compared to most of her co-stars, she is usually the smallest of them all. Even Elizabeth Olsen is taller than her. Thanks to some likely puzzling camera work, Natasha Romanoff looks much taller in the final products.
Tessa Thompson (5'3¾")
Tessa Thompson gained fame for starring beside another actor from the MCU: Michael B Jordan. In the Creed movies, her height is not as noticeable. However, when put beside Chris Hemsworth in Thor: Ragnarok as Valkyrie, the height difference is as clear as day.
One of Asgard's greatest warriors also happens to be one of the smallest. Tessa Thompson stands at almost a foot shorter than Chris Hemsworth but it's like they say: impressive things come in small packages.
Jacob Batalon (5'5")
Ned, Spider-Man's best friend, is almost the same height. Ned Batalon is slightly shorter than Tom Holland, at 5'5" and much shorter than Zendaya, who stands at 5'10".
But, like Holland and Zendaya, Batalon's endearing presence in the role makes him seem 10 feet tall. Spider-Man: No Way Home gave clues to an important MCU future for Ned, so his presence will not be wasted.
Lupita Nyong'o (5'5")
One of the most talented actors of her generation, Kenyan-Mexican performer Lupita Nyong'o is also one of the shorter MCU cast members.
She's only made one appearance thus far, in 2018's Black Panther, but she'll soon reprise her role as Nakia in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. At 5'5", Nyong'o is shorter than Danai Gurira (5'7"), Michael B. Jordan (6'0"), and the late Chadwick Boseman (6'0"). She does, however, share the same height with Letitia Wright, who plays Shuri.
Tom Holland (5'6")
Tom Holland, Spider-Man himself, isn't the tallest superhero. In fact, he's shorter than MJ and only matches the height of his bully, Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori, also at 5'6").
But Peter Parker's optimism is what makes him soar, proving that he doesn't have to be the tallest Avenger to be one of the most beloved. Even still, every one of his multi-timeline No Way Home villains was taller: Willem Dafoe (5'9"), Jamie Foxx (5'9"), Thomas Haden Church (5'11"), Rhys Ifans (6'2"), and Alfred Molina (6'2").
Tallest MCU Actors
Chris Pratt (6'2")
Star-Lord may seem like he's the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, but that's more of a self-bestowed title. Like another space-traveling Avenger, Peter Quill probably imagines himself as the tallest, buffest Guardian.
In real life, he's 6'2", which puts him close to the top but not on the top. However, he is taller than both Zoe Saldana at 5'7" and Bradley Cooper at 6'1", though one main Guardians of the Galaxy actor stands above them all.
Samuel L. Jackson (6'2")
Samuel L. Jackson is as tall in real life as his grandiose persona. As far as the original Avengers line-up (Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, & Fury), he's the second tallest. However, the eye-patch-wearing puppet master is almost certainly one of the taller agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Samuel L. Jackson tends to tower over his co-stars, in terms of height, but with a massive cast like in the Avengers films, he was bound to have competition for the tallest Avengers actor.
Chris Hemsworth (6'3")
Thor doesn't tower over every other Avenger like he might like to think. Exactly how tall is Chris Hemsworth? Hemsworth's height stands at 6'3".
The God of Thunder is at least taller than Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr. being 5'9" tall, a full six inches shorter than Hemsworth. Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye is also 5'9" while Chris Evans' Captain America is 6'0" and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner stands at 5'8". So, as long as Banner doesn't Hulk out, Thor is the tallest of the original Avengers lineup.
Paul Bettany (6'3½’’)
Paul Bettany, who plays Vision in the series, stands just a few centimeters taller than Chris Hemsworth. This height ends up working in Paul Bettany's favor, giving more of an otherworldly presence to Vision. His tall stature is most noticeable when he stands with co-star Elizabeth Olsen.
At 5'6", Wanda Maximoff is dwarfed by her synthetic husband. First, he began as the always loyal JARVIS, then evolved into the Vision from Age of Ultron to his death in Infinity War. Now Bettany plays the character yet in WandaVision as the tallest member of the cast.
Jeff Goldblum (6'4½")
Most famous for likable characters in films like Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum plays the Grandmaster in Thor Ragnarok. The Grandmaster happens to be the brother of another Marvel Cinematic Universe character: The Collector.
Standing at over six feet four inches, Jeff Goldblum was actually the tallest cast member of Thor Ragnarok. Goldblum is also the tallest actor in the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies so far. If the Collector and Grandmaster had ever shared the same screen, there would be almost three inches difference.
Winston Duke (6'5")
The leader of the Jabari tribe of Wakanda, M'Baku is known as the Great Gorilla of his mountains. In the comics, the character also has the codename of Man-Ape. To portray a mountain of a character, it would need a mountain of a man.
Debuting in Black Panther, Winston Duke has played M'Baku three show-stealing times; the second and third times in Infinity War and Endgame. Winston Duke stands a massive six and a half feet tall, towering over most actors in all three movies. The funniest size difference is when Winston is standing beside Martin Freeman at five feet six inches.
Lee Pace (6'5")
In The Hobbit movies, Lee Pace played Thranduil the Woodland Elf King. Unlike Orlando Bloom and Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace was not given digital/cinematography enhancement to appear so tall. This likely played a part in him being cast as the Kree terrorist known as Ronan The Accuser.
One might be surprised that Ronan was actually taller than most of the Avengers and nearly all the Guardians of the Galaxy cast. It's difficult to tell since Ronan rarely has any scenes side-by-side to compare but Lee Pace does stand at six and a half feet tall.
Dave Bautista (6’6’’)
Dave Bautista, who plays the always hilarious Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, is by far the tallest member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as he is a Goliath with a height of six feet and six inches.
He barely stands taller than Lee Pace and Winston Duke by one inch. Though Bautista may not look like the tallest on-screen, as he looks much smaller than Chris Pratt in the movies, he’s actually four inches taller than Star-Lord. It is one of many reasons why DC fans have wanted Bautista to play Bane for the DCEU.