Even a superhero has to start somewhere. For the actors who grew up to become the famous faces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that involved humble beginnings that most of us can relate to: Childhood, high school, and of course, an awkward yearbook photo or two. If you don’t believe us, check out the gallery of images below featuring youthful pictures of some of the biggest names in Marvel — not to mention the biggest names in Hollywood, period — as they were known in their gangling, pimply, extremely wholesome early days.

Now, on some level these photos might be construed as embarrassing. And certainly they are not exactly looks worthy of a red carpet or an awards ceremony. All of these folks blossomed into extremely attractive men and women further down the line. But that’s just it; to the staff of ScreenCrush, we see them as downright inspirational. If the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy can start off like this, anything is possible. Never let anyone tell you you can’t conquer your dreams. And if they try, show them a couple of the 25 photos below. Just don’t ask to see our yearbook photos. We’ll never post those on the internet...

Marvel Actor Yearbook Photos

See what Marvel’s stars looked like in their early years.
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