Over the course of the past decade-and-a-half, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has given audiences some of the best theater experiences of all time, which has translated into continued box office success and cultural prominence. During that same 15-year stretch, some of the best Marvel movies have turned already well-known actors into Hollywood’s best paid movie stars, with the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johannsson, and Chris Hemsworth making millions upon millions of dollars for their portrayals of Iron Man, Black Widow, and Thor, respectively.
But, the question remains – who are the highest paid Marvel movie stars? If you have found yourself asking this very question, look no further, because we are about to break down the top Marvel heroes (in terms of salaries) and how much money they made on some of their movies. Let’s take a look now…
Brie Larson (Paid $5 Million For Captain Marvel)
Brie Larson was paid $5 million for her debut as Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel. In a February 2019 profile on the star of the first female-led Marvel movie, The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that Larson’s payday eclipsed even the highest paid MCU actors upon their debut, including 10 times as much as Robert Downey Jr. brought home with Iron Man a decade earlier (don’t feel bad, he was paid handsomely later on).
Chris Pratt (Reportedly Paid $5 Million For Avengers: Infinity War)
Chris Pratt, who is undeniably one of the biggest action stars in all of Hollywood thanks to his various Marvel movies and the Jurassic World franchise, was on the lower end of the pay scale for Avengers: Infinity War, with a reported $5 million salary, according to Us Magazine. And while Star Lord has appeared in two additional movies – Avengers: Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder – as well as the instant classic Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, with the third Guardians movie right around the corner, those figures haven’t been released from Disney vault, err finance department. But still, $5 million is a lot of money.
Benedict Cumberbatch (Reportedly Paid $7.5 Million Plus A Percentage Of Box Office For Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
Released in May 2022, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness had a stellar run at the box office, which got underway with one of the biggest opening weekends of the year, and continued to the sum of $955 million worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo. The movie, with its story, impressive cast, and inclusion of some of Marvel Comics’ most famous heroes, was almost guaranteed to succeed prior to its release, which makes Benedict Cumberbatch’s reported $7.5 million (plus box office bonuses) salary not all that surprising. According to Puck News, former THR editor Matthew Belloni’s entertainment news site, Cumberbatch’s fee was a “big bump” from his first stand-alone feature, 2016’s Doctor Strange.
Paul Rudd (Reportedly Paid $8 Million For Avengers: Endgame)
Since his introduction as Scott Lang in 2015’s Ant-Man, Paul Rudd has become one of the most prominent and funniest Marvel superheroes, thanks in part to his major role in Avengers: Endgame. One of the most consequential figures in the 2019 box office juggernaut, Rudd ended up getting paid a nice chunk of change for his portrayal of Lang/Ant-Man to the tune of $8 million, according to Forbes. This, however, doesn’t take into consideration if Rudd received a portion of the box office receipts like some of his costars. With the upcoming release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there’s a good chance his fee could be much higher than that.
Tom Holland (Reportedly Paid $10 Million For Spider-Man: No Way Home)
Spider-Man: No Way Home, which we described as “amazing, spectacular, superior” in our review upon the film's release in December 2021, went on to make bank at the box office, and eventually eclipsed Avatar on the list of highest-grossing domestic movies of all time. The movie ended up bringing in a total of $1.9 billion globally, according to BoxOfficeMojo, which more than covered star Tom Holland’s salary. According to The Sun newspaper, Holland reportedly made $10 million for his portrayal of Peter Parker.
Jeremy Renner (Reportedly Paid $15 Million For Avengers: Endgame)
After not being a part of Avengers: Infinity War, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye was front-and-center throughout Endgame, providing for some of the movie’s most emotional moments. And Renner was paid handsomely for his gut-wrenching portrayal of a grieving hero, reportedly taking home $15 million for his work, per Parade.
Chris Evans (Paid $15 - $20 Million For Avengers: Endgame)
Now we’re getting into the heavy hitters of the highest paid MCU stars, and what better way to start than with the “First Avenger” himself, Chris Evans. Prior to the release of Avengers: Endgame, which ended up being Evans’ final time playing Captain America (for now), The Hollywood Reporter broke down the salaries of the MCU’s biggest stars, which had the actor bringing home anywhere from $15 to $20 million before factoring in any bonuses. And, with the widespread popularity of the movie, it would be hard to imagine Evans not leaving the MCU behind without being given some extra money.
Chris Hemsworth (Paid $20 Million For Thor: Love And Thunder)
Chris Hemswroth reached the $20 million-per-picture mark with Thor: Love and Thunder, according to Variety, which was to be expected, due to his star power and prominence throughout the 2022 superhero movie. This was a little above or around what the God of Thunder pulled in for his turn in Avengers: Endgame three years earlier, but it hasn’t been revealed how big of a bonus Hemsworth collected following either films’ success at the box office.
Scarlett Johansson (Reportedly Paid $40 Million For Black Widow)
Scarlett Johansson had long been one of the higher paid MCU actors before getting her own solo movie, Black Widow, but the longtime franchise star reached new heights with the 2021 theatrical and Disney+ Premier Access release. According to Deadline, Johansson's base pay was $20 million, but that figure reportedly doubled after the actress filed a suit against Disney over disputes from box office profits caused by the dual-release. The article pointed out that this additional money wouldn’t come as one lump sum, but instead in installments over an undisclosed period of time.
Robert Downey Jr. (Paid $75 Million For Avengers: Endgame)
Although Robert Downey Jr. wasn’t the highest paid actor in Iron Man, he definitely took home the most cash in every subsequent installment in the MCU, and rightfully so. The OG Avenger capped off his impressive box office run, and redemption story, with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which earned him around $75 million, according to Forbes. Like some of his other high-paid co-stars, Downey made $20 million up front but went on to make much more than that later on. According to the report, the movie made around $700 million in profit, which when multiplied by Downey’s eight-percent in back end points, equals $55 million. Combine that with his fee, and you have $75 million. Talk about a send-off.
Expect this list to change with the release of each of the upcoming Marvel movies, especially as we get closer to the release of the two Avengers movies that are only a few years away. But, in the meantime, you can watch all of these highly paid actors by watching the Marvel movies in order with an active Disney+ subscription.
