Robert Downey Jr. Secures MASSIVE Marvel Payday For Playing Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel return did not come cheap.

By Charlie Ridgely

The man who started it all for the Marvel Cinematic Universe is returning to the franchise, and getting him back certainly wasn't cheap. Marvel Studios shocked the entertainment world on Saturday night in Hall H, as the San Diego Comic-Con panel culminated in the reveal that Iron Man star and Avengers stalwart Robert Downey Jr. was coming back to the MCU, this time as iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom. Downey will star in the next two Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, both of which are being directed by Avengers: Endgame directing duo Joe and Anthony Russo.

Downey was already the biggest name in the MCU, having helped launch the franchise in 2008's Iron Man and lead it through Tony Stark's on-screen death 11 years later, but his price tag went up earlier this year when he won an Academy Award for his work in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. With all that in mind, Marvel had to back the Brinks truck up to Downey's house in order to get a contract done for his return.

A new article from Variety about Downey's Marvel return doesn't specify exactly how much the actor will be making for these next two Avengers films, only that it will be "significantly more" than what the Russo Bros. are making for the pictures. The Russos, according to the piece, are taking home $80 million for their work. So Downey's paycheck is more than theirs, and he doesn't have to share it with a brother.

That payday, which could easily be in the $100M range, likely doesn't include whatever Downey will make from his cut of the box office. The deals he made to get a cut of the profits of previous Avengers films helped make Downey the highest paid star in the franchise.

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In addition to the massive payday, Downey reportedly also had some big asks baked into his contract. First of all, he needed the Russos to direct the films if he was going to return. He also required perks like travel via a private jet, his own private security detail, and an entire "trailer encampment" on set. 

It seems like Marvel bent over backward to accommodate Downey's return to the franchise, but he's been the studio's shining star and poster child from the very beginning. It's hard to envision a scenario where Marvel would've said no to anything Downey asked, as long as his face could be front and center for the next Avengers marketing campaign.  

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