It’s fair to say that, since Robert Downey Jr. left the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise has fallen on some hard times. Avengers: Endgame was one of the highest grossing movies in box office history, but since then, Marvel’s box office dominance has faltered as they have added television to their lineup and flooded the market with more stuff than even die-hard fans can keep up with.
That’s why the news that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to Marvel to play Doctor Doom was met with such a major uproar. The news that he would be returning as the character, and that Joe and Anthony Russo would be coming back to direct, was a strategic retreat for Marvel, moving them back onto the safe ground that has worked for them in the past.
That retreat comes with a cost, though, and it’s a high one for Marvel. According to Variety, Marvel had to pay the Russos $80 million to return to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and they had to pay RDJ “significantly more” to get him to return in this new role. The Russos’ deal reportedly does not include any back-end compensation, but it does include bonuses that kick in if the movie makes $750 million and then $1 billion.
Downey’s contract, meanwhile, includes perks like private jet travel, a security detail, and a “trailer encampment” for the new films. Downey is reportedly the highest earner from the Marvel universe, having netted between $500 million and $600 million over the course of his time with the studio. Now, it seems Downey is ready to take even more of Disney’s money. Time will tell whether it’s worth it.
