The world of superhero movies was rocked over the weekend by the surprise revelation that Robert Downey Jr., who kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise with his star turn as Tony Stark, was coming back to the MCU, this time as supervillain Dr. Doom. How that will be worked out narratively is a mystery waiting to be solved, but the financial details of Downey's return are already being reported.
It has been reported by several reputable outlets, notably Puck News, that RDJ will pull in over $100 million in salary and bonuses to come back as the (an?) antagonist in two upcoming "Avengers" films: "Avengers: Doomsday" and "Avengers: Secret Wars." And Variety has additional details on extra benefits included in the star's contract, which include travel via private jet, private security, and a "trailer encampment" on set.
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While Downey's return to Marvel is getting most of the attention from fans, the franchise is also welcoming back directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who are reportedly making $80 million to direct the new "Avengers" films. Their return was also reported to be a proviso of Downey coming back to the franchise.
Given that RDJ has already made an estimated $400 million playing Tony Stark throughout various MCU movies, it's almost a surprise that it's not costing Disney and Marvel even more to get him to come back — particularly since it was assumed he was saying goodbye not just to Marvel but to action-adventure blockbusters in general. It's likely that in addition to the proverbial dump truck full of money, the chance to play a villain in the MCU was an enticement for the actor as well.
As for the Russo brothers, they reportedly don't get any back-end action from the box office receipts, but their contract does include certain performance-based "escalators" that go into effect when the movie makes $750 million at the box office, followed by a $1 billion threshold. And in an unusual move for Marvel, they will also serve as credited producers on the two movies.
The Marvel franchise has been in a bit of a commercial slump lately, the smash hit "Deadpool & Wolverine" notwithstanding. So, it makes sense that Disney would be willing to spend almost any amount of money to get the old dream team back together.
"Avengers: Doomsday" is set to hit theaters in May of 2026, with "Avengers: Secret Wars" to come out the following year.
