8. Robert Downey Jr. - The Avengers (2012)
Less than 10 years after his well-publicized personal issues had almost derailed his career entirely, Robert Downey Jr. cemented the comeback to end all comebacks when the massive box-office success of The Avengers rewarded him with a payday of $50 million. After the $58 5illionm worldwide smash hit that was his debut as Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man, the actor's agents secured him a deal that would see him net a percentage of the profits on any future outings as the billionaire genius playboy philanthropist. As ridiculous as it sounds now, Downey Jr. was only paid $500,000 for the first installment in the superhero franchise, or 1% of what he would earn from The Avengers only four years later. Studio executives were well aware of his previous troubles and also of the fact that he had never appeared in a blockbuster movie, and as strange as it seems Terrence Howard was actually the highest paid member of the cast and he didn't even make it back for the sequel. Despite only appearing onscreen in The Avengers for a little over 37 minutes, the movie's record $207.4 million domestic opening weekend led to a worldwide total of over $1.5 billion, becoming the third-biggest movie of all time and making Downey Jr.'s profit participation deal look like a stroke of genius, especially with Marvel's reputation for low-balling talent during negotiations. In fact, the actor earned tens of millions more than the rest of the actors playing 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' combined. With his Marvel deal expiring after Iron Man 3, no doubt Robert Downey Jr's contract to return for The Avengers 2 and 3 will be a highly lucrative one.