After a slump, Marvel has decided to revive the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Avengers franchise. To do so, they are bringing back the ace card, Robert Downey Jr.—who helped Marvel achieve immense fame as Iron Man—as the studio’s new supervillain, Dr. Doom. Alongside Downey, the franchise is also bringing back their star directorial duo, the Russo Brothers, who helmed the studio’s two most successful movies, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” Both Downey and the Russo Brothers are set to receive substantial paychecks and attractive perks from the studio.

Reports indicate that Marvel is paying $80 million to the Russo Brothers to direct ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Avengers: Secret Wars.’ This impressive sum does not include back-end compensation but does account for performance bonuses that kick in at the $750 million and $1 billion thresholds. Variety also reports that, in a rare move, the Russo Brothers will co-produce the upcoming two ‘Avengers’ movies under their banner, AGBO Films. This decision is surprising, as the studio typically prefers to keep productions in-house and avoids co-producing films.

On the other hand, Robert Downey Jr., dearest star of Marvel, is ready to receive significantly more than the Russo Brothers. The Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Role in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ will be paid “significantly more” for the two projects. Downey will also receive attractive perks, including private jet travel, dedicated security, and a large trailer encampment. Reports suggest that Downey demanded the return of the Russo Brothers to helm these projects, given that their two “Avengers” movies grossed a combined $4.851 billion.

Additionally, Downey is known to be the highest-paid actor in the MCU, having earned between $500 million and $600 million for his roles as Iron Man/Tony Stark. He starred in the four ‘Avengers’ movies, three ‘Iron Man’ films, ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ and made cameos in ‘The Incredible Hulk’ and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’

These new releases were announced after the scrapping of the ‘Kang Dynasty’ narrative due to actor Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles. The studio abandoned the character arc, paving the way for Dr. Doom as the next supervillain. Downey’s casting as the primary antagonist is expected to revive the studio’s fortunes after recent projects fell short of expectations.