At San Diego Comic-Con, Disney and Marvel shocked us all by revealing the return of Robert Downey Jr. to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The beloved actor won't be returning to his original role of Tony Stark/Iron Man though. In a surprising twist, it was announced that Downey Jr. will be playing the main antagonist in the upcoming Avengers movie: Doctor Doom.
The actor's return to the MCU raised all sorts of questions, like if this is some sort of misdirect or if he's really Victor von Doom or if this is some sort of alternate universe Tony Stark variant.
While these sort of questions will likely go unanswered for a while — at least until leaks start stemming from production — a new report from Variety has revealed just how much the actor is being paid to return to the MCU.
According to the trade, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars directors Anthony and Joe Russo are being paid $80 million to helm the two blockbusters. Robert Downey stands to make "significantly more." Although his exact number wasn't revealed, The Insider reports Downey. will make $50 million per movie with box office bonuses that could double the figure when all is said and done.
Variety notes that Downey's deal also includes additional perks such as a private travel jet, dedicated security, and a whole "trailer encampment."
That's quite a big payday for Downey Jr. but it's hard to argue that he isn't worth it. The Oscar-winning actor had been the cornerstone of the MCU's Infinity Saga as the leader of the Avengers and he was widely regarded as the face of the MCU for over a decade. It's estimated that Downey's role as Tony Stark, which first began in 2008's Iron Man — the film that jumpstarted the MCU — has earned him between $500 million and $600 million across the four Avengers movies, three Iron Man solo films, and various cameos.
The big question will be, is he worth the price tag? While Downey's Iron Man was the face of the MCU, was he the reason the cinematic universe was such a box office behemoth for years? We've seen the numbers plumbet since his death in Avengers: Endgame, but that seems to have more to do with general superhero fatigue and Disney throwing C-tier superheroes at us. Will Downey's return as Doctor Doom guarantee big box office numbers for Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars?