The MCU is the biggest and baddest franchise on the planet these days, and none of it would have been possible had Iron Man not become a surprise hit back in 2008. Many people cite The Dark Knight as the best comic book movie ever made, but Iron Man could very well be the most important. Just take a look at the impact that it has had on Hollywood over these last 13 years.

Robert Downey Jr. was a questionable pick at the time, but since realizing his potential, he has become a bankable star. In fact, he once landed a gig that paid him around $1 million for each minute of screen time.

Let’s take a look at Downey’s incredible payday.

Robert Downey Jr. Turned His Career Around

Iron Man 2008
Via cinemablend.com

It’s easy to look at where Robert Downey Jr. is now and just assume that things have been working out well for the actor since breaking out, but the truth is that Downey had a long road to turning his career around after showing a tremendous amount of talent as a young star. In fact, the casting of Downey as Iron Man was one that many people questioned before the film kickstarted the MCU back in 2008.

Downey comes from an acting family, which certainly helped him break into Hollywood, but the actor would make the most of his time on screen. He showed a level of talent reserved for few performers, and based on his body of work in the 80s and early 90s, it sure seemed like he could be a force in Hollywood for a long time to come. He was even nominated for an Oscar thanks to his performance in Chaplin.

A string of arrests and incidents, however, painted the picture of an actor who would seemingly never get it together, but as the 2000s were coming to a close, Downey cleaned up and realized his true potential. Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, and Sherlock Holmes were all released within one year of each other, and in the blink of an eye, Downey was an A-list movie star.

Thanks to his monster 12-month run, the actor was in the driver’s seat of his career and demanding top-dollar for his work.

Related: Here’s How The Avengers Wished Robert Downey Jr. On His Birthday!

The MCU Made Him Millions

Iron Man 2
Via dailysuperheroes.com

If there is one thing that people have learned about Robert Downey Jr. in recent years, it is that he has made unfathomable amounts of money on the big screen, largely due to playing Tony Stark in the MCU. The first Iron Man film started the biggest franchise around, and Downey has been cashing in every single step of the way.

Not unlike other major actors, his salary has grown over time, and he wasn’t making millions of dollars at first. He would, however, get to a point where he was making more than just about any other actor on the planet thanks to some nifty ripples in the contracts that he was signing.

To put things into perspective, it has been reported that Downey made around $500,000 for Iron Man, but after over a decade in the MCU, the actor made $75 million for his work in Avengers: Endgame, which is one of the largest reported salaries in film history. For most, this is an unthinkable amount of money, but for Downey, this was just another payday from the folks at Marvel and Disney.

While $75 million might be the biggest payday that he will ever receive, he managed to pull off an incredibly impressive feat before Endgame even hit theaters.

Related: Here's What Helped Robert Downey Jr. Battle His Addiction

His Spider-Man: Homecoming Salary Was Wild

Iron Man Spider-Man
Via inverse.com

MCU fans know all too well that Tony Stark was a mentor and father figure to Peter Parker after Spidey made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, and it was great to have Stark in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He wasn’t around too terribly often in the film, but he was around enough to help Peter realize that he was more than just the suit he was wearing. Little did people know that Downey made bank for his performance.

It has been reported that Robert Downey Jr. was paid $15 million for his performance in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Nothing crazy, right? Well, the impressive fact here is that Downey was on screen for roughly 15 minutes during the film, meaning that he made around $1 million for each minute that he was actually in the movie. There aren’t too many stars that could command a payday like this, but then again, there aren’t many stars who could kickstart the biggest franchise on the planet.

Related: Here's Why Halle Berry Is Very Angry With Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. made a fortune with the MCU, but his unique payday for Spider-Man: Homecoming is one that we still can’t get over.

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