Robert Downey Jr. is reportedly set to make "significantly more" than $80 million as part of his Marvel Cinematic Universe return deal.
As previously reported, the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer actor was announced to be taking on the role of Doctor Doom during San Diego Comic-Con festivities over the weekend. Downey, who previously played Iron Man in the MCU, will reunite with the directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo for Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secrets Wars, set for release in May 2026 and May 2027, respectively.
"New mask, same task," Downey told fans at Hall H on Saturday.
By Monday, Variety provided some insight into what it reportedly took for Downey to go down the Marvel road once more, especially at a point when many may have assumed he would have taken a different path. Per Tatiana Siegel, sources say that Marvel is spending $80 million on the Russos, while Downey is said to be getting "significantly more" than that alleged figure.
Downey’s Doom deal also includes other reported details of note, including private plane travel accommodations and his own "trailer encampment" during production. The Russos' involvement with the two upcoming MCU titles is further alleged to have been a strict stipulation for Downey's return, which isn't surprising given the success the filmmaking team had with Infinity War and Endgame.
In a playful reaction to the news, Downey's Iron Man co-star Gwyneth Paltrow expressed confusion about the move, telling fans, "I don't get it."
For Joe Russo, the decision to get Downey back into the fold, albeit under decidedly different circumstances, simply came down to the character requiring "the greatest actor in the world" to play him.
"As proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multiverse, we give you the one person who could play Victor Von Doom," he told fans at Hall H over the weekend.
Downey's surprise casting comes mere months after he told Esquire he would "happily" return to the MCU due to what the Tony Stark/Iron Man character means to him. Earlier this year, the 59-year-old actor said on Rob Lowe's podcast that he felt he did some of the "best work" of his career while under the MCU umbrella. According to Downey, however, the genre of those performances resulted in them going "a little bit unnoticed."