Scarlett Johansson earned worldwide recognition for her role as Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She first started playing the female superhero, Black Widow, in Iron Man 2. The journey has been remarkable as she finally led a solo film in 2021. But have you ever wondered about her salary growth over the years? Scroll below for a detailed analysis.
Many wouldn’t know, but Scarlett dyed her hair red to convince Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau that she’s apt for the role. She undertook intense strength training to prepare for the character, and boy, didn’t she nail it? While it took many movies for her to get a solo film finally, unfortunately, Avengers: Endgame marked her last outing in the much-loved character.
Scarlett Johansson’s salary for Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 Still ( PH๏τo Credit – IMDb )
For her role in Iron Man 2, Scarlett Johansson earned a sum of only $400,000. But the journey had just begun, and her inclusion in back-to-back Marvel films also helped her grab the тιтle of “highest-earning box office star of all time.” But the best is yet to come because the actress enjoyed a mind-boggling growth of 4900% as she unlocked a new milestone with Black Widow.
How much was Scarlett Johansson paid for Black Widow?
For her solo film, Marvel paid Scarlett Johansson an earth-shattering sum of $15 million. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter back in 2019, Scarlett confirmed that she was getting paid an equal sum as her male co-stars for their solo films.
Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth were both taking home a sum of $15 million for their solo outings as Captain America and Thor, respectively.
But there’s a twist in the tale, as ScarJo was also an executive producer for Black Widow. The Walt Disney Company later confirmed that the actress got a paycheck of $20 million, including her earnings as the producer.
Black Widow Still ( PH๏τo Credit – IMDb )
So, if one compares her first outing in Iron Man (2010) to Black Widow (2021), the salary growth is one of the most remarkable ones in the history of Hollywood. It is also reported that Scarlett Johansson is the second highest-earning Marvel actor after Robert Downey Jr. 
Disney Lawsuit
Scarlett Johansson was embroiled in a legal battle against Disney over Black Widow’s simultaneous release in theatres as well as its digital platform. The actress claimed there was a breach of contract as she was promised bonuses based on certain milestones the film would achieve at the box office. The lawsuit was settled somewhere around September 2021, and the actress reportedly got over $40 million from Disney.
