RDJ’s Massive Payday for Doom Addressed as MCU Phase 1-3 Salary Revealed
According to a recent rumor, there were conditions attached to getting Robert Downey Jr. back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom. The reveal of Robert Downey Jr.’s new position at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con was one of the biggest announcements in the history of the MCU timeline. Following his departure from the MCU in 2019, Downey Jr. will return, however not as Iron Man. Instead, he will assume the role of Victor von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom.
According to a Variety report, Robert Downey Jr. had to agree to specific terms in order to come on as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Per the trade, Downey Jr. would only return if the Russo brothers also came back to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The report also claimed that the Russos are being paid $80 million dollars for their MCU return, and that Downey Jr.’s pay check is “significantly more” than theirs, which suggests that it could be somewhere in the three digits. Further, Variety reported that Downey Jr. earned between $500m and $600m for his MCU appearances in Phases 1-3, across 10 movies.
Why Robert Downey Jr’s Reported MCU Return Condition Makes Sense
Disney and Marvel Studios have not yet provided an explanation for Robert Downey Jr.’s comeback, and it will take time to see if any new information is revealed regarding this report. Nonetheless, this arrangement would be highly rational to secure Downey Jr.’s participation in the Doctor Doom role.
Many people had been hoping that the Russo brothers, who have directed some of the MCU’s biggest hits, like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, would return to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, long before it was officially announced. With Downey Jr.’s star power being as big as it is in the MCU, it also makes sense that his return would warrant a considerable pay check, especially as Doom is set to be the focal villain for the fifth Avengers movie.
Since Doctor Doom is replacing Kang, time will tell if fans will have to wait all the way to Avengers: Doomsday to see Downey Jr.’s return. It wouldn’t come as a shock if Doctor Doom has at least one cameo in a prior MCU movie that will set up his arc in Avengers: Doomsday. Hopefully, more details about Robert Downey Jr.’s highly-anticipated return to the MCU will emerge over the next couple of months.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Designed by Kevin Feige.
Iron Man was the first movie.
Initial television program: S.H.I.E.L.D.
Future TV Series: Wakanda, Daredevil: Born Again, Iron heart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Wonder Man, Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, and Vision Quest
| pcoming Marvel Movies | Release Date |
| Captain America: Brave New World | February 14, 2025 |
| Thunderbolts* | May 2, 2025 |
| The Fantastic Four: First Steps | July 25, 2025 |
| Blade | November 7, 2025 |
| Avengers: Doomsday | May 1, 2026 |
| Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027 |
How To Watch the Marvel Movies in Order (By Release Date & In Order Of MCU Timeline Events)
It can be challenging to decide which Marvel films to watch because the MCU is one of the biggest franchises ever. Currently, rewatching the entire franchise would involve a significant amount of homework, so some people might decide to stay with the finest MCU films and television series. This is especially true when you take into account how much the creatives at Marvel Studios have changed the timeline and rewritten events as they went along. Fortunately, the movies themselves have offered a roadmap for those who want to view the Marvel flicks in order.
In Hollywood, success breeds longevity, and Marvel Studios grew from a daring concept to a multi-stranded behemoth as the billions started to pour in.
Inevitably, that expansion led to more complexity in the timeline, as Kevin Feige’s team sought to keep hold of the unprecedented size of the shared universe. The scale of the franchise is awesome: the MCU has 6 Phases, planned right up to 2027, with numerous future MCU movies and TV shows yet to be revealed, and even before that, there are tens of movies and Disney+ shows to watch. Here’s how to watch every Marvel movie in order from 2008’s Iron Man to the Multiverse Saga…
Marvel Movies in Order of Release Date
When the MCU was still in its infancy, Kevin Feige revealed his intentions to tell stories in different phases, including new characters and plots following the original Marvel film series up until The Avengers in 2012. This lists every Marvel film in that order, divided into Phases and the two major Marvel film series, the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga. When watching Marvel films in chronological order, this is the most effective method.
The Infinity Saga
| MCU Phase One | |
| Title | Release Date |
| Iron Man | May 2, 2008 |
| The Incredible Hulk | June 13, 2008 |
| Iron Man 2 | May 7, 2010 |
| Thor | May 6, 2011 |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | July 22, 2011 |
| Marvel’s The Avengers | May 4, 2012 |
| MCU Phase Two | |
| Title | Release Date |
| Iron Man 3 | May 3, 2013 |
| Thor: The Dark World | November 8, 2013 |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | April 4, 2014 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | August 1, 2014 |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | May 1, 2015 |
| Ant-Man | July 17, 2015 |
| MCU Phase Three | |
| Title | Release Date |
| Captain America: Civil War | May 6, 2016 |
| Doctor Strange | November 4, 2016 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 | May 5, 2017 |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | July 7, 2017 |
| Thor: Ragnarok | November 3, 2017 |
| Black Panther | February 16, 2018 |
| Avengers: Infinity War | April 27, 2018 |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | July 6, 2018 |
| Captain Marvel | March 8, 2019 |
| Avengers: Endgame | April 26, 2019 |
| Spider-Man: Far from Home | July 2, 2019 |
The Multiverse Saga
| MCU Phase Four | |
| Title | Release Date |
| Black Widow | July 9, 2021 |
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | September 3, 2021 |
| Eternals | November 5, 2021 |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home | December 17, 2021 |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | May 6, 2022 |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | July 8, 2022 |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | November 11, 2022 |
| MCU Phase Five | |
| Title | Release Date |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | February 17, 2023 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | May 5, 2023 |
| The Marvels | November 10, 2023 |
| Deadpool 3 | July 26, 2024 |
| Captain America: Brave New World | February 14, 2025 |
| Thunderbolts | May 2, 2025 |
Marvel Studios changed the release dates of several Phase 5 and Phase 6 releases on November 10, 2023, after the conclusion of the Actors Strike, and a few smaller reshuffles have happened since.
| MCU Phase Six | |
| Title | Release Date |
| Marvel’s Fantastic Four | July 25, 2025 |
| Blade | November 7, 2025 |
| Avengers: The Kang Dynasty | May 1, 2026 |
| Avengers: Secret Wars | May 7, 2027 |
Upcoming MCU Movies After Phase 6
| Title | Release Date |
| Armor Wars | TBA |
| Shang-Chi 2 | TBA |
| Untitled MCU mutants’ film | TBA |
| Spider-Man 4 | TBA |
How To Watch Marvel Movies in Timeline Order
Although Iron Man’s 2008 release marked the official start of the MCU timeline, there has been much disagreement over the years regarding the chronological sequence of events. The official explanation from Marvel Studios in 2023 was the reason behind the approval of the real order of events, which was influenced by their own blunders (such as the infamous “8 years later” gaffe from Spider-Man: Homecoming and other deliberate choices to tamper with the history).
Marvel’s official timelines book, published in 2023, attests to this chronology.
| Title | Years Set | Original Release Date |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 1943-1945 | July 22, 2011 |
| Captain Marvel | 1989-1995 | March 8, 2019 |
| Iron Man | 2008 | May 2, 2008 |
| The Incredible Hulk | 2010 | June 13, 2008 |
| Iron Man 2 | 2010 | May 7, 2010 |
| Thor | 2010 | May 6, 2011 |
| The Avengers | 2012 | May 4, 2012 |
| Thor: The Dark World | 2013 | November 8, 2013 |
| Iron Man 3 | 2013 | May 3, 2013 |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 2014 | April 4, 2014 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | August 1, 2014 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 2014 | May 5, 2017 |
| Avengers: Age of Ultron | 2015 | May 1, 2015 |
| Ant-Man | 2015 | July 17, 2015 |
| Captain America: Civil War | 2016 | May 6, 2016 |
| Black Widow | 2016 | July 9, 2021 |
| Black Panther | 2016 | February 16, 2018 |
| Spider-Man: Homecoming | 2016 | July 7, 2017 |
| Doctor Strange | 2016-17 | November 4, 2016 |
| Thor: Ragnarok | 2017 | November 3, 2017 |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp | 2018 | July 6, 2018 |
| Avengers: Infinity War | 2018 | April 27, 2018 |
| Avengers: Endgame | 2018-2023 | April 26, 2019 |
| Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | 2024 | September 3, 2021 |
| Spider-Man: Far from Home | 2024 | July 2, 2019 |
| Eternals | 2024 | November 5, 2021 |
| Spider-Man: No Way Home | 2024 | December 17, 2021 |
| Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness | 2024 | May 6, 2022 |
| Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | 2025 | November 11, 2022 |
| Thor: Love and Thunder | 2025 | July 8, 2022 |
| The Marvels | 2025 | November 10, 2023 |
| Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania | 2025 | February 17, 2023 |
| Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | 2026 | May 5, 2023 |
