Ruffalo has earned supporting actor Oscar nominations for 2010’s The Kids Are All Right, 2015’s Foxcatcher and 2015 best picture winner Spotlight.īetween Ultron and Infinity War, there were no changes in the rankings of its top-five stars. Ruffalo’s third-billing position ahead of Evans could be attributed to his film career outside the MCU.
Ruffalo and Johansson - who is arguably the biggest star career-wise outside of the MCU - also happen to be two of the Avengers who have yet to star in a solo film. Though originally credited second in the first Avengers film, Evans was billed fourth in Ultron, finding himself sandwiched between Ruffalo (keeping the third billing slot) and Johansson (fifth billing).
That comes after Hemsworth’s Thor: Ragnarok marked the actor’s most successful solo film yet, surpassing an $853 million gross ( Ruffalo co-starred). įor Infinity War, Hemsworth and Ruffalo retained No. Meanwhile, Evans had spent his time outside the MCU indulging in his passion for indie filmmaking with his directorial debut Before We Go (which opened a few months after Ultron). ( Hemsworth’s 2013 movie Thor: The Dark World earned $644 million and is Marvel’s worst-reviewed movie to date.) Still, Hemsworth’s career had more mainstream heat than Evans’, as he’d distinguished himself in Ron Howard’s Rush (2013) and signed up for a number of studio roles. It was a curious move just a year earlier, Evans’ 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier became one of Marvel’s most acclaimed films, and earned $714 million worldwide. 2 spot, while Evans fell all the way to No. ( Hemsworth’s Thor opened two months earlier than First Avenger, in May 2011.)īut when Age of Ultron came around, Hemsworth dethroned Evans for the No. Jackson) showing up to give him a mission. It likely helped that the coda of First Avenger led directly into Avengers, with Nick Fury (Samuel L. The film earned $370.6 million worldwide, resulting in Evans becoming a new force in the MCU. In Avengers, Evans was credited second, which could be attributed to him having just made his Marvel debut in July 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Those numbers prove that Tony Stark is not only the group’s “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist,” but also the one deserving of center stage. Until February’s Black Panther, no MCU movie had crossed the $1 billion mark without Downey in the cast. Not only has Downey been billed first in the credits, he has also appeared front and center on many, many posters.ĭowney is Marvel’s highest-paid star and from a box-office perspective, that has made sense. He was its first star, the studio’s anchor since 2008’s Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Don Cheadle.ĭowney is the undisputed leader of the Marvel Universe. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Don Cheadle. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston.