Over the past 50 years, we have come a long way in terms of entertainment, with the biggest innovation being that we can basically watch any kind of news report, sporting event, concert, or movie in the palm of our hands. With that being said, millions of people still go to the theater in order to watch movies, mainly for the atmosphere, and to watch the movie in good quality as soon as possible, and it is because of those reasons that Hollywood makes billions of dollars every single year. When it comes to Hollywood blockbusters, there have always been eras where a certain genre has dominated the box-office, and for the past decade, the superhero genre has by far been the most economically successful.

Superhero movies primarily feature characters from Marvel and DC Comics, and although both publishers have hardcore fans who are extremely loyal to each brand, the vast majority of comic book fans will agree that Marvel has produced the better live-action films. The major reason for Marvel being better is the fact that the movie studio has created a massive universe consisting of over 20 movies, movies that are all connected to each other in some way. Even though these movies feature comic book characters, Marvel has managed to cast several top-tier actors, as well as other lesser talented actors who perfectly fit their roles, but no matter how talented they are, all of those actors are incredibly wealthy, and they have the net worth to show for it; and this article will focus on the 15 actors to appear in the MCU with the highest net worth.

Chris Pratt ($40 million) 

Marvel took a big risk when they announced plans to make a movie based on The Guardians of the Galaxy, as only true Marvel comic book fans actually knew that the team existed. In the end, that risk paid off big time, as the movie was an overwhelming success, with its sequel managing to do even better at the box-office, and a major reason for both movies' success is the chemistry between the team. The group is led by Star Lord, who is played by Chris Pratt, who was known for his role on the show Parks and Recreation before getting into great shape and joining the MCU. Since becoming Star Lord, Pratt has received quite a few leading roles, including Jurassic World and its upcoming sequel, and it is thanks to these roles that Pratt's net worth has jumped to $40 million.

John C. Reilly ($45 million)

As far as young people are concerned, John C. Reilly is best known for starring in comedy films, but his body of work is much more extensive than that, as he has been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Chicago. The Wreck-It Ralph star appeared in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, where he played Rhomann Dey, a member of the Nova Corps on the planet Xandar, and although the role was pretty small, he made the most of it with his delivery. Reilly may be done with the MCU, but he still left his mark on it, and got to add his one appearance to a film catalog that includes more than 50 other movies, and it is because of all those roles that he currently has a surprising net worth of $45 million.

Jeremy Renner ($50 million)

Even after all the movies that have been released, people still make fun of Black Widow and Hawkeye, claiming that both characters are useless because neither one has superpowers or a special suit like the other members of the Avengers. Hawkeye is played by Jeremy Renner, and he made his MCU debut back in 2011's Thor, where he was in charge of guarding the God of Thunder's famous hammer. Renner is a good actor, as evidenced by his Oscar nominated performances in both The Hurt Locker and The Town, and he was also great in critically acclaimed films like American Hustle and Arrival. Renner may be known as an actor, but he is also a singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, and drummer, which means that he earned a small part of his $50 million fortune from being a musician.

Glenn Close ($50 million)

Guardians of the Galaxy may have featured a virtually unknown segment of Marvel's comic book universe, but that did not stop the movie from being a star-studded affair featuring several Oscar nominees. One of those nominees was Fatal Attraction star Glenn Close, who played Nova Prime, the person in charge of the entire Nova Corps, who were trying to find and imprison the movie's villain, Ronan the Accuser. For those who do not know, Close has been nominated for multiple Oscars, Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Emmys, and Grammys. The Veteran actress has been around for more than 40 years, and in that time, she has definitely earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, as well as her place in the American Theater Hall of Fame, which are accolades that go well with her $50 million net worth.

Chris Evans ($50 million)

In 2011, we got Captain America: The First Avenger, which of course featured Steve Rogers/Captain America, the patriotic supersoldier who fought Nazis in World War II while using his iconic shield. Chris Evans is the man who portrays Captain Rogers, and he has done a fantastic job playing the most principled and moralistic hero in Marvel's immense pantheon. When everything is said and done, Evans will have played Steve Rogers in 10 films, and based on the trailers for Infinity War, and the fact that his contract expires with the 2019 Avengers movie, it is fair to say that his time as the hero is coming to an end. He may have starred in movies like The Losers, Snowpiercer, and the original Fantastic Four movies, but he will forever be remembered for wielding the shield, the role that earned him most of his $50 million fortune.

Ben Kingsley ($60 million)

When it comes to casting, Marvel has done an amazing job, even though the studio sometimes messes up the characters that the actors have to portray, which is what happened in Iron Man 3. In that movie, we thought that the Mandarin was the main villain, but midway through the movie we found out that he was an imposter hired by the real antagonist. Trevor Slattery was his name, and he was played by Sir Ben Kingsley, a man who is best known for his Oscar-winning portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi, but he has also given masterful performances in films such as Shutter Island, Bigsby, and Schindler’s List. With a Grammy, BAFTA Award, and 2 Golden Globes, Kingsley is one of the most accomplished actors to appear in the MCU, and has a net worth of $60 million to show for it.

Natalie Portman ($60 million)

Last November Marvel released Thor: Ragnarok, the third solo movie featuring the God of Thunder, and as it turns out, it is by far the best of the 3 Thor movies, and part of the reason for that is because the Jane Foster character was removed. Foster was a scientist who also served as Thor's love interest in the first 2 movies, and she was played by Natalie Portman, who is best known for her portrayal of Padmé Amidala in the prequel Star Wars trilogy. With the Star Wars franchise far in the rear view mirror, Portman has become an accomplished actor in Hollywood, starring in films such as V for Vendetta, Annihilation, Jackie, and 2011's Black Swan for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress. With over 3 dozens films under her belt, you can see why Portman is worth $60 million, even if a lot of that money is a result of Star Wars instead of Marvel.

Gwyneth Paltrow ($60 million)

The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Royal Tenenbaums, Shallow Hal, and Proof are just a few of the films that Gwyneth Paltrow has starred in, but it is thanks to her role in Shakespeare in Love, that she gained worldwide recognition. That role earned her both a Golden Globe and an Oscar, and she essentially has that role to thank for her entire career, which includes her presence in the MCU. Paltrow has been with the MCU since the beginning, as she plays Pepper Potts, Tony Stark's girlfriend/fiancee, a role that will soon span 7 films. As of right now, Paltrow has a net worth of $60 million, but she did not earn all of that money from acting alone, as she happens to also be a fairly successful writer who specializes in books about food.

Chris Hemsworth ($70 million)

In terms of actual strength, there are only two Avengers who logically stand at the top of the list, and Thor is one of them, seeing as he is the only one who can go toe-to-toe with Hulk. So far we have had three Thor movies, with the first two being very forgettable entries in the MCU, but even though most of the hero's solo films have been dull, Chris Hemsworth has done a great job portraying the God of Thunder. Next year's Avengers film will mark Hemsworth's 8th appearance as the character, a character that he basically owes his entire career to, because if he never played the hammer wielding hero, he would have probably not received so many starring roles in films like Blackhat, Red Dawn, In the Heart of the Sea, the Snow White films, and 12 Strong; and he definitely would have not gained a net worth of $70 million.  

Bradley Cooper ($100 million)

Other than it being a culmination of a decade's worth of story and set-up, Avengers: Infinity War has an enormous amount of hype behind it due to the fact that every hero in the MCU will be in the same movie, meaning that the Avengers get to team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy. Although Star Lord is the leader of the Guardians, most people will say that Rocket, the talking raccoon, is their favorite member of the team, because of how he acts and speaks, and when it comes to his speech, the expert pilot and technician is voiced by Bradley Cooper. Cooper is an Oscar-nominated actor who has appeared in dozens of films, and he is set to voice Rocket for at least two more MCU movies, making him the only actor worth $100 million to willingly voice a space rodent for a prolonged period of time.

Scarlett Johansson ($100 million)

In 2010 Marvel released Iron Man 2, and prior to its release, it was one of the most anticipated films of the year, but quite a few people view the film as a disappointment, mainly because of the villain being VERY forgettable and uninteresting. With that being said, the movie is indeed an important entry in the MCU, as it welcomed both Scarlett Johansson and her Black Widow character into the fold. Johansson’s first leading role came in 1996, and since then, she has gone on to become one of the more sought after actresses in Hollywood, and she has done a great job playing the Russian spy. In all likelihood, Johansson will probably appear in 7 Marvel movies, including a possible stand-alone movie, and seeing as she commands at least $10 million per movie, it is no wonder that she has a net worth of $100 million.

Anthony Hopkins ($160 million)

So far, every single solo movie featuring Thor has included the God of Thunder himself, along with Loki and Heimdall, but Odin has been a part of every film as well, and he was masterfully portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. Other than Ben Kingsley, Hopkins is the most accomplished actor to appear in the MCU, and although the Oscar winner did not have much screen time in the movies, he essentially stole every scene he found himself in. Over the course of his career, Hopkins has appeared in dozens of feature length and television films, including his breakout role as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs, which led him to Oscar-nominated roles in both Nixon and Amistad. Considering how good of an actor he is, it is not at all surprising that he has managed to amass a net worth of $160 million over the course of a career that has spanned over 5 decades.

Vin Diesel ($200 million)

We will soon get the ninth installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise, a franchise that has more less made Vin Diesel’s entire career, because if he did not have those movies, he would mainly be known for appearing in xXx and the Chronicles of Riddick series. Even though we have never seen his face in the MCU, Diesel is set to appear in at least 5 Marvel movies, as he provides the voice of Groot, the loveable living tree who is a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Some of you may be shocked to see Diesel at this point of the list, but when you think about how much money the Fast and the Furious movies generate, his $200 million net worth is not that far fetched; and a couple of those million he earned just for saying “Groot” over and over again..

Samuel L. Jackson ($220 million)

Of all the actors on this list, Samuel L. Jackson has by far had the most success when it comes to the box-office, as he has appeared in over 100 films whose combined box-office gross is around the $16 billion mark. The Oscar-nominated actor made his MCU debut in a cameo appearance at the end of 2008’s Iron Man, where he told Tony Stark that he was part of a much greater universe, and where he first mentions the Avengers Initiative. Other than The Avengers and The Winter Soldier, Jackson’s character has not had a lengthy amount of screen time in the movies, but that has not kept Nick Fury from being an important part of the universe, plus his limited screen time has still helped to improve his net worth. In terms of wealth, Jackson is the second richest MCU actor, as his entire filmography has given him a net worth of $220 million.

Robert Downey Jr, ($260 million)

As massively successful as the MCU is, it all had to start somewhere, and in truth, we have 2008’s Iron Man to thank for everything, because if that movie had failed, the universe may have never even existed. Other than kicking off the MCU, the movie essentially allowed Robert Downey Jr. to rejuvenate his career, a career that suffered quite a bit due to substance abuse, and that rejuvenation has led to a massive increase in his net worth. As of right now, the man who plays Tony Stark has a net worth of roughly $260 million, a fortune that he mainly owes to his portrayal of the superhero, and seeing as he is responsible for bringing the entire MCU to life, it is only fitting that he is also the richest of all the Marvel actors.