How much money 5 Marvel superhero actors got paid, including a $5 million salary for Brie Larson in 'Captain Marvel'

Jason Guerrasio

February 13, 2019 10:07 PM

On March 8, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will gets its first standalone female superhero movie when "Captain Marvel" hits the big screen. And its star Brie Larson will be walking away from the movie with more than Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chadwick Boseman earned on their first MCU movies.

Captain Marvel Marvel

In a Hollywood Reporter profile on Larson, the trade revealed Larson will earn $5 million to star. Disney is historically stingy in paying its actors, especially their first time out of the gate in a Marvel movie, so props to Larson's agent.

Just how tight can the studio be with its cash?

Here's how much 5 other actors have been paid during their time in the MCU:

Chris Hemsworth $150,000 for Thor (2011)

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Marvel Studios

It makes sense that this Chris got so little. The actor didn't have many credits to his name when he came on to play Odin's son in the first movie. But he's got leverage now. Hemsworth has been earning $15 million paydays since "Thor: Ragnarok ."

Robert Downey Jr. $500,000 for Iron Man (2008)

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Yeah, Marvel got RDJ cheap in 2008 (following box-office milestones for the first "Iron Man," Downey's end pay was $2.5 million ). An Oscar-nominated actor and arguably one of the best of his era, Downey Jr. was still repairing his career following a tough stint with substance abuse at the time he was cast in the movie that would launch the MCU. And he has been rewarded since, earning $50 million for the first "Avengers" movie, $80 million for "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and $10 million for the handful of scenes in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

Chris Evans $1 million for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

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Disney/Marvel

Evans got more than his fellow Chris on his first outing because he had better name recognition when he agreed to play Steve Rogers. In fact, he had already played a superhero. He was Johnny Storm in the early 2000s version of the "Fantastic Four" franchise. And since "Captain America: Civil War," like Hemsworth, he's been scoring $15 million checks.

Chadwick Boseman $2 million for Black Panther (2017)

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Disney/Marvel Studios

By Disney standards, starting out at $2 million isn't bad. And being part of one of the biggest Marvel hits of all time meant Boseman got a nice bonus. He'll definitely be looking at bigger pay days playing T'Challa going forward.

Scarlett Johansson $15 million for Untitled Black Widow Movie (TBA)

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Marvel Studios/Disney

It sure was a long time coming. After seven movies (counting "Endgame") in the MCU, Johansson's character finally gets a standalone movie, which is currently in early stages. And because of that Disney is going to give her a worthy contract. She earned a low seven-figure check starring in the first "Avengers" movie.

Moral of the story: the longer you stay in the MCU, the more you'll eventually make.