Being the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe does not always guarantee the biggest paycheck. 3 MCU stars, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, and Chris Evans, were once paid less than a certain supporting cast member in films where they played the lead roles. Times have changed, and these actors are now the box office powerhouses in this current era.

So, it is worth taking a look at the 3 instances when established supporting actors walked away with much larger salaries, while the lead actors were still building their star value.

The first instance goes all the way back to 2008 with Iron Man. While the film went on to gross around $585 million worldwide, Robert Downey Jr. was reportedly paid $500,000. Surprisingly, supporting actor Terrence Howard, who played James “Rhodey” Rhodes in the film, was paid around $4.5 million. 

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At the time, Howard was reportedly among the first actors cast in the movie. However, he was later replaced by Don Cheadle in the sequel. Now, the tables eventually turned for Downey Jr., who later became one of the MCU’s highest-paid stars, even earning massive salaries for supporting appearances in future Marvel films.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland played the lead role of Peter Parker, but reportedly earned around $1.5 million for the film. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr., who played a supporting role as Tony Stark, was reportedly paid about $10 million. That is far more than Holland’s salary and much higher than what Downey Jr. himself earned for the original Iron Man back in 2008. 

As for Holland, he has been part of several other MCU movies, along with appearing as Peter Parker in the Spider-Man movies. He reportedly made $10 million for the previous movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home. But speaking of Robert Downey Jr., this is not the only MCU film where he earned a jaw-dropping value playing a supporting role.

In Captain America: Civil War, Chris Evans played the lead character, Steve Rogers, who is Captain America. However, despite playing the lead role, he was reportedly paid around $15 million for the film. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. reportedly earned more than $40 million for playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in the movie.

While these pay gaps may seem baffling, one thing is certain: these actors have spent years building their value in Hollywood. Much like Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, and Chris Evans eventually transformed themselves into some of the biggest faces of the MCU and global box office stars. And now, all three actors are set to appear together in Avengers: Doomsday.

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Did any of the MCU actors mentioned above surprise you? Share your take in the comments.