Are Marvel’s Villains Just as Rich as Its Heroes? We Find Out!

Business LoungeOctober 25, 2019

When talking about a superhero movie, we almost always focus on the hero and the villain takes the backseat.

But Marvel has done a phenomenal job in making sure that the villains in its films become just as important and prominent in the storyline as the main superhero, and that is why Marvel’s villains usually have very compelling backstories which enable the audiences to relate to them on a much deeper level, even paving way for the creation of a stable fan-following.

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The superheroes of Marvel have become very rich thanks to the hefty paychecks paid to them by the studio

For example, Loki, who started out in the Marvel films as a villain, not only had a wonderful backstory that explained why he became villainous, but also evolved with each subsequent film and eventually became a good person. That is why you would find plenty of Loki fans in the Marvel fandom and naturally also for the actor who played the character on the screen, Tom Hiddleston.

Rich But Not Because Of Marvel

We already know that the actors who play the heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe make a lot of money, but what about those like Tom who have mostly performed in the capacity of a villain and have arguably added just as much value to the movies as, say, Chris Evans who plays the character of Captain America.

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Tom Hiddleston is not nearly as rich as his co-stars, but that’s understandable considering he also has smaller screen time.

When it came to hiring an actor to play the character of Doctor Doom, which is one of the most popular and iconic villains in the Marvel comic books, the studio decided to go with Toby Kebbell.

The character of Doctor Doom made his appearance in the film called Fantastic Four, and although the actor now enjoys a cumulative worth of around $17 million, of course not all of it has come from playing this character. In fact, judging by the limited screen time he was given in the final edit of the film, it can be reasonably asserted that his payout must not have been too impressive.

A Few More Examples

While you may have loved the performance given by the exemplary actor Michael Fassbender as he played the character of Magneto, it is evident that Marvel did not put a lot of money as compensation in his pockets as well because he only has around $30 million to his name.

The actors who have played heroes in the Marvel films are usually much richer compared to those who have played the roles on villains. But that does not mean that those who have performed in villainous roles are not rich.

For example, Robert Redford, the actor who performed the character of Alexander Pierce, has $170 million to his name. But again, just like Kebbell, his riches have also mostly come from projects that were not a part of Marvel.

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Michael Fassbender has made a fortune, but not through his work with Marvel

Kurt Russel is also very rich, with a cumulative worth of approximately $70 million, a tiny portion of which must have come from Marvel for playing the character of Ego in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. But considering the fact that he did not spend a lot of time on the screen, it is understandable if Marvel might not have paid him a lot of money.