Among the plethora of Marvel superheroes who make up the MCU, Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man are widely considered to be the central driving forces of the narratives. Both actors have impressed critics and viewers in their prominent roles, and have become synonymous with their characters.
While it is public knowledge that Downey Jr is the highest-paid MCU actor by a long shot, certain details in the Marvel contracts for each actor have shown why the Sherlock Holmes star has taken top honors in the MCU payroll. Evans, despite being a pivotal part in the development of many storylines including Avengers: Infinity War, earned significantly less, owing to these contractual clauses.
How The Special Characters Contract Affected Chris Evans’ MCU Paycheck
Robert Downey Jr went laughing all the way to the bank following his extended MCU gig as Iron Man, making him the highest-paid actor in the franchise. The Oppenheimer star earned a whopping $75 million for Avengers: Infinity War, which was 5 times higher than his colleague Chris Evans who earned $15 million for the film.
This discrepancy in salary was further explained in the book MCU: The Reign Of Marvel Studios. Despite being a very important link like Downey Jr’s Iron Man, Evans’ Captain America was undone by the Special Characters Contract created by Marvel. According to a particular clause in the contract, a character’s role which amounts to less than 15 percent of screen time in a film, will be considered a cameo and will lead to that actor being paid significantly less.
Captain America, who appeared only in 8 minutes of the total running time of Avengers: Infinity War, was therefore considered a cameo despite being one of the most significant characters in the MCU films and in the Avengers Ensemble. These conditions in the contract, although ridden with loopholes, ultimately aided Downey Jr to become the highest-paid MCU actor.
Will Chris Evans Return As Captain America?
With Marvel setting up their next phases leading to Avengers: Secret Wars, there have been many speculative reports about Chris Evans returning as Captain America, despite having handed over the reigns to Anthony Mackie at the end of Avengers: Endgame. While there has been no confirmed information about the same, the Marvel star though, hinted that his return as the iconic superhero may not be in the works for the future. Speaking to Variety, Evans said,
“It’s tough, because look, I love that role deeply. He means so much to me, and I really do. I think there’s more Steve Rogers stories tell, sure. As much as I’m connected to that role and love telling those stories and working with those people. It doesn’t quite feel right now.”
The Avengers actor went on to add that he was hesitant to take on the role once more as he feared that he could mess up all the hard work and passion that went into creating Captain America.
Also Read: Chris Evans Almost Said ‘Avengers Assemble!’ 4 Years Before Endgame in $1.4B Movie
