Marvel Crew Members Slam Robert Downey Jr.’s $80 Million ‘Avengers’ Salary

A number of Marvel crew members, including costume and production assistants, slam Robert Downey Jr.’s enormous Avengers salary as they struggle to earn livable wages.

During the San Diego Comic-Con, Kevin Feige announced that Downey was officially returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After Jonathan Majors was booted from the MCU following a guilty verdict in his domestic abuse trial, the franchise seemingly decided to retire his Kang villain entirely. Instead, it will focus on a new villain, Doctor Doom, portrayed by Downey, who also previously starred in the MCU as Iron Man. While it remains to be seen how the franchise handles Downey’s role, it’s suspected he could be portraying an alternate version of Tony Stark who turns into Doom.

The news sparked intense reactions of either excitement or dismay. However, for some, the announcement of his surprise casting as Doom wasn’t what immediately caught their eye—it was the news that Downey would be paid a well over $80 million salary for his return to the MCU.

Why Robert Downey Jr.’s salary is sparking controversy

Shortly after Downey’s massive salary was revealed, Tyler Scruggs took to X with a candid reaction. Scruggs explained that he worked as a costume assistant on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While working 70+ hours a week, he made just $12.50 an hour. One might expect that working on such a huge blockbuster film would give him a leg up in the industry. However, his next gig was Blade, which saw his salary only rise by $1.50 an hour. In response to Downey’s $80 million salary, Scruggs stated that he would relay his own experiences of being overworked and underpaid until he’s “blue in the face.”

Scruggs’ post quickly received comments and reactions on X and Reddit, with many individuals who previously worked as Marvel crew members sharing similar experiences. One Redditor pointed out that those working in the costume department aren’t represented by a labor union, so they have few protections. The user says they worked as a costume assistant, confirming these workers were usually the first ones on set and the last to leave. Yet their mileage reimbursement checks were often larger than their actual paychecks, and they worked so hard that they developed stomach ulcers and became almost fatally ill.

A production assistant shared a screenshot of their paycheck, revealing a 14-hour shift on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned them less than $200. Another costume assistant stated they never earned more than $75 a day.

Sadly, these stories aren’t as surprising as they should be. For years, VFX artists, costume assistants, and other crew members have spoken out about the terrible working conditions on the sets of huge movies from Disney, Sony, and more. They’re overworked, underpaid, undervalued, and often taken advantage of by directors and other higher-ups who give them impossible deadlines.

However, many of the comments that Scruggs received were cold and cruel, telling him he’s not Downey and it’s absurd to compare his salary to an A-list actor’s. But Scruggs never said he should receive the same wage as Downey. He’s simply pointing out that if studios have enough money to pay one person over $80 million, they should have enough to pay crew members a livable wage. Downey is indeed a huge actor who will be the main draw of the upcoming Avengers movies, and he should be compensated adequately. Still, it wouldn’t matter if he was the CEO of Marvel Studios or the most outstanding actor in the world. At the end of the day, absolutely no one needs a salary of $80 million.

The situation is similar to the oft-criticized inflated salaries of Hollywood CEOs, like Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav and Disney’s Bob Iger, who take home salaries of $30–$50 million while instigating mass layoffs and forcing their employees to strike just to earn a livable wage. No matter how one tries to spin it, these CEOs or actors usually don’t work over 3,000 times more than the average worker, so why are they paid 3,000 times more? In the case of Downey, his salary could be split in half, and he and his entire family would still be set for life, while the remaining $40 million could change the lives of thousands of crew members by giving them a much-needed raise.

Again, these workers aren’t asking for $80 million or comparing themselves to Downey. They’re stating the fact that if he can make more money than any one person will ever need in their entire lives, those working for the same company as him should be able to earn enough money to survive.