By Dustin Rowles | Film | July 30, 2024
Over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel made it official that the Russo Brothers would return to direct the next two The Avengers flicks and that Robert Downey, Jr. would also return to play Doctor Doom. I am not a comic book person — in fact, Mike was supposed to cover this news today, but he’s out sick — but I have mixed feelings like most everyone else. I love the idea — if this is, in fact, the plan — of bringing back a Tony Stark variant who is an evil billionaire, but I also think that the multiverse is quickly losing its appeal. But more importantly, it’s like the 2024 Presidential election before Biden dropped out: It’s more of the same, except now Biden is Doctor Doom (fine, yes, I’d watch that, too). Mostly, though, I agree with Mike (and his very prescient headline).
Then there’s the other matter: The sizable paychecks. I mean, look: How much Marvel decides to pay its talent is not our business. But also, the numbers are eye-popping, according to Variety. Marvel is paying $80 million to Anthony and Joe Russo to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Their deal includes performance bonuses at the $750 million and $1 billion box office marks.
On the one hand, the Russo Brothers haven’t proven themselves outside of the MCU. These are the guys behind Cherry, The Gray Man, and You, Me and Dupree. On the other hand, they also directed the second and sixth-highest-grossing movies of all time. It’s hard to argue with those results. Maybe they’re just really good at Marvel movies.
Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. is set to receive an obscene amount of money to play Doctor Doom in these films — we don’t know the number, but it is more than the Russo Brothers, which likely puts it around $100 million. His contract apparently also includes additional benefits such as private jet travel, dedicated security, and an extensive trailer setup. In addition to that, Downey apparently has also earned between $500 million and $600 million from his previous Marvel roles.
That’s too much money — do you know how many horror movies A24 could make with $100 million? — but it’s probably also a good investment. We’re all going to watch it. Even those of us who are like, “Ugh. This is so dumb,” are still going to be there opening weekend with a bucket of popcorn and a skeptical look on our faces. It’s RDJ in a Marvel movie. My question is: Can we get an evil Pepper Potts variant? Because I’d love to see what a Gwyneth Paltrow supervillainess looks like. And what does a Happy Hogan variant look like? Unhappy Hogan?
If you didn’t like that joke, just pretend Mike wrote it.
Source: Variety
Source: Variety
