Who is the best paid Avenger?

Not all the Avengers are equal, according to their pay packets anyway.

Sources have revealed to trade mag The Hollywood Reporter that Robert Downey Jr. was the top paid star in ‘Avengers Assemble’... but it’s a shock by just how much. The ‘Iron Man’ star picked up $50m (£31m) once bonuses and his share of the profits are totted up - and this will rise as the film makes more cash.

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The rest of the cast picked up just a fraction of this though.

Reportedly Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Chris Evans (Captain America) and Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) will earn between $2m and $3m (£1.25m - £1.9m); while Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) fare slightly better with a reported $4m - $6m (£2.5m - £3.8m).

So what's the reason for this disparity?

According to THR, after the success of 'Iron Man' Downey Jr.'s canny reps negotiated a deal that will see him take a percentage of Marvel's profits from any film in which he plays the metal-suited hero. The exact figure is debated, and neither Marvel nor the star's reps have commented, but when a film rakes in over $1bn in a few weeks any percentage is a cause for celebration.

The report will do nothing to dispel Marvel’s reputation for being cheap with star salaries.

Did Downey Jr. deserve to earn way more than his fellow Avengers? Let us know in the comments section below...