How Much Guardians of the Galaxy Actors Got Paid For Their MCU Movies (2024)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the last adventure for the first version of the titular MCU team, and most of the cast members have appeared outside of the three mainline films. The Guardians first crossed paths in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy, with the disparate space adventurers uniting to form the MCU's most rag-tag team of heroes. In addition to continuing to headline their own series, the Guardians also united with Earth's Mightiest Heroes to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his vast army in Avengers: Infinity and Avengers: Endgame, with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) joining them for some adventures in Thor: Love and Thunder.

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the series finally takes a deep dive into the experiments that led to the creation of Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), with his creator, the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), pursuing Rocket as a key part of his villain plot. At the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the team decides to go their separate ways, with the movie acting as the capstone of some of the biggest roles many of its principal cast have portrayed. Here is what the Guardians of the Galaxy cast have been paid throughout their tenure in the MCU.

Chris Pratt - Star-Lord

$20 To $25 Million Estimated

Per Us Magazine, Chris Pratt made about $1.5 million for the first Guardians of the Galaxy and was said to have later earned $5 million for his role in Avengers: Infinity War. With Pratt making a total of seven appearances as Star-Lord in the MCU to date, he likely still received some kind of raise over the course of his tenure in the role. This means that Pratt has likely earned roughly $20 to $25 million for his portrayals of Star-Lord from the first Guardians of the Galaxy to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, not counting any back-end deals.

However, Star-Lord seems poised to have a fruitful future in the MCU. While it's unclear what's next for characters like Rocket and Nebula, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 ended with a title card confirming that the "Legendary Star-Lord Will Return." Given Quill ends the movie on Earth, it seems he may find his way to cross paths with the Avengers or other terrestrial heroes next.

Zoe Saldaña - Gamora

$10 To $15 Million Estimated

Zoe Saldana earned about $100,000 for the first Guardians of the Galaxy, according to The Things. With subsequent raises in her later MCU appearances and potential back-end deals, Saldana's pay would likely have increased. With such pay increases throughout her MCU tenure, Zoe Saldana has probably earned around $10 to $15 million for her seven portrayals of Gamora in the MCU.

Gamora's MCU future, and Saldaña's potential to earn more, is more complicated than most of the other Guardians. At the end of the third installment, Gamora, who is a variant that traveled to the present with Thanos in Endgame, finds her newfound family with a band of Ravagers. However, while she's still alive and active, Saldaña has clarified that she sees her time in the MCU as over. More interesting, though, is that she seems to hope the character returns anyway, saying it would be a "huge loss for Marvel" if she doesn't. Perhaps a recasting could continue her story in other projects.

Dave Bautista - Drax

$15 To $20 Million Estimated

Per Epicstream, Dave Bautista earned $1.4 million for his first portrayal of Drax the Destroyer in Guardians of the Galaxy, and subsequently $3 million for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and $4 million for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame combined. With Bautista's three other MCU appearances, this likely adds up to around a $15 to $20 million total for his entire run as Drax in the MCU throughout Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Dave Bautista has made it clear that he has no intentions to return to the character of Drax - not because of any ill-will, but simply because he's ready to move on and challenge himself in new ways. Bautista is one of several professional-wresters-turned-actors, but few have been as publically committed to truly learning the craft and growing as Bautista. While he's starred in his fair share of action flicks, Bautista has also stretched into mystery stories, high-concept sci-fi, and more.

Karen Gillan - Nebula

$10 To $12 million Estimated

According to The Things, Karen Gillan earned $140,000 for her first portrayal of Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy. With Nebula having appeared in every MCU project with the Guardians, she also probably received a pay raise with Nebula's continued MCU presence, especially with Nebula's beefed up role in Avengers: Endgame. This means that Gillan has likely earned somewhere between $10 and $12 million for her total run as Nebula in the MCU.

But is Nebula's story over? It's unclear. In 2022, Gillan explained on Instagram that, "I don’t know if Nebula will return beyond this, it’s possible that this is her final chapter." Given how much Nebula's popularity has grown due to Gillan's portrayal, there's little doubt Marvel Studios would be open to another appearance - or that it wouldn't be accompanied by a significant payday.

Pom Klementieff - Mantis

$5 To $10 Million Estimated

Pom Klementieff came into the Guardians's adventures with Mantis's debut in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and her salary for her first MCU appearance is not clear. With Mantis beginning as a supporting character before properly joining the Guardians, it seems likely Klementieff probably started out at a similar pay range as Saldana of $100,000 or so. With Klementieff playing Mantis six times in the MCU and some likely pay raises along the way, Klementieff has probably earned between $5 and $10 million for her tenure as Mantis.

Will Klementieff have the opportunity to earn another Marvel payday? The character's future is unclear. At the end of Vol. 3, Mantis sets out to finally live life for herself instead of others. That doesn't mean she couldn't come back, though. Klementieff seems as unsure as audiences, telling Esquire, "We don’t know what’s going to happen with the characters, if there’s going to be more movies, if we’re going to come back. We have no clue."

Vin Diesel - Groot

$13 - $15 Million Estimated

Vin Diesel's salary for voicing Groot is also not fully clear, though Guardians writer-director James Gunn has debunked reports that Diesel earned $13 million for each portrayal of the talking tree. However, being that Groot has been a member of the Guardians from beginning to end, he likely earned a fair amount between up-front pay and back-end deals, especially with Diesel being well-established through the Fast & Furious movies (Diesel reportedly earning $20 million for Fast X). With that in mind, it is probably safe to peg $13 to $15 million as a good estimate for his pay for his total run as Groot.

While it may come as a surprise that Diesel earned such a significant amount for his total of three unique lines over the course of several movies, there's no denying that his unique timbre elevated the character significantly. Thanks to a combination of Diesel, Gunn's scripts, and the animation team that brought Groot to life, the last of the Flora Colossi seems as real and tangible as any of the Guar

Bradley Cooper - Rocket

$20 - $30 Million Estimated

Per Forbes, Bradley Cooper was able to "command about 1% of the back end" on Avengers: Endgame, which would net him about $7 million for his portrayal of Rocket Raccoon in the film. This gives some indication of earnings from all of Rocket's appearances, which was likely much lower when Cooper first began as Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy. With Rocket being a voice role for Cooper in the MCU, back-end deals likely translate to bigger pay-outs than his up-front earnings. That means that for his seven total appearances in the MCU, Cooper likely has earned about $20 to $30 million.

That number is likely to go up, too. Given Rocket is the new leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, chances are high that he's back in at least a cameo capacity. The heroes of the MCU will likely need all hands on deck fro Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, including the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Sean Gunn - Kraglin

$5 Million Estimated

Sean Gunn has a unique role in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, portraying both Yondu's right-hand man Kraglin and acting as the on-set performance capture actor for Rocket Raccoon (with neither being among the Guardians characters who die in the film, either). Gunn's pay for both roles is unclear, while Gunn's portrayal of Rocket is shared with Bradley Cooper. In all, it seems like a good estimate that Gunn started out Guardians of the Galaxy between $100,000 to $500,000. With pay raises, it can be estimated that Sean Gunn has earned within the $5 million range for his work leading up to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 might be the official end of the series with most of the cast retiring from their roles, that does not mean that some individual Guardians will never be seen again. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's post-credits scenes show the new status quos Rocket, Groot, and Star-Lord, with the movie's final caption outright stating Star-Lord will return. When and where that return will happen next in the MCU is anyone's guess, but after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Chris Pratt will likely be up for a pay raise in Star-Lord's next adventure.

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  Guardians of the Galaxy

  PG-13

  Where to Watch

  *Availability in US

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

  

  

  

  

  

  Director

  James Gunn

  Release Date

  July 30, 2014

  Writers

  James Gunn , Nicole Perlman , Dan Abnett , Andy Lanning

  Cast

  Zoe Saldana , Karen Gillan , Vin Diesel , Michael Rooker , Djimon Hounsou , Lee Pace , Benicio Del Toro , Glenn Close , Dave Bautista , ​Chris Pratt2 , Bradley Cooper , John C. Reilly

  Runtime

  122 Minutes

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  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

  PG-13

  Where to Watch

  *Availability in US

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Director

  James Gunn

  Release Date

  April 19, 2017

  Writers

  James Gunn , Dan Abnett , Andy Lanning , Steve Englehart , Steve Gan , Jim Starlin

  Cast

  Dave Bautista , ​Chris Pratt2 , Chris Sullivan , Vin Diesel , Kurt Russell , Zoe Saldana , Karen Gillan , Elizabeth Debicki , Sylvester Stallone , Glenn Close , Sean Gunn , Nathan Fillion , Tommy Flanagan , Michael Rooker , Pom Klementieff , Bradley Cooper

  Runtime

  137 minutes

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  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

  PG-13

  Where to Watch

  *Availability in US

  • stream
  • rent
  • buy

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Director

  James Gunn

  Release Date

  May 5, 2023

  Writers

  James Gunn

  Cast

  Chris Pratt , Dave Bautista , Karen Gillan , Zoe Saldana , Bradley Cooper , Pom Klementieff , Vin Diesel , Elizabeth Debicki

  Runtime

  116 Minutes