Robert Downey Jr at Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con

It turns out that getting Robert Downey Jr. back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom came with certain requirements, according to a new report. The 2024 San Diego Comic-Con brought the MCU timeline one of its biggest announcements of all time by unveiling Robert Downey Jr’s new role. After his exit in 2019, Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU, but not as Iron Man, as he is set to play Victor von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom.

A Variety report has stated that the deal to get Robert Downey Jr. to play Doctor Doom in the MCU had certain conditions in order for the former Iron Man star to agree to sign on. 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 paycheck 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

Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark in the time travel suit in Avengers Endgame

At the time of this story’s publication, Disney and Marvel Studios have not commented on the terms of Robert Downey Jr’s return, and only time will tell if any further light is shed on the report. However, this deal would make a lot of sense in order to get Downey Jr. onboard for the Doctor Doom gig.

Bringing back the Russos to helm Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars is a concept that many had been hoping would come to fruition far before it was ever confirmed, as they are the filmmakers to have brought some of the biggest successes to the MCU, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. 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 paycheck, 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.