MCU
It’s revealed how much Robert Downey Jr. will be paid to return to the Marvel Universe and what his only condition was
“New mask, same task.” From Tony Stark to Victor Von Doom. Once a hero, now a villain. And an Academy Award along the way.
Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the Marvel Universe was the big bombshell of San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Five years after retiring as Tony Stark, the actor agreed to return to the superhero genre for two reasons. The first is the money he was offered. According to Variety, Robert Downey Jr. will be paid “significantly more” than $80 million for his participation in the upcoming ‘Fantastic 4′ movie and for his starring role in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’. He has also demanded private jet travel, dedicated security, and a whole “trailer encampment” at his disposal.
Is it too much? Too little? For comparison, and to put the figure in the context of the genre, keep in mind that the actor has always been Marvel’s highest paid, earning between $500 and $600 million for the Iron Man trilogy, the four Avengers films, and his various cameos and contributions to films like Captain America and Spider-Man. Of course, he has a new cache, as we are talking about this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor.
Robert Downey Jr.’s only condition for returning to Marvel
But Marvel had to bow to another demand for the actor’s return. Robert Downey Jr. told the company that he would only return if it was to work with the Russo brothers, who have directed what many consider to be the best superhero movies from the Stan Lee factory: ‘The Winter Soldier,’ ‘Civil War,’ ‘Infinity War,’ and ‘Endgame.’ If anyone is wondering why the production company would not accept something like this, the answer is simple: they are not cheap.
The Russo Brothers’ Price Tag
The Russo Brothers will pocket another $80 million for directing, have been promised to produce two separate movies outside of ‘Doomsday’ (non-genre), and will even get a bonus if the movie exceeds $750 billion at the box office. Considering that ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’ tripled that amount, it’s likely that both brothers will strike gold, if they haven’t already. As much or more in their own way as Robert Downey Jr.
Now it remains to be seen how the Russo brothers will use such a return on a narrative level, it won’t be simple, but we can only think that the randomness of the multiverse will do the trick.