At this year’s SDCC, it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU, but not as Iron Man. Instead, he will play Doctor Doom, the new villain of the Multiverse Saga. Insider sources reveal that before finalizing the deal, several negotiations took place. Notably, Downey reportedly insisted that the Russo brothers be hired to direct ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and also secured a significant raise.
According to Variety, Marvel is paying $80 million for Anthony and Joe Russo to direct both ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars,’ with Robert Downey Jr. receiving an even larger sum to portray the villain Doctor Doom in both films. The Russos’ contract, which does not include back-end compensation, features performance bonuses tied to reaching $750 million and $1 billion at the box office. Additionally, the Russos will produce the films through their AGBO banner, marking a shift from Marvel’s typical practice of handling production in-house.
Robert Downey Jr.’s deal to play Doctor Doom includes perks such as private jet travel, dedicated security, and an extensive trailer setup. It is estimated that he has earned between $500 million and $600 million from his roles in four ‘Avengers’ movies, three ‘Iron Man’ films, and cameos in ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’
While these figures aren’t surprising given RDJ’s status as one of the highest-paid actors in the franchise, the revelation sparked a wave of Marvel crew members sharing their own stories on social media, and the reactions are quite revealing.
Scruggs faced personal attacks on this thread, with critics claiming he’s no Robert Downey Jr. and that anyone could do his job. However, the artist repeatedly clarified that he isn’t demanding an $80 million salary—he simply seeks a livable wage.
This news and the ensuing discussions come at a time when the SAG-AFTRA strike is still fresh in everyone’s minds. For at least a decade, VFX artists and other production workers have been struggling with underpayment and overwork, often facing the constant threat of replacement.
CEOs of major studios such as Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney often earn multi-million dollar salaries. For example, David Zaslav and Bob Iger have been reported to make between $30–$50 million annually, including bonuses and stock options.
Critics argue that these salaries are excessive compared to the wages of average workers within the same companies. The stark contrast between the high earnings of CEOs and the significantly lower salaries of production and other lower-level employees often highlights this disparity.
To make matters worse, these bonuses are frequently “earned” by implementing mass layoffs in already understaffed departments, thereby cutting additional costs for the company. This means that employees, already working for insufficient wages, are left to handle increased workloads due to the reduced staff.
