Robert Downey Jr. making an MCU comeback might just be the biggest headline-grabber Marvel Studios has dropped in recent times. But it was not just the comeback that made people curious; the deal also came with a hefty paycheck for the Marvel star. Downey Jr. was already sitting at the top of the list of highest-paid MCU stars after he was paid $75 million for Avengers: Endgame, the highest in the franchise. He had an over-the-top package, featuring a private jet, security, and a swanky trailer, which did not sit well with the entertainment industry. 

Now, with his comeback in Avengers: Doomsday, Robert Downey Jr. has surpassed the fourth highest-paid actor of all time, Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves is fourth on the list of highest-paid movie roles of all time, with a hefty $83.3 million salary. Across all three Matrix films as Neo, Reeves earned a total of approximately $250 million. However, Robert Downey Jr.’s new MCU salary in Avengers: Doomsday has displaced Reeves from his spot on the list. Downey Jr. has reportedly secured $95 million for his role as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.

Downey Jr. is just behind Will Smith, who holds the third-highest salary at $100 million. Downey Jr. launched himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by stepping into the Iron Man suit for the franchise’s first standalone film in 2008. Although Joe Russo had hoped for a different actor, the Oppenheimer actor became a central point of the MCU. And now it seems the Oscar-winning actor is also going to be a central point of the MCU’s latest billion-dollar franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine.

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According to a popular theory, Robert Downey Jr. might follow the key storyline of Deadpool & Wolverine to rejoin the MCU.

Among the many theories that are surfacing on the web, there is Aaron S Baile’s speculation that suggests the potential extinction of the 616 Universe in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday. In the sacred timeline, Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, was designated as the “anchor being” of the Sacred Timeline. As a result, the Avengers are on the hunt for a Stark variant to tackle this imminent threat. However, they could soon discover that this variant is not the Tony Stark they had hoped for but, instead, Doctor Doom.

In Deadpool & Wolverine, Logan was the “anchor being” for his universe and Deadpool’s Earth 10005. Hence, Deadpool was locating a Wolverine variant to stave off the gradual decay. Similarly, the Avengers of Earth 616 might set out on a quest to find their "anchor being," Tony Stark. Yet, unlike the valiant Wolverine, Downey Jr.’s Stark variant could very well turn out to be the ominous Doctor Doom.

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What do you think about Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and his salary in the MCU? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!