The studio managed to make some of its biggest stars among the most highly paid actors in Hollywood due to significant increase in their salaries as Marvel Cinematic Universe became one of the most successful cinematic franchises around the world. Although the initial paychecks of the actors were quite modest, the actors' salaries increased up to tens of millions of dollars due to re-negotiation of contracts, additional income from box office and profit sharing.
Based on public figures for the total paycheck of individual actors of Marvel, the record holder in terms of paychecks is Robert Downey Jr., while Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo managed to earn some of the highest salaries within the franchise.
1. Robert Downey Jr.
It is still Robert Downey Jr.'s Marvel payday that is talked about most of all. For Avengers: Endgame, his overall pay was estimated to be somewhere around $75 million, counting both his base pay and backend participation. It was earlier reported by Forbes that Downey's 8% backend deal paid him around $55 million in profit from the movie.
However, Downey's Marvel paycheck continues to grab attention. According to some reports, he is set to earn around $100 million for his role in two Marvel movies – Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, in 2026.
2. Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson made herself one of the highest-paid actors of Marvel thanks to her portrayal of Natasha Romanoff. It was rumored that she received about $20 million for Black Widow, but according to some sources, her final salary was even higher, due to extra payments.
With such experience behind her as an actress who played Black Widow, she managed to obtain both starring and producing paychecks for the film.
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3. Chris Hemsworth
As the popularity of Thor increased, so did Chris Hemsworth's salary in the movies. He earned around $20 million in Thor: Love and Thunder, and $15 to 20 million in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame respectively.
His future contracts in the Marvel films had become more expensive because of both his status as an action movie star and also the character he portrayed.
4. Chris Evans
Chris Evans also got to profit from a renegotiation of his Marvel contract, as Captain America became an integral part of the Marvel film series. He reportedly got between $15 million and $20 million per movie for his role in the subsequent Avengers movies.
His earnings marked a significant raise from the amount he was paid during the beginning stages of the MCU.
5. Mark Ruffalo
Completing the list is Mark Ruffalo, whose earnings from Avengers: Endgame have been reported to be about $15 million dollars.
Even though Hulk didn’t get a solo movie within the MCU during the time of Ruffalo, his inclusion in the Avengers group played a more significant role, as is evidenced by his earnings.
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