Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel return salary is even more jaw-dropping than expected

Marvel Studios shocked the world at San Diego Comic-Con this summer when they revealed that Robert Downey Jr., the former face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, would return to the MCU in two upcoming movies but in an entirely new role. It was a genuinely captivaring moment as Downey walked onto stage, revealing that he would be playing the franchise's new villain Doctor Doom.

The star, who just recently won an Academy Award for his performance in Oppenheimer, kicked off the MCU by playing the titile character in 2008's Iron Man. He returned as Tony Stark for two direct sequels and four Avengers movies, as well as playing supporting roles in Captain America and Spider-Man movies (and let's not forget about his cameo in the post-credits scene for The Incredible Hulk).

It's a huge deal that he will return to the franchise and especially welcome news for Marvel, which has had some struggles in recent years. And that return comes with a huge price tag, as it turns out that RDJ's comeback will make him even more money than initial reports suggested.

Robert Downey Jr. will reportedly earn over $100 million for MCU return

According to a recent report from The Insneider, Robert Downey Jr. could earn up to $100 million for his appearances as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. What's more is that with certain box office incentives, he could end up earning $200 million.

It's a huge sum; much bigger than the $80 million+ reported by Variety, and it highlights how willing Marvel Studios was to make this happen. It's a huge Avengers movie, and having him at the center of it (even if he is the villain this time around) would certainly make audiences want to go - especially as they will both be directed by Avengers legends the Russo Brothers.

Downey's salary for the MCU movies always sparks conversations among fans as it led to one of the greatest comebacks in history. In 2008's Iron Man, the star earned "just" $500 million for his role as the lead character simply because he wasn't a bankable actor at the time and he was attempting to get his career back on track. By Iron Man 2 in 2010, however, he earned $10 million.

Those numbers continued to go up with each installment as Downey evolved into one of the world's most recognizable stars. Avengers: Endgame, the movie in which his character Tony Stark sacrifices himself to defeat the MCU's original Big Bad Thanos, saw him earn around $75 million (with an original salary of $20 million).

His return to the franchise comes as Marvel looks to pivot away from their original Big Bad of the Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror (after they parted ways with Jonathan Majors). Kang was a divisive character and he made his on-screen debut at a time when the MCU wasn't having the best luck on the silver screen for the first time ever (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was one of the few MCU films not to break even during its box office run). In order to reignite excitement, Marvel called its biggest star for help.

Doctor Doom is expected to be a variant of Tony Stark from another world, which will no doubt make his showdown with The Avengers an emotional one. And while fans will be feeling all the emotions when watching both Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, there was only one overarching emotion felt upon the announcement of Downey's return: Excitement.