Fans immediately fought back against accusations that Kumail Nanjiani used steroids to get buff for his new Marvel role. Some users compared public reaction to Nanjiani's transformation to other white Marvel actors who've gone through a similar weight loss journey (via Yahoo! News). One user slammed the criticism and tweeted, "Anyone wanna talk about how we're so eager to lather people like Chris Evans and Chris Pratt for getting beyond jacked for movie roles, but once Kumail Nanjiani does it, it's grotesque and shame-worthy?" 

Another fan added, "Chris Pratt can bulk up for a marvel movie and everyone is cool with is. Kumail Nanjiani does it and people call him "grotesque" and assume he's using steroids. I hate it here."

Intentional or not, it's possible that there's an underlying layer of racism beneath the criticism. Throughout their Marvel movie careers, veterans Chris Pratt and Chris Evans have gotten a lot of praise for their superhero workout routines. In an interview with Men's Journal, Pratt shared that he lost 60 pounds in just six months for his role in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Pratt's stunning transformation was met with an overwhelmingly positive response, which begs the question of what, exactly, makes Nanjiani's so different, considering both actors have similar roles in the Marvel universe.

Whichever side of the debate you're on, it doesn't cancel out the fact that body shaming anyone, regardless of their race or gender, helps no one.