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Marvel has been a huge part of our childhood. We grew up watching Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and Avengers movies. While Robert Downey Jr. cemented the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his movie Iron Man (2008), in which he played the superhero character, Scarlett Johansson made her mark as Black Widow when she was introduced in Iron Man 2. Both of the actors tasted success in different ways while having their stint in the MCU.
Even though Scarlett Johansson’s salary didn’t come close to what RDJ earned during their MCU days, she is still considered one of the highest-paid actresses. Reportedly, Robert has bagged a $100 million contract for the new Marvel film, Avengers: Doomsday. So, was there a pay difference between an actor and an actress? Scroll ahead to find out.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Paychecks In MCU
If it wasn’t for Jon Favreau, then Robert Downey Jr. would never have become Iron Man for us, as back at that time, it was a huge risk to cast RDJ because of his notorious substance abuse cases. However, when everything got a green signal, the actor agreed to a modest salary of half a million, but he did negotiate a backend deal from the movie’s profit. So, when it became a groundbreaking success, he got $2 million in total.
“I am Iron Man.” @RobertDowneyJr pic.twitter.com/fREbV6zUyy
— Robert Downey Jr FR (@RDJFrance) April 27, 2019
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After the massive success of Iron Man, the actor’s salary jumped from $500K to $10 million for Iron Man 2, as per Celebrity Net Worth. Here’s a breakdown of his salary for his performance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
- Iron Man 1 (2008): $500,000
- Iron Man 2 (2010): $10 million
- Iron Man 3 (2013): $75 million
- The Avengers (2012): $10 million base + $40 million backend bonus = $50 million
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): $40 million
- Captain America: Civil War (2016): $40 million
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): $15 million
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018): $75 million
- Avengers: Endgame (2019): $75 million
Now, it has been reported that Robert Downey Jr. will be paid $100 million in fees and bonuses for playing the ultimate villain character, Doctor Von Doom, in Avengers: Doomsday.
Scarlett Johansson’s Paychecks In MCU
Based on Celebrity Net Worth reports, Scarlett Johansson had taken home $400K as her salary for portraying Black Widow in Iron Man 2. A few years later, the actress joined the whole cast in The Avengers, and with that, her salary also jumped to $1 million. Although the salaries seemed pretty low, there were speculations that they used to get compensated from the backend bonuses. But there’s no concrete report about it.
Thoughts on Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow pic.twitter.com/SAwB8EwvQs
— Ash (☥𝐃𝐁) (@AshySlasheeDB) July 8, 2025
By Avengers: Age of Ultron came out, her salary grew from $1 million to $20 million. For Civil War and Infinity War, she took home $15 million. While for Endgame and her solo movie, Black Widow, Johansson earned $20 million each, per Fandomwire. Here’s a breakdown of her salary in MCU:
- Iron Man 2: $400,000
- The Avengers: $1 million
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier: (Between $5-$15 million)
- The Avengers: Age of Ultron: $20 million
- The Avengers: Civil War: $15 million
- The Avengers: Infinity War: $15 million
- The Avengers: Endgame: $20 million
- Black Widow: $20 million
While Robert Downey Jr.’s total Marvel salary stands at $382 million (excluding Avengers: Doomsday), Scarlett Johansson took home around $95 to $105 million from her stint in the MCU. Well, there was indeed a huge pay disparity between the two actors, but at the same time, RDJ is considered the pioneer for launching this multi-billion-dollar franchise. Now, RDJ is going to return to the franchise, meanwhile Johansson parted ways with Disney after the lawsuit.
For more such stories, check out Hollywood News
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