Robert Downey Jr.’s run as Tony Stark in the Iron Man and Avengers films would help to usher in and solidify the cinematic universe that changed the plane of mainstream Hollywood films. His face became the face of Marvel Studios and his comeback story is the stuff of legends. Not only would he recover from being seen as a huge risk, but Downey Jr. also made a statement with his post-Tony Stark career as he earned himself an Academy Award win after his acclaimed performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar darling Oppenheimer.
It’s safe to say that Downey Jr.’s stock has skyrocketed even further and as the MCU seeks to recapture its glory days of success, many find his recent casting as Victor Von Doom as both exciting and confusing. However, now that Downey Jr. has shown his range capabilities, not only from Oppenheimer but also from his various character portrayals from the HBO series, The Sympathizer, Marvel would not shy away from giving him the absolute best pay in order to lock him down. According to Variety, the deal that Downey Jr. signed with Marvel when he agreed to return includes immense luxuries such as private jet travel, dedicated security and a whole “trailer encampment.”
Downey Jr. is no doubt the golden boy for the studio and his massive take from three Iron Man films, four Avengers films and a smattering of auxiliary appearances earned him somewhere between $500 million and $600 million. His total payday for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars hasn’t been disclosed, but it’s said to be “significantly” higher than the $80 million that’s going to the films’ directors, the Russo brothers. The Russos are also swimming in riches Scrooge McDuck-style as even though their deal doesn’t include back-end compensation, it is said to contain performance escalators that kick in at the $750 million and $1 billion thresholds. Their good faith with the company also comes after their previous two Avengers films, Infinity War and Endgame, would rake in an incredible $4.851 billion combined.
It was confirmed last Saturday night that the Russo Brothers will be directing both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with both featuring Robert Downey Jr. as supervillain Victor Von Doom, undeniably a replacement for Kang following Jonathan Majors’ various issues. With Secret Wars slated for 2027 and Doomsday 2026, that will allow a perfect set-up of RDJ as the latest – and perhaps greatest – threat to the MCU!