A not-at-all sweaty Marvel is dropping a big bag to get Robert Downey Jr. and the Russos back

When the news broke at Comic Con on Saturday night that the erstwhile Tony Stark and recent Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to Marvel to portray villain Dr. Doom, there was an immediate question: how much is this going to cost? Not only would Downey return for his first Marvel picture since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo would also be back for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. If it worked once, the thinking must go, it can work again, right? 

Well, according to a new report from Variety, getting the gang back together is predictably pricy. The studio is reportedly spending $80 million on the Russos’ return, with additional bonuses should the films cross the $750 million and $1 billion marks at the box office (which, frankly, seems like a given). AGBO, the brothers’ production company, will also be involved, which the trade also notes is new; Marvel tends not to have outside producers on their projects. What’s more, the trade claims that Marvel is spending “significantly more” to get Downey to return for the two films, in addition to private security, use of a private jet (the new films are shooting in London, not Atlanta), and a “trailer encampment” for his time on the set. As it stands now, Downey has earned between $500 and $600 million for his work in Marvel projects. 

It’s not news that Marvel has money to throw around, nor is it news that it is a big priority for the studio to get these specific names back in the fold. Much has been made of Marvel’s post-Endgame slump, which saw the studio try to carry on after the conclusion of their major storylines during a period that was difficult for the movie business in general, with pandemic restrictions and multiple labor strikes. But the Russos and Downey have also had the good fortune not to be associated with any of that, going out on the studio’s high note five years ago. 

Of course, the other big factor here is the Jonathan Majors of it all. Before the actor was found guilty of assault and harassment in December, his character Kang was set up to become Marvel’s next Big Bad. Doomsday was originally titled The Kang Dynasty, a pretty clear signal that while Downey might not be playing Kang specifically, he’s certainly replacing him. They don’t need him just to be a box office draw, but a PR win. If you can’t make it 2019 again through science or magic, you can at least spend a few hundred million to try to capture the feeling.