Which 6 Marvel superhero actors are among world’s top-paid celebrities?
Playing the role of a Marvel superhero has its perks.
Six actors who have played characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe are among the highest-paid celebrities in the world, according to the new Forbes 2019 Celebrity 100 list.
They include Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, who earned more in the past year than the other five MCU actors on the list, including Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr and Bradley Cooper, who voices Guardians of the Galaxy's talking raccoon, Rocket.
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The Forbes Celebrity 100 list, published on Wednesday ranks entertainers around the world based on their pre-tax earnings from June 1 last year up to to June 1 this year.
Chris Hemsworth started out with a fee of US$150,000 for 2011's Thor, but has earned US$15 million per film since 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok
Marvel actors usually earn more the longer they star in the franchise.
Downey Jr was paid US$500,000 for playing the title role in the first film, Iron Man, in 2008, but earned US$75 million a decade later for his 2018 turn in Avengers: Infinity War, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hemsworth started out with a fee of US$150,000 for 2011’s Thor, but has earned US$15 million per film since 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.
Check out the six MCU actors who landed on Forbes’ 2019 Celebrity 100 list:
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Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) – US$41 million
Forbes ranking: 83/100
Rudd earned a percentage of the profits from last year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp and this year’s Avengers: Endgame, according to Forbes.
Chris Evans (Captain America) – US$43.5 million
Forbes ranking: 73/100
Evans earned only US$1 million for his first appearance as Captain America in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. But, like Hemsworth, his salary was bumped up to US$15 million.
Evans will appear in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out later this year and the forthcoming Apple TV+ original series, Defending Jacob.
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Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) – US$56 million
Forbes ranking: 47/100
Johansson has earned US$15 million for the Avengers films, as well as a percentage of the box office.
She appeared in this year’s box-office smash Avengers: Endgame, but appears not to be done with her character just yet. She is making US$15 million for a solo film that is currently in the works.
Bradley Cooper (Rocket) – US$57 million
Forbes ranking: 43/100
With his Oscar-winning film A Star Is Born and Avengers: Endgame, Cooper has enjoyed a good year, so far.
Cooper received a portion of the box office for A Star Is Born, which he starred in, co-wrote, directed, and produced, as well as for Endgame, which is the second-highest grossing film of all time, behind only “Avatar.”
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Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man) – US$66 million
Forbes ranking: 31/100
As the one that started it all, Downey Jr has the biggest salary in the MCU.
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Chris Hemsworth (Thor) – US$76.4 million
Forbes ranking: 24/100
Downey Jr may have the biggest salary of any MCU actor, but Hemsworth topped his fellow Marvel stars on Forbes Celebrity 100 list.
Hemsworth has earned a portion of the box office for Endgame. He also starred in this year's Men in Black: International, and will portray Hulk Hogan in a forthcoming biopic.
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- Actor Robert Downey Jr started the franchise off with 2008’s Iron Man – but he’s not the highest-ranked star in new Forbes 2019 Celebrity list