Although every credible economist has debunked the claim that women get paid less than men merely because they have a uterus, oppression-seeking Western feminists are obsessed with proving the veracity of the gender wage gap myth.
Spotting an opportunity to be victimized, feminists caught a glimpse of Gal Gadot’s paycheck, a reported $300,000, for her starring role in Wonder Woman and pounced, comparing it to other male stars’ paychecks to “prove” the wage gap myth:
Here’s the thing, Gadot’s paycheck is actually not an example of the gender wage gap at all, but instead a standard amount of cash for a relatively unknown actor staring in a superhero franchise. Here’s Vanity Fair with more:
Hollywood contracts are notoriously complicated things—salaries are often sweetened by box office bonuses, bumps in pay for sequels, or even “points” on the total gross for megastars. For superhero franchises just getting started, though, the process is usually simple: find a star on the rise, pay them relatively little, and then offer more if the franchise takes off.
In fact, when Chris Hemsworth starred as Thor, he was reportedly paid a base salary of $200,000, and Chris Evans playing Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger was paid a reported $300,000.
But what about the $14 million to Henry Cavill for Man of Steel? That was actually Carvill’s pay including the added cash from the high box office performance and bonuses, unlike Gadot’s sourced $300k, which is base pay for each film (there will surely be sequels to Wonder Woman).
Furthermore, as a source told Vanity Fair, Cavill’s $14 mill was likely a total from more than one film. “It certainly isn’t for one picture. That’s insane,” said the source. “Entry level actors in franchise films are paid an initial rate. As a franchise takes off, they stand to make more money.”
This means that it’s completely possible that Gadot signed a contract similar to Cavill’s and “the Wonder Woman bonus checks will soon be rolling in—and the sequels could be even more lucrative.”
“If you do an apples to apples comparison, she was paid at least as much as he was,” another source told the outlet.
“So while Gadot’s $300,000 is pretty small compared to the millions her movie has made, she hasn’t sold herself short; the actress hasn’t yet signed a deal for the now-inevitable Wonder Woman 2, and her agents are surely already working to net their 10 percent of her much-larger payday,” notes Vanity Fair.
Overall, Gadot might even become the first woman to hit $50 million for starring in a superhero franchise.