Marvel is preparing to debut its first big screen standalone female superhero next month, and there are a lot of eyes and ears on the project that come with their own pressures to get it right. They spent a reported $5 million to get Brie Larson to play Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel, which is a break from the company's usual practice of getting stars fairly cheap for their first movies. How cheap? Take a look at what these five now mega-stars made in their first Marvel joints.
Chris Hemsworth: $150,000 in 2011 for Thor
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Chris Hemsworth may be a huge superstar now, earning about $15 million a picture since Thor's most recent solo outing in Thor: Ragnarok, but when he was first cast as the Thunder God back in 2011, it was more for his ability to play the part than any name or face recognition. Talent is cheap compared to those qualities, so Marvel was able to secure him for just $150,000.
Robert Downey Jr: $500,000 in 2008 for Iron Man
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Even RDJ, whose continuing contract with Marvel has made him one of the very highest-paid movie stars of all time, was a cheap get for the studio, despite his long and illustrious Hollywood career up to that point. The film's surprise blockbuster success and Downey's continued involvement in Marvel's "cinematic universe" since then has completely changed that, though, and now he can pull in $80 million for Avengers: Age of Ultron or $10 million for what's basically a glorified cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Chris Evans: $1 Million in 2011 for Captain America: First Avenger
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Evans was quite a bit more famous than fellow Chris, Chris Hemsworth, when it came time for his superhero debut in 2011, and he got a seven-figure paycheck as a reflection of that. Now, they're both sitting together at about $15 million a picture.
Chadwick Boseman: $2 Million in 2018 for Black Panther
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Boseman did pretty well for himself last year, scoring a reported $2 million to play T'Challa in Black Panther. But now, following the massive commercial and cultural success of that film, he's sure to make much more for the sequel.
