The Avengers brought Marvel Studios' super-team together for the first time, and kick-started a series of MCU films boasting a roster of A-List actors, who were paid handsomely for their time operating as Earth's Mightiest Heroes. From 2012 to 2019, Marvel Studios released four epic Avengers films, with Avengers: Endgame concluding the story of the original Avengers team, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, the Hulk, and Hawkeye. Even so, the MCU's Phase 6 will deliver Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, two projects expected to close the Multiverse Saga with a bang.

After saving the world from Loki and his Chitauri army in 2012's The Avengers, the six heroes returned in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2016's Captain America: Civil War before 2018's release of Avengers: Infinity War, which saw the Avengers take on their biggest challenge ever as Thanos waged war on the universe. Infinity War was Marvel Studios' most successful film, surpassed by Avengers: Endgame a year later, which became the highest grossing film of all time prior to Avatar's 2021 re-release. The franchise's massive success granted its actors sizable salaries, here's the breakdown of how much the core cast of The Avengers were paid during their MCU careers.

Related: How The Avengers Make Money In The MCU

Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man Was The Longest-Running MCU Hero

robert downey jr as iron man in avengers endgame

Robert Downey Jr.'s first appearance as Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man, the MCU's first film, made the actor $500,000, which increased to $10 million dollars upfront (which eventually amounted to $50 million due to the film's success) for his appearance in The Avengers four years later. Age of Ultron marked a pay increase for Downey Jr., earning $80 million, and his salary for Infinity War reportedly surpassed $75 million. Downey Jr.'s career as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, came to an end in Avengers: Endgame, which saw him granted a base salary of $20 million, though this increased to approximately $75 million as he received 8% of the profits.

Scarlett Johansson Was One Of The MCU's Biggest Stars

scarlett johansson as black widow in avengers endgame

Scarlett Johansson's debut appearance as Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, in 2010's Iron Man 2 earned her $400,000, but The Avengers marked a significant salary increase, as Johansson made somewhere in the low seven figures. The actress saw her stock rise in Avengers: Age of Ultron, with her salary increasing to $20 million. Johansson then earned $15 million upfront for Infinity War and Endgame, though was reported to have made around $35 million in total from the final Avengers entry once bonuses factored in. Marvel Studios never quite developed Black Widow's MCU backstory as well as audiences wished, but Johansson was still compensated nicely for her efforts.

Chris Evans Led The Avengers As Captain America

chris evans as captain america in avengers endgame

Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, debuted in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, earning the actor $300,000. A year later, The Avengers earned Evans around $3 million. Evans raked in even more for Age of Ultron, as his salary increased to a healthy $15 million. 2018's Infinity War saw Evans retain his $15 million earnings, though he was upgraded to $20 million for being a major part of Avengers: Endgame. Similarly to Iron Man and Black Widow (aside from her Phase 4 solo film), Avengers: Endgame marked the end of the road for Evans' iteration of Captain America, and the MCU is still reeling from his departure.

Chris Hemsworth Is The Only Avenger To Get 4 Solo Movies

chris hemsworth as thor in avengers endgame

2012's The Avengers marked the second appearance of Chris Hemsworth as Thor following his debut solo film, Thor, a year earlier, which earned the Australian actor $150,000. The Avengers brought a significant upgrade for Hemsworth, who took home around $3 million. Avengers: Age of Ultron saw Hemsworth's salary increase to roughly $5 million. The Thor actor later took home $15 million a piece for Infinity War and Endgame. In the MCU's Phase 4, Hemsworth became the only original Avenger to get four solo movies, with Thor: Love and Thunder reportedly granting the star around $20 million.

Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye Was Perhaps The Most Wasted Avenger

Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in Avengers Endgame

After making a brief appearance in 2011's Thor, Jeremy Renner had a starring role in The Avengers as Clint Barton, a.k.a. Hawkeye, a role which earned him $3 million. For Avengers: Age of Ultron, Renner earned roughly $6 million. Though Renner was missing from Avengers: Infinity War's cast, it could be assumed the actor was paid well for his role in Captain America: Civil War, and his next appearance in Avengers: Endgame secured him a $15 million paycheck. While Barton had often been regarded as the most wasted Avenger, Marvel Studios' Hawkeye series on Disney+ put Renner front-and-center as Hawkeye, and reportedly earned the actor around $15 million.

Mark Ruffalo Replaced Edward Norton As Bruce Banner In The Avengers

mark ruffalo as the hulk in avengers endgame

After Edward Norton played Bruce Banner in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, Mark Ruffalo took over the role from 2012's The Avengers onwards. For his MCU debut in Marvel Studios' first crossover film, Mark Ruffalo took home $3 million, which was also his salary for Age of Ultron three years later. Avengers: Infinity War saw Ruffalo double his earnings, as he was paid $6 million for the film. While Ruffalo's salary for Avengers: Endgame has not been publicized, it's likely he also earned close to $15 million. Ruffalo continues to portray Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Hulk, in the MCU, with his most recent appearance being in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law on Disney+.

Who Was The Highest-Paid Avengers Actor?

tony stark suiting up in iron man

Taking home a whopping $360 million over the course of his career in the MCU, Robert Downey Jr. is by far the most well-paid member of the original Avengers in the franchise. Notably, around a third of Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU fortune is made up of box office percentage earnings stipulated in his contract. While this might seem like an extraordinary amount of money, Downey Jr. has nothing on Tony Stark himself, who at the time of Avengers: Endgame was worth over $12 billion. The MCU will continue to grow in Downey Jr.'s absence, so one of Marvel's newer stars could soon surpass the legendary Iron Man actor.

Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow Earnings Lawsuit Explained

Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff looks at the distance at the end of Black Widow.

Following Avengers: Endgame, the simultaneous release of Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+ forced Scarlett Johansson into a legal battle with Disney regarding breach of contract. Disney used Black Widow to promote Disney+, but failed to implant this into Johansson's pay structure, which relied heavily on the film's box office earnings. Johansson's lawyers claimed the star lost around $50 million. Though the exact terms of the settlement were never publicized, Disney reportedly paid Johansson $40 million on top of her $20 million Black Widow salary, and the two parties seem to have preserved a strong relationship, as Scarlett Johansson is an executive producer on a mystery MCU project.

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