Marvel Studios brought the main cast of Avengers: Doomsday to this past weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, but there was one actor who earned more than all of them. We are, of course, talking about Robert Downey Jr.
He earned at least $500 million for his roles in the four Avengers movies, the Iron Man trilogy, and Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. That was as Tony Stark, and convincing the Oscar-winner to play Doctor Doom didn't come cheap.
According to Page Six, Downey will make a whopping $100 million for his work in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) have also done well, making a reported $40 million each for the two movies.
That's at least $180 million for just three actors. However, the site says Doomsday and Secret Wars' combined budget is a surprisingly reasonable $600 million, which is cheaper than Infinity War and Endgame. Those are reported to have cost up to $800 million in total.
Here's where things get really interesting. The site notes, "One source says that Downey’s colossal payday covers something more than just the two films, perhaps a cameo in another Marvel offering."
Does this confirm that Downey is sticking around after the Multiverse Saga? If so, he could reprise his role as a resurrected Tony or perhaps continue playing Doom. In the comics, he became a "hero" after Secret Wars, suiting up as the Infamous Iron Man.
That would be an interesting direction to head in, as would revisiting Victor Von Doom in the context of a Fantastic Four movie. Ultimately, the "something more" could refer to a producing deal, an unrelated project with Disney, or even marketing appearances. We'll have to wait and see.
Do you think Downey deserves such a massive payday for donning Doom's mask? Let us know in the comments section below.
In Avengers: Doomsday, beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Mabel Cadena, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Lewis Pullman, India Rose Hemsworth, and Wesley Holloway all make their Avengers franchise debuts.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, with Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
The Russo Brothers direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. The movie is produced by Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Jonathan Schwartz, with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18.