At the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced the returns of Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers for the next two Avengers films. Downey will play Victor Von Doom, while the Russo Brothers will direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Getting the band back together won’t be cheap. According to Variety, Marvel will pay the Russo Brothers $80 million to direct two Avengers films. While the deal does not include back-end compensation, there are performance bonuses for reaching the $750 million and $1 billion thresholds. The Russos’ last two offerings for Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, each grossed over $2 billion.
The Russos will also produce the next two Avengers films under their AGBO banner. In the past, Marvel typically used in-house producers for each MCU film, so allowing AGBO to produce is a departure from protocol.
Robert Downey Jr. is making "significantly more" than $80 million to play Doctor Doom in two "Avengers" movies, sources say.
Downey's deal is also filled with perks that include private jet travel, dedicated security and a whole “trailer encampment.”https://t.co/nqoP3w3xhb
— Variety (@Variety) July 30, 2024
The report also states Downey will be paid “significantly more” than the Russos’ $80 million salary for two Avengers films. This puts Downey’s salary in the neighborhood of $100 million. The new deal includes dedicated security, private jet travel, and a whole “trailer encampment.”
While playing Iron Man, Downey was paid like the de facto leader of the MCU. The Oscar winner reportedly made between $500 million and $600 million for his roles in four Avengers films, three Iron Man entries, Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and a cameo in The Incredible Hulk.
Filming on the two Avengers films will begin in London during the second quarter of 2025.
Downey’s Doctor Doom replaces Jonahan Majors’ Kang the Conquerer as the lead villain of Doomsday and Secret Wars. Don’t be surprised if Downey’s character makes a cameo in a post-credits scene before Doomsday, with The Fantastic Four: First Steps as the logical destination for a tease.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on May 1, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars coming on May 7, 2027.
