One of the most talked-about topics in the ongoing New York Comic Con is the upcoming "Avengers: Infinity War" movie. The story, which will be split into two films, will be the culminating event in Marvel's cinematic universe. According to Bleeding Cool, the two "Infinity Wars" movies will get a combined budget of a whopping, record-breaking $1 billion. Reportedly, $400 million alone will go to screenwriters, directors, producers, and actors. And Robert Downey, Jr. is rumored to be getting half of that, a fat paycheck of $200 million.
Downey, who plays Iron Man in the Marvel franchise, has topped Forbes' highest paid actors list for three consecutive years now, since 2013. For the first "Avengers" movie, the actor confirmed to GQ that he was paid $50 million for the movie alone, excluding backend pays. For "Iron Man 3," Uproxx reported that Downey's paycheck was $75 million. He reportedly worked out a profitable deal with Marvel for "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and the upcoming "Captain America: Civil War," from which he will be taking home a grand $80 million. According to Variety, Marvel executives initially wanted to cut Iron Man's part in the "Captain America" story due to Downey's steep talent fee. However, the role was vital for the movie, and Iron Man/Downey undeniably has a huge fanbase that could be counted on to bring in box office sales.
Meanwhile, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who starred with Downey in the "Iron Man" series as his leading lady Pepper Potts, reacted to her co-star's rumored $200 million paycheck and said the disparity of wages between male and female actors in Hollywood is surprising and "frustrating."
Based on Forbes' list, Jennifer Lawrence leads the pack of highest paid female actors, with her $52 million earnings this year. Downey, on the other hand, raked in $80 million.
"Nobody is worth the money that Robert Downey Jr. is worth," Paltrow said. "It can be painful. Your salary is a way to quantify what you're worth. If men are being paid a lot more for doing the same thing, it feels shitty."
"Avengers: Infinity War" is still on its early production phase. A script has not been written and no director has been tapped to lead the project so far.
