There was once a time when Marvel Studios were in danger of gaining a reputation for financially low-balling contract offers, but after the company’s cinematic universe exploded in popularity to become the most successful franchise in the history of cinema, the biggest names in the MCU now always rank among the highest-paid talents in Hollywood.
Chris Evans was paid a million dollars for Captain America: The First Avenger, while Chris Hemsworth reportedly pocketed as little as $150,000 for his debut in Thor. However, fast forward by a decade and the two Phase One stalwarts walked away from Avengers: Endgame with at least $40 million each after renegotiating their contracts several times, which included lucrative profit participation clauses.
Nobody has managed to rinse Marvel better than Robert Downey Jr., though, who netted $500,000 for Iron Man, but ended up making 150 times that amount for his swansong in the Infinity Saga’s final chapter. Once his initial four-picture deal expired after Age of Ultron, he extended his contract a further three times and he got $50 million for Captain America: Civil War, $10 million for three days on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming and walked away from Infinity War and Endgame almost $150 million richer.
Not only that, but he secured substantial pay rises for all of the core Avengers when their respective contracts were coming up, and insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming that he’s assisted his on and offscreen protege Tom Holland in securing better financial terms to continue playing the MCU and SPUMC’s Spider-Man in the upcoming threequel.
The 24 year-old’s deal was apparently for three solo Spider-Man movies and three guest appearances in other MCU projects which he’s already fulfilled, and based on how Marvel rewards their tenured stars, he’s probably looking at least $10 million per film from here on out.