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If Iron Man hadn’t been such an enormous hit in 2008, nothing else would have followed. For that reason, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is predicated on Robert Downey Jr. The actor lent such wit, personality, and heart to Tony Stark. And audiences fell in love with the hero.

Since then, Downey has been synonymous with Stark. As the face of the franchise, he has earned another hefty salary for each appearance as Iron Man. But how does Downey’s paycheck compare with the character he plays? Let’s look into the net worth of Mr. Tony Stark himself.

Robert Downey Jr. at the UFC 248 event
Robert Downey Jr. at the UFC 248 event | Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Robert Downey Jr. has made a fortune playing Tony Stark

Long before playing Iron Man, Downey was a popular star in the 1980s and 1990s. But he was nowhere near as successful as he’s been in the 2010s. For the first Iron Man, the actor earned just $500,000. But due to its success, he has seen his net worth rise exponentially.

With each movie, his quote appears to have increased. Take Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, for instance. For each movie, he took home roughly $75 million. And that’s not even accounting for what he earns from the box office.

Last we checked, Downey’s net worth sat comfortably around $300 million. That number has almost certainly increased quite a bit. Yet, the actor still falls shockingly short of the net worth of Iron Man himself.

Iron Man’s alter-ego is among the richest superheroes in history

According to a Forbes ranking of fictional characters’ worth, Stark’s net worth is around $12.4 billion. So his billionaire status remains laughably unchallenged. Stark’s biggest asset naturally is the company his father, Howard Stark, founded. Stark Industries — again, according to Forbes — boasts revenue of $20.3 billion.

Iron Man’s personal net worth edges out DC Comics hero Batman aka Bruce Wayne, who has $9.2 billion to his name. But Tony Stark isn’t the richest superhero overall. In fact, another Marvel character has him beat by a huge margin.

T’Challa — also known as Black Panther — carries a $90.7 trillion net worth, according to Money.com. Of course, T’Challa is the king of another entire nation. And Wakanda has a bustling economy, thanks to its inventory of vibranium. The incredibly rare metal even powers all Wakandan tech.

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The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ actor falls far short of the character he plays

Compared to Tony Stark’s fortune, Downey has a long way to go. The actor may have made hundreds of millions playing the iconic superhero. But he can’t come close to the $12.4 billion his character is worth.

Of course, Downey recently exited the MCU in epic fashion. But Avengers: Endgame doesn’t necessarily mean the end for Downey’s run as Stark. Rumors and speculation continue to circulate about how he could return.

If the actor hopes to come a bit closer to Stark’s net worth, his best bet is to suit up a few more times in the coming years. In the meantime, fans shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for Downey to catch up.

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