In just a few days we will get to see Robert Downey Jr. in one of the most anticipated films of the year, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The actor portrays Lewis Strauss and we cannot wait to see how he manages to pull off yet another incredible role. However, no matter how many films Robert Downey Jr. does in his lifetime, his most cherished work will always be his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Robert Downey Jr. played the iconic character of Tony Stark aka our favourite O.G. Avenger Iron Man, in nine films. Since the MCU is responsible for high-budget films, it goes without saying that actors receive hefty paychecks. Given that Robert Downey Jr. is the man who started the MCU, he definitely took home some serious earnings. His first insane salary from the MCU came after The Avengers which pissed off Marvel.
Robert Downey Jr. Pissed Off Marvel with His Paycheck
The MCU would have been nothing without Robert Downey Jr. and perhaps, the studio understood that. Why else will they agree to give him a paycheck worth $50 million?
The Hollywood Reporter once reported that Downey made a whopping income of $50 million for his role in the 2012 film, The Avengers. And while actors usually stay away from discussing their salaries, RDJ was very proud (as he should be) to confirm the amount. In a conversation with GQ, the magazine asked Downey if the figure was accurate. With a broad smile, the actor replied,
“Yeah. Isn’t that crazy? They’re so pissed. I can’t believe it. I’m what’s known as a strategic cost.”
The Avengers crossed $1.5 billion at the box office. Today, the film is one of the top ten highest-grossing films of all time. Downey has a large hand in the success of the film and a $50 million paycheck seems to be appropriate for the gift that kept on giving, doesn’t it?
How Much Did Robert Downey Jr. Make for All Avengers Films?
Now that we know that the Due Date actor actually received such a huge sum for the very first Avengers movie, we are sure the number only went up in the future.
According to reports, Downey made somewhere between $50 million and $80 million for his role in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). For Avengers: Infinity War (2018), a film that grossed over $2 billion, Downey made at least $75 million. Next is Avengers: Endgame (2019) which was Downey’s farewell from the MCU. The film made a little under $2.8 billion and is the highest-grossing film of all time. For this, the actor is said to have made $75 million. On top of that, a rumored 8% backend deal might have gotten him an additional $55 million.
All in all, Downey is reported to have made anywhere between $396 million to $435 million for all nine films in his MCU career. We can all agree that he is absolutely worthy of such a large sum!
You can stream all of The Avengers films on Disney+.
Source: GQ
