We don’t know, but it is true that Downey was the highest paid actor for 2015, and this could put Marvel in a difficult spot if they wanted to continue working with him on the same level. Someone in Downey’s position would probably be right to ask for a raise if he was told he’s worth so much.
This has also inspired some discussions about Downey himself and the kind of position the actor is currently in. on one hand, having the reputation of the best paid actor in Hollywood must be great, and it speaks volumes about how much people value his work.
On the other hand, finding new jobs must also be difficult when every studio knows in advance that this will be their most expensive talent investment.
We don’t know how things are going to be in the future for Robert Downey Jr. and the “Iron Man” franchise, but we hope that the people behind this production will be able to reach an acceptable middle ground behind the scenes before it’s too late. Because the popularity of the franchise will not stay at such high levels forever, and people will eventually get bored of waiting for the next film to come out, although of course that’s likely not happening anytime soon.
Yes it would be threatening if another actor played as Iron Man in Iron Man 4. Robert Downey Jr. needs to play as Iron Man and Tony Stark one last time in Iron Man 4 so we can see Iron Man (RDJ) fight The “real” Mandarin.
Bottom Line: MCU is notoriously stingy with their salaries. RDJ is smart enough to know what he is worth. End result, MCU better give it up because there is no Iron Man without Robert Downey Jr. I and many others will walk away if RDJ is “replaced.”