In 1883, the volcanic Indonesian island known as Krakatoa erupted, causing an explosion that clocked in at about 172 decibels. This was roughly one-third of the volume of Hall H when Robert Downey Jr. was revealed as the MCU‘s Doctor Doom during San Diego Comic-Con.
Indeed, as far as the fans are concerned, the Oppenheimer Oscar winner is the North Star when it comes to endorphins, and given Marvel’s apparent commitment to fan service after the show that Deadpool & Wolverine put on, roping Downey Jr. back into the fray was a financial no-brainer.
It’s only a financial no-brainer, however, in equal measure that it’s a particularly steep investment. By a firm distance, Downey Jr. is the highest-paid Marvel actor ever, and Variety reports that his turn as Doctor Doom will net him his highest ever payday, with additional studio expenses in the form of a private jet for the actor, and a whole trailer encampment just for him.
All this begs the question; how did we get here? Here’s how much money Downey Jr. pocketed from each Marvel movie he had a hand in.
Iron Man – $2 million
Just as we all have to start somewhere, we also all need to start over somewhere. For Downey Jr., that was the shoes of Tony Stark, which he was paid $2 million to fill in 2008’s Iron Man film, and later in a brief cameo in The Incredible Hulk. His salary initially began at $500,000, but a share of the film’s profits (Iron Man made $585.8 million at the box office) brought the final tally in and around $2 million.
The inaugural MCU film and one of the superhero genre’s finest flicks ever, Iron Man flew on the back of what would become one of the defining performances of a generation; a performance that Downey Jr. brought to roaring life until the very end (which, evidently, wasn’t quite the end in the purest sense).
Iron Man 2 – $10 million
Downey Jr. received a pretty significant pay raise for Iron Man 2, going from $2 million to $10 million in what would be the first of many payday increases for the leading man, who very quickly became figuratively (and perhaps literally) essential to the Marvel organism.
That said, one would be forgiven for thinking that the additional $8 million on Downey Jr.’s salary came out of Iron Man 2‘s storytelling budget. This to say that, for those who can look past Downey Jr.’s nostalgic x-factor, it’s clear he doesn’t render the franchise completely bulletproof.
Spider-Man: Homecoming – Between $10 million and $15 million
By 2017, Downey was able to get a salary equal to or greater than his Iron Man 2 payday with a fraction of the screentime. Such was the case in Spider-Man: Homecoming, where Downey Jr. was paid between $10 million and $15 million to appear in a relatively small supporting role.
Tom Holland, the MCU’s Spider-Man, would go on to make $10 million for his work on the bombastic and lucrative Spider-Man: No Way Home, in case you needed a scale for how deeply Marvel and its fanbase valued (and continue to value, evidently) Downey Jr.’s presence.
The Avengers – $50 million
When it came time for the Avengers to first assemble back in 2012, it was abundantly clear just how all-in Marvel was about propping Downey Jr. up as their MVP, with a $50 million paycheck landing in Downey Jr.’s pocket for his work on The Avengers. The sum includes both box office bonuses and back-end compensation.
Reportedly, Downey Jr.’s Marvel compatriots Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, and Mark Ruffalo all made just $3 million from the film at the end of the day. Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson, meanwhile, clocked out of Avengers with $6 million each. As with Holland, the gulf in those numbers speak for themselves.
Iron Man 3 – $50 million
The $50 million payday continued with Tony Stark’s third solo outing in Iron Man 3. After kicking off Phase One with Downey Jr., it probably made sense in Marvel’s mind to kick off Phase Two with him, too.
In many ways, they were correct; the film snagged $1.2 billion at the box office and was a critical success, although it remains rather divisive in the realm of the MCU fandom. But, as long as Downey Jr. is involved, the complaints will probably never truly take center stage there (which, we assume, is the logic that was applied when he was cast as Doctor Doom).
Avengers: Age of Ultron – Between $50 million and $80 million
His highest unofficial payday yet, Downey Jr.’s second participation in the Avengers ensemble earned him between $50 million and $80 million. It sounds ludicrous to pay anyone that much, and it is, but the correlation between Downey Jr.’s face and Marvel’s box office fortunes at the time was all Marvel needed to keep full-sending this particular outlay (and indeed, Avengers: Age of Ultron crossed the $1.4 million mark during its theatrical run).
Captain America: Civil War – $64 million
How very like both Tony Stark and Downey Jr. to cheekily nab a payday with a number as untidy as 64. Just as well, of course, because Captain America: Civil War saw Downey Jr. take on a more antagonistic role in the Marvel proceedings, depending on who you ask.
$64 million remains Downey Jr.’s third-highest (soon to be fourth-highest) payday ever, on account of his last two hurrahs as Iron Man rounding out to the same amount.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – $75 million each
Roughly $400 million in earnings all became justified in a single snap of the fingers; a snap that was heard around the world before that very world burst into tears like never before. Indeed, when it came time for the Infinity Saga’s curtain call, Downey Jr. was paid $75 million to inspire us, and then another $75 million to shatter our hearts.
And now he’s about to get paid even more to toss on a green cloak and rescue the MCU from itself. Life is strange.
Published: Jul 31, 2024 11:06 am