A former Marvel crew member has voiced concerns about not being able to meet their ‘basic needs’ with the compensation they received in light of the news about Robert Downey Jr.’s reported pay for his return to the MCU.
At San Diego Comic Con (SDCC), it was disclosed that Robert Downey Jr. is making a comeback to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), not as Iron Man but as Dr. Doom in the forthcoming Fantastic Four film.
Additionally, the 59-year-old’s return reportedly involves specific conditions and a substantial pay package.
According to Variety, Marvel needed to ensure that directors the Russo brothers, Antony and Joe – who directed Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – were also on board to return.
“They were the only ones he would work with,” a source stated.
Variety sources suggest Marvel is allegedly paying $80 million for the pair to direct, with Downey Jr.’s compensation expected to be ‘significantly more’.
A man who claims to have previously worked as a crew member on a Marvel production has addressed the news about the pay package on Twitter.
Sharing Variety’s article about Downey Jr.’s alleged compensation, Tyler Scruggs tweeted on 30 July: “I will repeat it until I’m blue in the face… I made $12.50 an hour working 70+ hours a week on Black Panther Wakanda Forever… went up to $14 on Blade v1.0…”
Scruggs added: “OH YEAH WE WON THE OSCAR TOO.”
Another user responded: “12.50!?! I was making 10! Lmao”
A third commented: “That is insane. I was a freelance vfx artist for about five years. I’m just gonna blanket say that any below the line work is thankless to some degree. But this pay is truly f**king crazy.”
Scruggs replied: “Exactly like I know how this works but I could not meet basic needs and had literally 0 time for anything but Marvel.”
Not everyone shared the same viewpoint.
One user remarked: “Underpaid for sure but probably not the best comparison.”
Another added: “Hey dude. Newsflash. You aren’t Robert Downey Jr. Keep PAing and work your way up the ladder like everyone else. Thinking you are entitled to anything in the film business will get you about as far as being a costume PA.”
Scruggs responded quickly: “I didn’t know I wasn’t Robert Downey Jr… or even entitled to anything… you’ve given me a lot to think about. I hope you win those football tailgate tickets.”