Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers are Getting Massive Marvel Paydays

Movies

Marvel may be bringing back its big guns, but it’s paying handsomely to do it. This Saturday, during its Hall H presentation at the San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced that Joe and Anthony Russo would return to direct the next two Avengers movies, the newly-titled Avengers: Doomsday and the still-titled Avengers: Secret Wars. Then, the Russos revealed that the next big MCU villain, Doctor Doom, would be played by… Robert Downey Jr. The thunderous applause in Hall H belied the many questions fans had, like how the hell the guy who is universally recognized as Iron Man is suddenly Doctor Doom. (I mean, I know it’s going to be because of the multiverse; it’s more an unbelieving “How the hell are you doing this?”) But it’s clear Marvel decided that, after a series of increasingly embarrassing duds with unlikable new characters, it needed to get people energized for the MCU again, which is why it brought back its most popular star and the pair who directed four of their biggest and most well-received films. But how much did it cost them?

Presenting Victor Von Doom.

Robert Downey Jr. stars in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters May 2026. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/xWQx9owZjG

— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024

A lot. A whole lot. Variety reports that, according to their sources, Marvel is paying the Russo Brothers $80 million to direct the Avengers movies. That’s $20 million per Russo per movie, which puts their price in context a bit, but that’s still a big paycheck for them. Their deal doesn’t include back-end points on the profits of Doomsday or Secret Wars, but it does feature “performance escalators,” which means they get a bonus if the movies reach certain box office thresholds – specifically, $750 million and $1 billion. Additionally, the Russos will produce Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret  Wars through their production company, AGBO, under which they produced movies such as the Extraction films (which are phenomenal, and you should absolutely check them out if you haven’t) and The Gray Man (which was very close to being great until the awful ending screwed everything up). This, Variety notes, is out of the ordinary for Marvel, who don’t like outside companies putting their names on MCU films.

And, as you probably expected, Robert Downey Jr. is getting even more from the desperate Marvel Studios. His payday will be “significantly more” than the $80 million the Russos scored, which tracks because Downey has made at least that much going as far back as The Avengers in 2012, albeit due to back-end deals. See, RDJ was smart – and fortunate – enough not to have signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel when he made Iron Man; in fact, he was the only Avenger not to have one. That meant that, unlike Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and the Chrises Evans and Hemsworth, Downey’s contract had to be renegotiated regularly, and since Iron Man had transformed him from Robert Downey Jr. to ROBERT “I AM IRON MAN” DOWNEY JR., he got his deal sweetened mightily, to the point where he made $10 million in base pay on The Avengers and $75-80 million after getting points on the profits. Not bad for a guy who made less than Terrance Howard on Iron Man. Variety’s sources estimate that Downey has made “between $500 million and $600 million” throughout his Marvel tenure. His specific salary for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars isn’t mentioned, but if it’s “significantly more” than the Russos’ $80 million, he’s probably pulling in at least $100 million in base pay. Downey also has other perks, like “private jet travel, dedicated security and a whole ‘trailer encampment’” for the shoot, which is supposed to begin in the second quarter of 2025.

Can you imagine the parties Tony Stark is going to host in that trailer encampment? Oh, that’s right, Robert Downey Jr. isn’t Tony Stark anymore; he’s Doctor Doom. So I guess he’ll have it guarded by his robot minions as he perfects his new death ray. If I didn’t make it clear when I first talked about the announcement, I hate this development. And I’m sure this is all going to lead to Tony Stark’s return in some form, but I’m angry about what it means for Doctor Doom, who deserves to have a great cinematic interpretation rather than being relegated to a multiverse gimmick. But I’m glad that the Russos and Robert Downey Jr. are bilking Marvel and Disney for as much as they can in the process, especially because of how much I dislike this idea. Marvel is clearly desperate, having been humbled (though only behind closed doors; this is still Hollywood) after bungling Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU. They had to have come to Downey and the Russos hat-in-hand, and when you’ve got a studio like this on their knees asking for your help, you make them pay. I particularly love the Russos getting their production banner put on the movies; why shouldn’t they get their brand elevated while saving the buffoons who thought they didn’t need them anymore? And while I’m pretty pessimistic about the MCU right now, the brightest hope I have is that the Russos get pay raises when the movie is successful. That means there’s an incentive for them not just to make the best movies possible, which I’m sure they already want to do, but to push back against Kevin Feige and Disney’s assuredly moronic “notes” and regulations. Deadpool & Wolverine demonstrated what their influence does to creative people who’ve made great movies in the past; if they learn nothing else, it should be to shut up and go away while the talent works.