Over the weekend, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom, arguably comicsā greatest villain. While folks are still debating exactly how the actor behind the MCUās most iconic hero will come back as its most iconic bad guyāan alternate universe Tony Stark who goes bad seems the surefire routeāthereās a greater fight to be had about Downey Jr.ās comeback: his ridiculously fat check.
According to Variety, Downey Jr. is reportedly getting paid āsignificantly moreā than $80 million. That figure is being touted as the Russo brothersā fee, the returning directors of many of the MCUās previous hits, including Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. While Downey Jr.ās exact pay isnāt divulged, it isnāt hard to imagine where it lands based on the perks heās set to receive as part of his deal, which include, but are not limited to, his own security detail, access to private jet travel, and a ātrailer encampmentā just for him.
Itās pretty clear that Downey Jr., who reportedly wouldnāt sign on for the films without the involvement of the Russo brothers, is making out like a thief. Itās also pretty clear that the powers that be at Marvel are ready and willing to spend whatever is deemed necessary to right the floundering ship that is the MCU
The last few years of the franchise have been mired by controversy and relative failures. The āMultiverse Sagaā that Marvelās been trying to get off the ground since about 2020 hasnāt been particularly fertile for the company, despite spending lots of time and money on interstitial Disney Plus shows that started strong and have since petered out. Recently, a number of Marvel movies have also underperformed at the box office, forcing the studio to reconsider its business model. And thatās without touching on the franchiseās notable decline in visual qualityāwhich can be attributed to Marvelās long standing mistreatment of its VFX artistsāas well as the dismissal of Jonathan Majors, who was set to play the ongoing sagaās major villain, after being found guilty of domestic abuse.
In short, Marvel is banking hard on Downey Jr. to fix its ails, and itās throwing the whole house at him. Considering how much money he and the Russos have made Marvelātheir most successful movie grossed nearly $3 billionāit isnāt a particularly surprising move on the companyās part to spend big on them. Despite the acclaim for his past role in the MCU though, as well as the apparent fervor at the announcement of his return at San Diego Comic-Con, many have already taken to poking fun of and criticizing the actorās drastically inflated salary.
One reply to a DiscussingFilm post aggregating the news claimed that āYou can make a whole ass superhero film with his salary.ā Others joked about how cheap the movies might look given how much of the budget is already being funneled directly to Downey Jr. and the Russos. Through the jokes and critiques, some fans have applauded Downey Jr. for using his sway with Marvel to negotiate the return of the Russos and securing such a ludicrous bag
Of course, this news couldnāt come at a worse time for the acting industry. Video game actors are literally on strike right now to fight for stuff such as higher pay and better protections against AI. Meanwhile, Downey Jr.Ā is pulling down enough money across two films to never have to work a day in his life again. Just last year, writers went on strike fighting for similar protections and guarantees. One person claimed that, by comparison, they made $12.50 an hour working ā70+ hour weeksā on Black Panther Wakanda Forever, and only got a paltry raise to $14 on the first incarnation of Marvelās tumultuous Blade production.
As one screenwriter puts it, āIām sorry, but it really is so insane to spend this much on a single person when half the town is having to pack up and leave cause thereās no jobs and they canāt afford to stay.ā
