Scarlett Johansson’s MASSIVE Marvel Paycheck Shows Closing Pay Gap in Hollywood

For the past decade, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has kept us thoroughly entertained, and there are no signs of them slowing down any time soon. Phase Four is already up and running, although the movies are yet to hit our screens.

The 2019 San Diego Comic-Con was a special event for Marvel fans around the globe, as it was then that Marvel president Kevin Feige confirmed that more movies were in various stages of production.

The 2019 Comic-Con was the gift that kept on giving

Confirmation, Finally

What didn’t catch us by surprise must have been the confirmation of Scarlett Johansson’s stand-alone Black Widow movie as there has been speculation about it for years. All the same, it doesn’t hurt for a top official to confirm what fans were already thinking about, right?

And if we’re being honest, ScarJo more than deserves her stand-alone. The actress has been a bright light throughout her MCU career, and it was finally time that she got recognized for it. The fact that existing movies have also not explored her character’s past called for an in-depth analysis, and what better way to do that than by having an entire movie around it?

Nevertheless, as much as the confirmation was good news, there were even better news. Henceforth, Johansson will be on equal pay as her male Marvel co-stars Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor).

They’re all on equal pay

Knowing how much of an issue equal pay in Hollywood has been in recent years, this is certainly an eventuality that calls for a celebration. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, ScarJo said as much, describing the topic as taboo in the industry, before going on to confirm that she’s fortunate enough to be on equal pay.

What’s more, the actress’ involvement in her movie isn’t confined to acting alone. She has a say on what goes into the script, and will also be heavily involved in cast selection. There’s more, with Johansson also taking on some producer responsibility for the movie. Isn’t it interesting that she’ll be involved in literally everything? She must feel that it was worth the wait!

For Black Widow, word on the street is that ScarJo will take home at least $15 million, with the Hollywood Reporter going as far as reporting that it’ll be $20 million or higher.

All the same, Hollywood hasn’t been that harsh to this actress in terms of paydays. According to Variety, ScarJo was paid roughly as much as Hemsworth and Evans were paid in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the second installment in that movie franchise.

Highest-Earning Actress

In 2016, sitting comfortably at the top of the top-grossing actresses list according to Forbes was Johansson, and she was also named the highest-earning actress for the past twelve months.

$56 million and then some for Endgame

Thanks to Avengers: Endgame, the Black Widow took home at least $56 million, that being her compensation for acting in the film. Her deal also included a back-end pay subject to the profitability of the movie, and since it ended up toppling Avatar as the highest-earning movie of all time, ScarJo was an additional $35 million richer.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan back in 2016, the actress said that she felt fortunate to earn as much as her male peers at that point in her career. But given her talents, who would want to shortchange the charming Scarlett Johansson?