It’s no secret thatRobert Downey Jr.has made huge bags of cash at the box office. The actor is considered to be the foundation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having starred in the monopolistic franchise’s first official film,Iron Man, back in 2008. Since then, Downey Jr. has appeared in multiple MCU movies, including twoIron Mansequels,Captain America: Civil War, and everyAvengersmovie - includingAvengers: Endgame, the second highest-grossing movie of all-time. That’s some serious cash, and those films, plus twoSherlock Holmesmovies with Guy Ritchie, Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimer, andthe timeless comedy,Tropic Thunder,made the MCU vet the fifth highest-grossing actor of all-time. But Robert Downey Jr. has just been dethroned by an unsuspecting star…Alan Tudyk.
Alan Tudyk is now officially the fifth highest-grossing actor of all-time.His currentoverall box office haul stands at a staggering $16.29 billion- that’s over double the GDP of most small countries! This comes after the box office success ofMoana 2, in which Alan Tudyk returns as Hei Hei the Rooster. Tudyk trails over Robert Downey Jr.’s record by just $20 million (only in Hollywood is the figure $20 million prefixed by the word “just”), as the MCU star’s total haul is currently $16.27 billion.
Tudyk’s most famous on-screen roles include the gone-too-soon sci-fi series,Firefly,A Knight’s Tale, andThe Rookie. They’re all great projects, but they don’t attract the same financial attention as the MCU. So, how has Tudyk bested Downey Jr.’s record? The answer: voice acting. To those who follow his work, Alan Tudyk is perhaps best known as a voice actor. The actor has lent his voice to massive franchises likeStar WarsinRogue One, the aforementionedMoanafranchise, as well as DIsney’sFrozen,Aladdin(2019),Ralph Breaks the Internet, and many more. Tudyk also features heavily in the superhero genre, especially the DC Universe, voicing multiple characters in shows likeHarley Quinn,Young Justice,Doom Patrol,and the recently releasedCreature Commandos.
Alan Tudyk Stars in 2025’s ‘Superman’
If $16.29 billion wasn’t enough, Alan Tudyk is also set to star in one of 2025’s most anticipated movies. Tudyk voiced Clayface, among many other characters, in the animated DCU series,Creature Commandos. During the show’s press tour, Alan Tudyk accidentally revealed that he will be reprising the role in James Gunn’s live-actionSuperman, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel.James Gunn has previously announced that many characters in the new DCU will jump between live-action and animation, as well as between TV and film, and Tudyk’s Clayface will be one of the first to do so.
James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Has Taken Only a Month to Beat Another Henry Cavill Record
The DCU is set to relaunch this summer, and as records continue to fall, there are sky high expectations on the new Man of Steel.
Supermanreleases in theaters on June 29, 2025. Alongside Tudyk and Corenswet, the film also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Milly Alcock, Isabela Merced, Frank Grillo, Skyler Gisondo, Sean Gunn, Wendell Pierce, and many, many more.Supermanwill be the first live-action film in the new DC Universe. Following that, Milly Alcock will return to the big screen inSupergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, the DCU’s second live-action filmin 2026.
Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman is the first movie in Warner Bros.' rebooted DC Universe to center around the titular comic book hero. It introduces a new version of the Man of Steel after Henry Cavill’s departure from the role, honoring the character’s roots as “the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way.”
