3. A Near Falling Out With Robert Downey, Jr.
When Marvel decided to adapt Civil War with Captain America 3, it became necessary to renegotiate Robert Downey, Jr.'s pricey contract. Though Marvel had originally only wanted the actor for a small role which would have required just three weeks of his time, Disney pushed for more. The prospect of a bigger payday for the actor incensed frugal Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter, who ordered the screenwriters to write Iron Man out of the script. It was then down to Kevin Feige to smooth things over with his boss, providing him with an idea of a bigger picture and the kind of doors that adapting Civil War would open. The deal at one point appeared to be dead, and it looked like Marvel and Robert Downey, Jr. could be on the outs. Feige however salvaged things and came up with a deal which made everyone happy. As a result, Downey, Jr. will collect around $40 million for starring in Captain America: Civil War, as well as box office backend and an additional bonus if the movie ends up outperforming the $714 million earned by Captain America: The Winter Soldier.