Marvel Studios shocked its fans and visitors at San Diego’s Comic Con alike by announcing that the Russo Brothers will return to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, with Robert Downey Jr. set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Victor Von Doom. The announcement sent shockwaves across the industry and took over a major chunk of social media conversations. Fans began questioning what it took for Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to convince the trio to return back to the MCU.
While we don’t quite know the inner workings of what it took to bring the gang back together, reports have surfaced of just what exactly the deal entailed. And from the looks of it, they include mega paydays and perks that anyone would have found hard to say no to.
According to a report in Variety, the Russo Brothers would be taking home $40 million each, or a total of $80 million for their work on both Avengers movies. Furthermore, there are “bonuses” or additional payouts when each of the movies grosses $750 million and $1 billion at the (presumably) global box office. If the prior Avengers movies are any indication, this should be an absolute certainty. That said, another source close to production disputes those numbers, suggesting that the Russos are getting paid lower than what’s being reported.
In contrast, Robert Downey Jr. is expected to take home a lot more than $80 million. This makes sense as he was reported to have pulled in $80 million for Infinity War and Endgame. Downey Jr. has since become a household name and won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work on Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, shooting his star power through the roof. This is evident in some of the perks that he would be receiving, which include private jet travel, dedicated security, and a whole “trailer encampment”. Variety also reports that Downey Jr. pulled in anywhere between a sizable $500 million to $600 million over the course of his decade-long stint as Tony Stark in the MCU.
As of now, it’s unclear just how true these numbers are, though the reporting certainly inspires confidence. Besides, the numbers don’t seem out of the ordinary for Marvel which has been struggling to capture the hearts of its fans as it so brilliantly did in the 2010s. Let’s hope the paydays are justified and get us a few more epic moments of cinematic history.
Avengers: Doomsday releases in theaters on May 1, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on May 7, 2027.
